Cost cutting is the driving force behind...well, everything these days, but Formula One especially. Several of the automakers still in F1 raced into the Geneva Motor Show with their latest single-seaters, more of which we'll have for you tomorrow and which all look more or less the same thanks to tight new regs that seek to reduce both expenses and aero downforce.

But Leonardo Fioravanti has his own idea. And why not? He designed more than his fair share of road-going Ferraris during his tenure at Pininfarina, so it was about time he take a stab at a racer. The LF1 concept Fioravanti cooked up for the show takes the streamlining of costs and aero to another level, removing the rear wing that was downsized for this year in F1, while blending the sidepods into partial wheel housings... unthinkable in open-wheel racing, but it's still prettier than any of the current crop of real F1 cars.

Of course, this is just a mock-up with no running gear, which could be why the model at the show stand laughed at us when we asked for a test drive, but that won't stop us from imagining what it would be like to ake the Fioravanti LF1 out for a lap or 20 around our favorite grand prix circuit, and it shouldn't stop you, either; just click the thumbnails below to view in our high resolution image gallery.



Photos Copyright ©2009 Noah Joseph / Weblogs, Inc.

While the 599XX took the lion's share of the attention in Ferrari's stand at the Geneva Motor Show today, it shared some space with another new version of the Fiorano. The new Handling Gran Turismo Evoluzione (HGTE) package takes one of the most superb chassis in the industry and turns things up a notch thanks to stiffer springs and roll bars, recalibrated magnetic viscosity shocks, a lower ride height and new compound tires. Ferrari's also toyed with the transmission electronics and exhaust system, and updated the interior with a sublime mix of leather, alcantara and carbon fiber. The new 20-inch split-five-spoke rims also do a nice job of filling the wheel wells to give the 599 an even more aggressive stance, as you can see from the live shots in the gallery below and the studio shots in the gallery below that. Full details can also be found in the press release after the jump.



Photos Copyright ©2009 Noah Joseph / Weblogs, Inc.

Disappointment comes in a variety of forms and this one carries an RS badge. The 2010 Audi TT RS may not be the baby-R8 rumored to appear in Geneva, but with a turbocharged, direct injected 2.5-liter five-cylinder putting out 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, it's the next best thing – too bad it'll never make it to the States.

When deliveries begin this summer, our friends abroad will be able to row their way through the six-speed manual gearbox to a 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds for the coupe and 4.7 for the convertible. Audi's quattro system features an electronically controlled, hydraulic multi-plate clutch to shift power fore and aft and an optional magnetic ride damping system can be toggled between "Comfort" and "Sport." Exclusive 18-inch wheels are fitted with 245/45 tires, while 14.57-inch discs are mounted in front and 12.2-inch in back, each clamped by four-piston calipers.

Inside, a flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel joins a short-throw shifter and Alcantara coated sport seats that need to be sat in to be appreciated. See it all in the gallery below and hit the break for the painfully detailed press release.

We're just back from checking out the Nissan Qazana, and we're happy to report that it's every bit as zany as it looks in the stock images we saw seen earlier. In fact, it almost looks Gallic, like something from Citroen or Peugeot, or perhaps something reverse-engineered from a Paris-Dakar rally special. We're not entirely sure if (and/or how) the big-fendered, narrow-greenhouse look will translate to Nissan's planned production compact crossover, and we're quite sure that the rear-hinged suicide doors won't see showrooms when the Qashqai receives a kid brother. For now, we're enjoying its novel lighting (including the pair of crazy large front driving lamps and the fender-ridge daytime-running lamps, along with well-integrated boomerang taillamps) and red-velvet cake interior.

Given the level of bespoke specification that is part-and-parcel with the Bugatti Veyron ordering experience, we doubt there have ever been two identical cars built. As such, each example is something of a one-off, and by this rationale, the Bleu Centenaire is, paradoxically, just another Veyron.

Pre-show rumors of a massive power infusion and a stratospheric 270 mile-per-hour vMax have proven to be utterly unfounded, as the BC's drivetrain is standard Veyron fare. The changes, then, essentially amount to cosmetic paint-and-trim, but to be fair, the Blue Centenaire does look quite fetching in its mix of matte and glossy blue paint.

Sadly, however, any reclaiming of the top speed title from Shelby SuperCars will evidently have to wait.

Ferrari stormed Geneva with a pair of new versions of the 599 GTB Fiorano. We'll have more for you soon on the new Handling GT Evoluzione package being offered on the V12 supercar, but what you really want to see is this: the 599XX. Following up on the FXX development program, the 599XX is a rolling test bed for new technologies making their way from the F1 circuit over to Ferrari's road car division.

