Top 10 Supercars

Fans of the Ferrari Formula 1 team may be looking at this masterpiece and wondering: Is this where it all went wrong? The wonderful new Ferrari 458 Italia road car is such a comprehensive statement of intent and is so packed with F1-grade technology that you can't help wondering if the entire company got distracted. It might just explain Ferrari's relatively lackluster Grand Prix performance this year. Frankly, we don't care. The 458 is Ferrari's best-looking car for a generation. It revs to 9000 rpm, produces 570 horsepower, gallops from zero to 62 mph in just 3.4 seconds and doesn't hit the wall until 202 mph comes up on the speedo. Awesome!

View Pictures:  Ferrari 458 Italia

We all had a good chuckle here when Mercedes actually went ahead and proclaimed that the SL's signature gull-wing doors were the only retro styling references on its new SLS supercar. So it's just pure coincidence, then, that it also has the front-end look and general proportions of the 1954 300SL? Not that it matters. This is a fabulous thing, and Mercedes will sell bucketloads; Ferrari and Aston Martin really need to watch out. And if the 571-horse 6.2-liter V8 engine doesn't do it for you, the all-electric version that's coming later maybe will — easily as fast, zero emissions.

View Pictures:  Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

September isn't exactly the most obvious time to launch a new convertible, but what the heck. Unlike some other roofless exotica we could (and will) mention — *cough* Lamborghini *cough* — the Audi R8 Spyder has a fully automatic folding fabric roof that operates at up to 31 mph, offering easy protection should it start to rain. The Spyder launches with a 525-horsepower 5.2-liter V10 engine that runs to 62 mph in just 4.1 seconds and has a 194 mph top speed. Gone are the coupe's trademark "side blades," but there is an engine cover, gills and additional carbon fiber. Meanwhile, Audi's all-electric e-Tron concept, also on the stand, offered a staggering 3,319 lb-ft of torque.

View Pictures:  Audi R8 Spyder, e-Tron

It's exactly two years since Lamborghini unveiled the Reventon at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. And to celebrate, the Raging Bull has gone and lopped the top off. It must have been one heck of a party. Anyway, the result is the Reventon Roadster. Lamborghini will build just 20. Even at more than $1.6 million (plus tax), we're pretty sure they have already sold out by this point. A 670-horse 6.5-liter V12 engine provides the action — 3.4 seconds to 62 mph and a top speed of 205 mph — while jet fighters inspire the visual drama. Einstein is required to reassemble the roof, though.

View Pictures:  Lamborghini Reventon Roadster

Some of us were all for inserting the limited-edition $231,000 911 Sport Classic into this list — what with the return of the ducktail, the Fuchs-like alloys and cool, light-gray paint. Trouble is, a) the ridiculous price, and b) the fact that it's parked next to the brand-new 911 GT3 RS. The GT3 RS on display is also gray, but with bright red accents, and stabs you in the eye from a distance. It will, without doubt, redefine the supercar track-day experience. The price tag buys 450 naturally aspirated horsepower, the world's biggest rear wing and, oh yes, dynamic engine mounts. We'll take three.

View Pictures:  Porsche at the Frankfurt Motor Show

The Aston Martin Rapide, seen in full production guise for the very first time here at Frankfurt, costs twice as much as the Porsche Panamera. But it is easily three or four times as elegant and proves that a 4-door supercar can actually look really, really good. It's lovely. With four "swan wing" doors and four full-size seats, it'll transport you and the concubines (or, indeed, the family) in superior style and comfort at speeds of up to 188 mph. Zero to 62 mph takes just 5.1 seconds, with power provided by Aston's hand-built 477-horse 6.0-liter V12 engine.

OK, OK, so this is a concept or prototype, not a car ready for sale. But take a close look at that silhouette; the basic outline isn't as far-fetched as the twiddly bits might suggest. And neither is the underlying technology. Welcome the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics, the first ever 3-cylinder supercar. And it's a diesel. Even so, this turbocharged triple — essentially half a standard BMW straight six, likely appearing in a 3-Series soon — produces 163 ponies. Together with twin electric motors this is enough to accelerate the Vision as fast as an M3, while the 155 mph top speed is subject to electronic restraint.

Bing: More EfficientDynamics Pictures

The Reventon Roadster not quite hairy enough for you? Or are you a Gallardo owner looking for a bit of the Reventon's jet-fighter feel but unable to quite stretch to the new roofless Reventon's massive price tag? Well, German tuner Hamann might have the answer to your prayers with its 500-plus-horsepower Victory upgrade package for the Gallardo. Known for its wild tuning packages and even wilder body-kit and paint-work conversions, Hamann's take on the Gallardo includes a roof scoop and "swan wing" doors to make up for the fact the baby Lambo doesn't get slick scissor doors like "real" Lambos. Jet-fighter warning stickers — including one saying "beware of blast" between the up-rated exhausts — finish the look.

This is easily the most glamorous car on show at Frankfurt 2009. But even without seeing it in the metal, you can just tell it has been built to pose. It's a boulevard cruiser extraordinaire. It's the brand-new Maserati GranCabrio, and it is gorgeous. Yet it is also surprisingly practical. Based on the Maserati GranTurismo, the GranCabrio inherits that car's sultry curves and its genuinely spacious 4-seat interior. It's not necessarily one for the most committed of drivers — though it still packs a 470-horse 4.7-liter V8 engine — but we assure you, even going slowly this convertible will make you look superstar good.

Why Type-124? Well, all Lotuses have a number, the Evora being the Type-122. The Type-123 — an as-yet-unannounced model under development — is likely to be the new Esprit. That leaves 124 for this new Lotus racer, which, apparently, is appropriate given that it will first compete in the Nürburgring 24 Hours, or the "industry Le Mans," as Lotus refers to it. From the waistline up, the Type-124 is recognizably Evora-based and all the more beautiful for it; this is one stunning racing car. So, does it hint at a forthcoming hotter Evora? We'll see, but race experience with the Type-124 could influence whether future, hotter Evoras use an Elise/Exige style supercharger or a capacity bump for extra power.

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