2009 International Geneva Motor Show - Salon International de l'Auto

13. Audi TT RS
This was the excitement this year at the Audi stand. Rumored and spy-shot for two years now, we cannot wait to jump into this TT RS. As a cool compromise between a stressed TFSI four-cylinder or a heavy 3.2-liter transverse V6, we are curious as hell to feel the rebirth of this five-cylinder 2.5-liter VW Group motor. It is now TFSIed as well and spewing 320 hp, but Audi, as with the new R8 V10, is hesitating bringing the TT RS to North America due to the fact that the United States sucks wind right now.

14. Bentley Continental Supersports biofuel
A Bentley needs power. But it also needs to get better environmental credentials from old-tech engines. And the company needs to give us something positive to talk about since its sales have absolutely tanked in the past half-year. So, we get an organic E85-capable version of the Continental GT called Supersports. It's the most powerful Bentley ever at 612 hp due to explosive E85, but North America can't do FlexFuel action until mid-2010 at the soonest. So we wait and still get 612 hp on gas anyway. Weird, but should be a thrill and the thing looks the business. It's 283 pounds lighter than the GT Speed, has wider tracks, faster shifts, rear biased AWD, two-piece carbon-backed performance seats, and dedicated lightweight wheels hiding massive ceramic discs. 3.7 seconds to get to 60 mph. $250k, please.

15. BMW Z4
Like it, like it a lot. Now built in Regensburg and not Spartanburg, all the touches to this new exterior are exceptionally better than any fishy Z3 or currently unnoticeable Z4. We've always appreciated the seating position close to the rear axle and the drive is surely awesome still. Two traditional 3.0-liter inlines offered in the first use of a new naming scheme: 255-hp Z4 sDrive30i and 300-hp twin turbo Z4 sDrive35i. The truer upright kidney grilles and sleeker Z8 profile make huge differences in our Bimmer pride. Six manual standard plus a six-speed single-clutch auto and the new dual-clutch seven are available. Coming summer 2009.

16. BMW 5 Series GT concept
Hardly a concept, BMW will bring this thing to North America at the end of 2009 priced a little above the 5 Series wagon. Do we like it? Does it matter? Like Mercedes with the horrid R-Class and Audi with its only a-bit-less-horrid V7 and V5 upcomers, this GT series defies class description and will go on sale no matter what we say. Curio: this GT 5 is the first car to use the F10 architecture of the next 5 Series. Engines for us: 528i GT at around $45k and 535i GT at $55k on two-wheel-drive versions. Add a few thou for xDrive versions later on.

17. Brabus G V12 S Biturbo
Yeah, this is mean-ass Bottrop thug that points its middle finger at the deep recession and green party agenda. More muscle trucks for the NBA benchsitters, Ukranian coal magnates, and Arab oil finders. This large engine compartment holds the Brabus biturbo blown-out 6.3-liter version of the 5.5-liter Mercedes motor with 700 hp and a ghastly 973 lb-ft of torque (electronically limited to 811 lb-ft, though). It's scary and if looks could kill with those 22-inch Monoblock wheels, they would. Selling soon--not in North America--at around $450,000.

18. Bugatti Veyron Blu Centennaire
It's matte Bugatti blue and made to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary this year. Only one is set to be built. Many are interested in buying it and the final winner of the auction will be announced in the Bugatti headquarters at Molsheim, France, in September of this year.

19. Carlsson Aigner CK55 RS Rascasse
Rascasse is the French word for any of a variety of spiny and deadly stonefish and the colors of any Carlsson Aigner actually replicate pretty well that lethal look. This is the third collab between the high-end Mercedes tuner and the Euro-trash leather goods maker. This time they took the mid-level GL 500 SUV and ramped it up to 456 horses and 472 torques. Throttling it to 60 mph now gets below six seconds and those 23-inch forged things are hot anchors. Starts at a $292,200 equivalent and 20 will be made.

20. EDAG Light Car Open Source concept
EDAG is a cool company that generally engineers a clever debut for every Geneva show. This new Light Car ostensibly refers to the car's full-LED lighting that can be customized throughout the exterior for the client's wishes. The C-segment sized prototype is also very lightweight in its use of a new basalt fiber material that is 100 percent recyclable. Besides open source lighting elements outside, the driver can position all the display elements inside to his liking. Four electric motors, one at each wheel, are run by a lithium-ion battery source.

21 & 22. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE and XX
Admittedly not a lot here to report, but anything that improves the 599's only weakness--numb-ass over assisted steering--is good and the Handling GT Evoluzione upgrade promises just that along with more rigid dampers, 20-inch lighter wheels, and a new metallic red color. As for the 599XX, a realistic production FXX-style, limited-run, full-high-tech-overload laboratory is possible but hardly tops on Ferrari's list of things to do to stop the free-fall in customer deliveries since last September. The troubles are very real in Maranello and they'll spend much of 2009 trying to distract us from this as much as possible.

23. Fiat 500C cabrio
Oh, dear, aren't we adorable? The hardtop has already received a sheaf of awards including European Car of the Year 2008. The retractable ragtop version looks to keep the sales flowing despite our economic gloom. The same tiny four-cylinders will be launched with the 500C in May, a 1.2 and 1.4 T-Jet gas pair and a great 1.3-liter JTD diesel. As with the hardtop, Abarth will definitely get its hands on this one, too, for an "esseesse" version at least. The heritage-correct ragtop keeps the sides intact and therefore the car keeps more of its stiffness. The top also affects trunk space almost nil.

24. Giugiaro Fraser-Nash Namir
Touted as the world's fastest hybrid car, meet the Namir by Italdesign Giugiaro and the newly owned trademark Fraser-Nash now specializing in hybrid systems. The car's name, Namir, is an Arab word for tiger and it should reach 190 mph. Before Namir, Giugiaro gave us the Alessandro Volta in 2004 and last year the Quaranta, both of which foreshadow this 2009 hybrid concept. Zero to 60 mph should happen in 3.3 seconds via the rotary 814cc-displacement engine mated to four electric motors.