2009 Frankfurt Auto Show
From a 205 mph Lamborghini, to a Cold War-chic electric Trabant, the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show is living up to its reputation as the world's largest, and wildest car show.
Lamborghini Reventon Roadster
To compare the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster to a stealth fighter is an insult. Jets wish they looked this good, or were this fast. Only 15 of the 205 mph supercars will be sold for $1.6 million, and 12 are already taken. If you want one, you'd better be fast, too.
Source: AP
Ferrari 458 Italia
Ferrari Formula 1 great, Michael Schumacher introduces the 458 Italia, a car he helped develop from behind the wheel. The company's new mid-engined coupe sports a 570 hp V8 and a price tag of $220,000.
Source: AP
Trabant nT
The smoky little 2-stroke Trabant was the national car of East Germany, and may have helped the Communist regime counter satellite surveillance by covering the country in a thick cloud of pollution. The Trabant nT concept hopes to fight the new cold war against global warming with an electric motor and lithium ion batteries good for driving 156 miles per charge.
Source: AP
Volkswagen E-Up!
Not to be outdone by an East German Retromobile, Volkswagen's E-Up! concept aims to be the Beetle of the 21st century. With solar panels on the roof and the sun visors to help charge the batteries, the smallest VW ever should be able to go 62 miles per charge, but thanks to a low weight, it will do it very quickly.
Volkswagen 1 Liter Car
The Volkswagen L1 name refers to how much fuel it needs to go 100 km, as in 1 liter. OK, the 30 horsepower, tandem 2-seater actually needs 1.2 liters to drive that far, but that's the equivalent of 196 mpg, so we'll let VW slide this time, especially since it says something like this may actually go into production in a couple of years.
Source: AP
Mercedes Benz SLS AMG
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG should fly out out of showrooms, even with a price tag of around $250,000. More than a homage to the classic gullwing SLs of the 1950's, MB's latest supercar has 563 horsepower under that long hood and can go 197 mph. An all-electric version is in the works, but it'll be a few years before it's ready, so this one will have to do in the meantime.
Source: AP
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