Only 20 or 30 examples off the 599XX will be offered to a very select clientele, and participation in the program (which includes the car) will cost upwards of one million euros. The vehicles itself is technically based on the existing Fiorano road car, but is treated to an extensive array of track-spec modifications including a retuned V12 corralling some 700 prancing ponies at 9,000 rpm, revised electronics, an "Actiflow" aero package that produces some 280 kilos of downforce at 200 km/h and 19-inch competition rims with F1-derived covers. You can read all about it in the press release after the jump, and see live shots of the rolling menace from Ferrari's show stand here at the Geneva Motor Show where it's made its debut.



Photos Copyright ©2009 Noah Joseph / Weblogs, Inc.

Despite its massive performance credentials, the Gumpert Apollo has endured more than a few knocks for its extreme function-over-form design. After seeing the new, more powerful Apollo Speed in the flesh, we can report that the naysayers are likely to keep jawing, particularly given this car's Raging Smurf two-tone paint.

The renovated Gumpert is lower and meaner, with the buyer's choice of 650-, 700-, or 800- horsepower specification, along with revised aerodynamics, new taillamps, and ultra-aerodynamic disc wheel covers. Inside, there are different four-point seat harnesses, a detachable steering wheel, and a two-tone interior loaded with blue Alcantara.

Given that the new Speed can run to 60 miles-per-hour in three seconds dead, hit 124 mph in 8.9 clicks, and storm to a top whack of 224 mph, however, we suspect that Gumpert owners will at least take a measure of comfort in knowing that they can outrun all hecklers.

Mitsubishi revealed the latest iteration of its iMiEV Sport this morning in Geneva, the Sport Air. This year's version is marginally longer (20 mm) and taller for what Mitsubishi describes as a "more technical" look to the car's teardrop shape. While the new concept doesn't look dramatically different, some of the contours are a bit sharper, and solar power cells are embedded in the lower portion of the windshield and the removable glass roof.

The iMiEV Sport Air uses an aluminum space frame to carry its lithium ion battery and electric drive system, which help limit mass to just 2,072 pounds. The motor gets a bump from the standard iMiEV's 47 kW to 60 kW which helps acceleration, and the range climbs from 100 miles to 120 miles, although Mitsubishi has declined to specify whether the new battery is larger.

Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

General Motors Europe boss Carl-Peter Forster began this morning's press conference in Geneva with an acknowledgment of the dire financial straights that the entire industry is experiencing right now. Forster also candidly admitted that GM is currently investigating all options when it comes to changing its relationship with Opel, including outside equity investments. Once he got past all the bad news, however, he introduced the production-intent version of the Opel Ampera. If it looks familiar, it should. If it doesn't, well, what rock have you been hiding under for the last two years? The Ampera is the Opel badged variant of the Chevrolet Volt. It uses the same Voltec powertrain as the Volt, as well as most of its body.

The main differences are the markedly more aggressive front and rear fascias and the black (rather than white) interior. Like the Volt, most of the front fascia is closed off to optimize aerodynamics. The styling of the nose is a mix of the 2007 GTC and Flextreme concepts, and we rather like the bold new look, particularly the chevron-like forms that grow downward from the headlamps.

The Ampera is planned for production in late 2011, about one year after the Volt. A right-hand drive Vauxhall version is scheduled to launch a year after that.

Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Infiniti is looking to make a big splash as it enters the European market at an unfortunate economic moment, and not much can tug at the heartstrings of the continent's populace like a high-powered, sexy coupe with a green soul. With the Essence concept, Nissan's upscale brand has delivered in a big way. The sultry cab-backwards coupe is nothing if not dramatically indulgent in its scale (it's a commanding 4.7-meters long), and the rear-drive, gas-electric hybrid is something to behold in the metal, with elements that recall other coupes (the Fisker Karma comes to mind), but a look all its own.

Powered by a twin-turbo, direct-injection 3.7-liter V6 and a new electric drive design dubbed "3D Motor", the Essence yields a combined 592 brake horsepower (434 via internal-combustion, 158 brake horsepower via the lithium-ion backed disc-shaped electric motor).

The very unjapanese scale of the Essence yields a more Nippon-influenced interior for two, including an attractive driver-oriented "cocoon" that features a flat-bottomed steering wheel, hand-painted wood designed to look like Japanese laquerware and eccentricities like asymmetrical seat seams that mimic the way 'Japanese men and women tie their kimonos." Presumably, said kimonos fit nicely in the bespoke Louis Vuitton luggage (made more accessible via a powered trunk shelf).

Click on the jump to watch a video of the Essence in motion, as well specs and a press release including details on the coupe's next-generation Safety Shield side collision prevention and back-up collision prevention technology.