Aston Martin
The noble English marque places their V12 Zagato centre stage. The series version of the Zagato glistens in its blood-orange livery and is nothing if not sleek and smart. The auto is powered by a six-litre V12 mill with 517 horsepower and 570 Nm of torque and is just right for the wealthy older man seeking automotive rejuvenation.
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- The R8 GT Spyder is certainly the best looking Audi on show.
Audi
The Audi R8GT Spyder is the sophisticated top-down emblem of luxury from provincial Ingolstadt. There will only be 333 Spyder versions of the GT built. The performance stays the same at 560 horsepower, 540 Nm of torque and a top speed of 317 kilometres an hour.
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- The 458 Italia is a mid-motor Ferrari with an electrically operate hard-top and a wonderful sound.
Ferrari
On the Ferrari stand the luscious 458 Italia has pride of place. Now for the first time there is a mid-motor Ferrari with an electrically operated hard-top. And it has sufficient sex appeal even to steal the thunder of the elegant booth babes on hand. Performance data… 570 horsepower, 540 Nm, tops out at 320. ‘Nuff said.
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- The Americans surprised us with what they brought to Frankfurt, whether a positive or negative surprise remains to be seen.
Fisker
The Americans surprised us with what they brought to Frankfurt. The ‘Fisker Surf’ not only sounds unusual it also has unusual styling. And there is indeed some similarity to a surfboard. It is supposed to be a "synthesis of luxury sports car and station wagon"… and the Yanks must be complimented for what they have achieved. And of course the Fisker is environmentally super correct, combining a 175 kW electricity plant with a 260 horsepower turbo engine. All of this produces an impressive 1,330 Nm of torque. Fisker shows how the entire US economy could ‘catch the wave’.
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- The Lamborghini LP570-4 SuperTrofeoStradale is ‘grievous vehicular harm’ on four wheels.
Lamborghini
LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale is a very long model designation for the star of the Lamborghini show. But what’s important is that this is a Lambo and the best description is in figures… a V10 mid-motor with 5.2 litres capacity producing 570 horsepower and enabling the hundred kilometres an hour mark to be cracked in 3.4 seconds, 200 reached after 10.4 seconds and 320 hit at the maximum. The auto has all-wheel-drive and is faster and edgier than almost any other Italian model. And that model would go by the name ‘Sesto Elemento’, the car currently in the planning and development phase.
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- But the Exige cannot hold a candle to the Evora GTE Road Car.
Lotus
Lotus asks us to take a look at several light-weight new models… the Lotus Exige tips the scales at just 1,080 kilos but has a 3.5 litres V6 with 350 horsepower on board to ensure the impressive performance that a ratio of 3.09 kilos per unit of horsepower promises. The Evora GTE Road Car is the most powerful street legal Lotus ever built… with 444 horsepower more than sufficient to give the 1,280 kilo speedster the needed push. It is also probably the best looking Lotus ever to hit the road.
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- The Mercedes entry in the super sports car segment is the SLS AMG Roadster, which has no need of gull-wing doors or a roof.
Mercedes
The Mercedes entry in the super sports car segment is a uniquely fascinating creation. The SLS AMG Roadster makes Michael Schumacher very happy but he is not alone… the entire motoring fraternity find this a wonderful automobile. It may have lost its gull-wing doors but now the driver can enjoy the sultry breeze as he pilots the roadster at up to 317 kilometres an hour. The motorization is identical to that of the gull-wing version with 571 horsepower from the 6.2 litre V8 but surely more is not needed.
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- The spectacularly muscular C 63 AMG Black Series has an even more imposing presence than the roadster.
Then there is also the spectacularly muscular C 63 AMG Black Series. The car’s exterior flaunts carbon composites, flashes red to accent the black and has a rear wing big enough to double as a beer table at the imminent Munich Oktoberfest. Inside there is leather and Alcantara and racing bucket seats. Under the hood there growls a 6.2 litre V8 with 517 horsepower ready to set the back end of the C-Coupé dancing in ecstasy.
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- The unrivalled classic… the 911 in its latest 991 form.
Porsche
Probably the most talked-about debut in advance of the IAA show was that of the new Porsche 911. And now, finally, we have it. As was to be expected the visual modifications are minimal. The 991 generation is marked above all by efficiency technology. Various energy recuperation methods, recovery systems and the like allow the 400 horsepower Carrera S to make do with under ten litres of fuel per hundred driven kilometres. With values like these we may see even ‘green’ politicians taking the wheel.
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- The Radical SR3 SL is a street-legal racer with a charm of its very own.
Radical
A radical driving experience is the promise made by the Radical SR3 SL. Ultra-lightweight construction and 300 horsepower give this sports car admirable road holding and behaviour in the corners. The only complaint one might make is that the engine has been sourced from Ford. But the EcoBoost unit has been substantially modified in all aspects. Ford’s ‘Feel The Difference’ motto will not come to the mind of the driver of an SR3 SL… not in the way that Ford had in mind.
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- With their MF3 ‘Final Edition’ Roadster Wiesmann are setting a design highpoint in the sports car segment. Thanks go to the Sieger concern, respected for its menswear, tableware products and furniture signified by a contemporary and valuable design.
Wiesmann
Sporting the sign of the chirping lizard Wiesmann has endured and prospered. Now to sound the recessional for the soon to be discontinued MF3 Roadster the car maker has collaborated with the Sieger concern, respected for its menswear, tableware products and furniture signified by a contemporary and valuable design. From Sieger come the multi-colour striped liveries for the MF3 ‘Final Edition’. There are also contributions by the Sieger brothers affecting the styling of the doors, seats, steering wheel and wheels. Exactly 18 units of the final edition MF3 will be built. The motorization remains unchanged… the BMW straight six producing 343 horsepower. But with the brilliant design strategy the Wiesmann MF3 will bow out with a real splash of bravado.
