Frankfurt's finest

Is there a sports car more true to its roots than the 911? We think not. So when it comes time for a redesign, we hear there's more fear than excitement floating around Stuttgart, Germany, and for good reason — things get scary if you mess too much with a good thing. Well, breathe easy, friends; the all-new 911 is a logical evolution of the classic form. Some may balk initially at the seemingly elongated rear end, but not for long. They'll be won over by either the 3.4-liter or 3.8-liter engine — producing 345 and 400 horsepower, respectively — and the stellar 7-speed manual transmission.

Watch Video:  New Porsche 911

The Focus ST is cool for a couple of reasons: It marks a return to the American hot-hatch, and it's attainable. How many of the cars on our list can make the latter claim? The Focus ST gets its motivation from a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine, which produces 246 horsepower, and a 6-speed manual transmission sends power to the front wheels. Amazingly, the car will be sold like this in 40 markets throughout the world. Though the ST looks quite different from a run-of-the-mill Focus, the changes are more than skin deep — springs, shocks, exhaust, Recaro seats and even a unique variable-ratio steering rack add specialness, to name just a few.

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Said to be the "ultimate expression" of Ford's new global design language, the Evos concept is a 4-door fastback sporting gull-wing doors. As you might expect, the concept is a plug-in hybrid, featuring lithium-ion battery technology. It is also able to seamlessly integrate with a driver's personal information stored in the "cloud." Ford had four key benefits in mind here — personalization, enhancement of the driving experience, a smart electrified powertrain and a means of looking after the driver's well-being. That's right — this thing will even monitor your heart rate. But we'll get into that if the tech ever sees production.

Bing Images: Ford Evos Concept

Say the whole name in one breath without getting your tongue twisted — we dare you. This Gallardo is essentially built off the previous Lamborghini LP570-4 Blancpain edition, but has a much bigger wing and carbon-fiber hood. Though powered by a standard Gallardo V10 engine, this one manages to get to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds, thanks to a weight savings of 154 pounds over a standard Gallardo LP560-4. One-hundred fifty will be made, so if you want one — oh wait, it's already too late.

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It happens very rarely, but every now and again a convertible is released that actually looks better than its coupe counterpart. That's the case with the 458 Italia Spider. The lines just seem to come together as though chopping the top was the intent all along. Meanwhile, you get the same screaming 562-horsepower V8 engine found in the coupe, along with that car's 7-speed double-clutch transmission, which combine to fire you to 62 mph in 3.5 seconds. That's just one-tenth of a second slower than the coupe.

Watch Video:  Ferrari 458 Italia Spider

BMW is working feverishly toward the future with its "i" series cars. The i8 is designed to be a sustainable 4-seat sports car. If the numbers are accurate, it does a heck of a job at it, too. Try this: 94 mpg combined, zero to 60 mph in less than five seconds, and trips of up to 20 miles on purely electric power. Sporty handling, too: It has a 50/50 weight distribution and is apparently lightweight. Don't get too excited, though. It won't be available until 2014.

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Land Rover says this Concept is step one of a five-year path to a new Defender. Not only does it look capable, it's also said to be relatively frugal at the pump. The concept is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and equipped with an 8-speed automatic transmission. LR says that a hybrid variant isn't out of the question, and you can bet that the rest of the world will have a diesel. If we're really talking about Land Rover getting back to its hard-core roots, though, we'd kill off the Sport version and make a DC110 with four doors.

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Jaguar is taking aim at a slightly lower price point than usual, with its almost impossibly sexy, though not terribly inventive, C-X16 Concept. The ridiculously good-looking concept is powered by a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine, producing 376 horsepower and 322 lb-ft of torque, and features a nifty "push to pass" button (à la F1/Indy Car), good for an additional 92 horsepower — oh, and 173 lb-ft of torque. The extra boost comes from an electric motor, mounted inside the transmission, which is charged via regenerative braking. It's a free boost, in other words. Zero to 62 mph is said to arrive in 4.4 seconds.

View Pictures:  Sexy New Jaguar C-X16

Said to weigh around 1,900 pounds, the 4C Concept is one we can't wait to see in real life. The car is motivated by the uniquely Alfa 1.75-liter turbocharged inline-four engine, which produces more than 200 horsepower in this application and is mated to a double-clutch transmission. Power goes to the rear wheels. The 4C is small — about 4 meters long, which is about the same length as a Mazda Miata — yet it has a positively supercarlike power-to-weight ratio. Alfa Romeo says we will see the car on North American shores, so stay tuned.

Bing: Alfa Romeo 4C Concept

We are torn here. Sure, this lightweight rear-wheel-drive sports coupe is amazing and deserves to be on this list. However, it has been teased for years now, with mockup after mockup, concept after concept, dangerously approaching the point at which the public no longer cares. Well, here's another variant. The difference here is that this version is more ready for production than ever before, complete with attractive, aggressive styling — even if dumbed down a bit from that of initial concepts.

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James Tate cut his teeth in the business as a race team crew member before moving to the editorial side asSenior Editor of Sport Compact Car, and his work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Automobile, Motor Trendand European Car. When not writing, Tate is usually fantasizing about a vintage Porsche 911.