10 Best Reveals at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show
As the 2009 Frankfurt Motor/Auto Show begins winding down, we at Automopedia felt it was a fine time to look back at this event’s car and truck reveals. It was a solid year, recession or not, for the auto industry to bring their 2010, 2011 (and beyond) concepts to Germany’s stage. Everyone from AMG to Renault, Peugeot to BMW had a surprise or two up their R&D sleeves. Take a look at our favorite picks and chime in on what you thought.
10. Wiesmann Roadster MF5
Day 1 of the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show kicked off with the construction (yup, right on the show floor) of Wiesmann’s $276,700 Roadster, MF5 (which, sadly, does not stand for ‘Motha-fuckin-5′). Aside from each Roadster being built to your specifications, it is powered by a 507 horsepower BMW V10 motor. Wiesmann says the Roadster MF5 is capable of accelerating from 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds. Given enough open road, the Roadster MF5 will top out at 192 mph.
9. Porsche 911 GT3 RS
Automopedia spies have been drooling over the Porsche GT3 for months – to finally see it in the flesh is indeed to die for. Porsche carries on the tradition of 911 by dropping into this racer a 450 HP engine with a 8500 rpm redline. Unrelated to performance, we LOVE the paint scheme!
8. Lexus LF-Ch Concept
The mythical golden Lexus 5-door comes complete with itty-bitty side-mirrors and what appear to be suicide doors. According to Lexus, one of the pluses about LF-Ch is its “electric-only driving capability, a key feature of Lexus Hybrid Drive, LF-Ch will allow for virtually silent urban driving with zero emissions.” In other words, pedestrians and bicyclists keep an eye open.
7. Hyundai ix-Metro
Hyundai’s ix-Metro kinda stole some heat away from their i-10 & 1-35 city car concepts – but Metro did sort of pop up without warning. This new-age (at least, for Hyundai) hybrid only gives its occupants 1.0-liter gas motor, but does give off 125 HP. That’s combines to a super-secretive hybrid drive system still being kept quiet by Hyundai Motor Co.
6. BMW Activehybrid 7-Series
BMW really got our attention at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor/Auto Show more then once – including the unveiling of the 7-Series ActiveHybrid. “The electric motor basically serves as an “electric turbo”. As a result, the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Series’ acceleration is even better than that of the BMW 750i. Besides offering enhanced performance, it also saves 15 percent in fuel and emissions. And this is exactly the idea behind our Efficient Dynamics strategy: to combine greater dynamics and greater efficiency,” Klaus Draeger, BMW member of the board said in Frankfurt.
5. Renault Twizy Concept
Leave it to Renault – they know how to get an audience to scratch their heads and txt “WTF?!” to all their friends. This square-wheeled Twizy ZE concept is all-electric, carrying a 20 HP motor with 51 lb-ft of torque, lithium ion batteries and a top speed of 47 mph, though we would like to see more then a tiny 62 miles-per-charge range. Guessing this is not much of a winter vehicle.
4. BMW Vision E.D.
BMW’s other big Frankfurt ’09 entry is their Vision ED (Efficient Dynamics – a fancy phrase word for hybrid) has already shocked the world thanks to their 200+ photographic press release. However, seeing BMW’s Vision in person, as well as checking out her 265 HP / 590 Lb-Ft of torque hybrid three-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, is a true gift for the eyes.
3. Peugeot RCZ
If we may paraphrase Jalopnik: RCZ looks like Peugeot’s response to the Audi TT. Ready for a Spring 2010 release date, Peugeot has given RCZ a choice between a “1.6-liter THP putting out 156 HP and 177 lb-ft of torque to a more powerful 1.6-liter gasser good enough for 200 HP and 203 lb-ft of torque and a 0-to-62 MPH time of 7.6 seconds.”
2. VW L1
If The Wraith and an F-18 fighter had a baby it would look like Volkswagen’s L1. This two-seater city car is not only one of the more interesting vehicle at this year’s event, it’s also fun to watch people climb in and out of. VW claims L1 will be their first of many “200 MPG production cars.”
1. Mercedes SLS AMG
By far the hottest release at 2009′s auto show – as proven by the bevy of journalists gathered around the latest gull-wing vehicle to come out of Mercedes-Benz in ages. Maybe it’s the SLS AMG’s classic look, maybe it’s the 6.3-liter V8 under its hood – the world may never know.
Photos via Frankfurt Auto Show/Jalopnik/Left Lane News
Sep 24th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
[...] already showed you our Top 10 Favorite Reveals from the 2009 Frankfurt (that’s Germany, baby) Auto/Motor Show – but there were plenty of disappointing rides [...]