Gumpert

Aside from chocolate, cheese and timepieces, Switzerland is also known for its neutrality. As such, none of the world’s major auto manufacturers hold a distinct advantage when they roll into Geneva for the global car biz’s annual rite of spring (or late winter, anyway), the Geneva Motor Show. As a result, almost all of the world’s major nameplates (and many aftermarket tuners) have it circled on their calendars as a good venue for debuting new concept and production models. Here are 20 of our favorites from this year’s show.

With the Geneva Motor Show right around the corner, the teaser-fest is about to kick into high gear. Out of the gate this time around is the Gumpert Tornante designed by Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. Scheduled to be available for the 2012 model year, this new bespoke supercar is built on an advanced chrome-molybdenum steel space frame with a carbon fiber monocoque that is both lightweight and incredibly stiff. 

The Tornante will feature a 4.2-liter mid-mounted V8 bi-turbo engine good for 700hp, mated with a TT40e gearbox with paddle shifters riding on a double-wishbone suspension. An "alternative powered" variant with be available as well but there is no word on whether or not it will be a diesel, hybrid, electric or something else altogether. 

With a fresh world record set about half a year ago, and a stable of fast, unforgiving and powerful automobiles set to launch this year, 2011 should be a great year for lovers of tire-burning acceleration and unbridled velocity. Here are the cars that promise to make 2011 the year of speed.

Historically, one of the criticisms leveled at Turn 10 Studios’ Forza Motorsport franchise has been that it didn’t give much love to the more obscure boutique automakers of the world relative to the big dogs. That’s been rectified with the downloadable Forza Motorsport 3 car pack for the month of May, which features 10 rare, unusual, and oh by the way, scorching fast supercars.

Two of the ten cars – the Devon GTX and the Spada Codatronca TS – are polarizingly-styled coachbuilt specials based on ground-pounding American sports cars (the Dodge Viper and Chevrolet Corvette, respectively). The remaining eight are built from the ground up: the stylish Spyker C8 Laviolette LM85; the wild child Gumpert Apollo S; the twin-turbo and tail-happy Rossion Q1; the BMW M5-powered, neo-Austin-Healey Weismann GT MF5; the thunder from Down Under Joss JT1; the sleek American Mosler MT900S; the pigmy LMP1 racer Radical SR8; and the all-American Veyron-stomper, the SSC Ultimate Aero. How do these monsters look and sound in action? Make like any of these cars at the Nürburgring’s Pflanzgarten corner and jump!