Tokyo Motor Show

The 2009 Tokyo Motor Show this week had plenty of surprises. Although many were not necessarily the production or concept cars on display. One of those curiosities was the full-size translucent Lexus LFA built by well know Japanese architect Scu Fujimoto.

Alpina must be watching late-night infomercials starring Ron Jeremy, because apparently the B7 Bi-Turbo (seen at the Geneva Auto Show) left them feeling inadequate. To solve that problem, they have developed a Long Wheelbase version. Introducing the Alpina B7 LWB, one of the most luxurious super sedans on the market today. Alpina has been modifying BMW models for almost 50 years and their cars are known for subtly aggressive looks, great handling and big wheels.

This Alpina B7 is no different. If ever there was a car that looked ready to blast down a highway it's this one. The extended hood and longer wheelbase make it look like it's going so fast it's being stretched by space and time. A new front fascia makes the face of the car look a little more aggressive and a small rear wing balances the back. Four big, polished exhaust tips are tucked into a new rear valance, providing visual evidence of the 'biturbo' badge on the trunk. The usual 21” Alpina wheels are wrapped in sticky Pirelli tires. In fact, run-flat tires are done away with to provide a better ride for the passengers.

The Lexus LFA was first unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2005 as a concept vehicle. Since then it has made appearances in various iterations with no end in sight. Even though it was often spotted in disguise in the wild, rumors persisted that the car wasn't going to move over to the mass market. The speculation is finally over as the 2011 Lexus LFA has been officially released in full production form at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, and it was worth the wait.

The new rear-drive supercar from Lexus delivers... A 4.8-liter V10 engine with 552 bhp and 354 lb-ft of torque propel the car from 0-62 mph in 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 202 mph. The LFA features a six-speed sequential gearbox with 4 different driving modes. Amazingly enough, 90% of peak torque is delivered between 3,700 rpm and the redline of 9,000 rpm. Large high-performance carbon ceramic disc brakes and some electronic assistance provide powerful and stable stopping power.

The flurry of announcements is heating up prior to the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. Details on the 2010 Lotus Exige Stealth or 2010 Lotus Exige Scura (depending on what market you are in) have just been released and my heart is aflutter. But let me take a step back and explain the excitement. When the Lotus Exige first emerged on the scene, there was an individual in LA who immediately took his car to a custom shop and got the body repainted in matte-black along with carbon-fiber highlights. Strangely enough, I came across this Lotus quite often and it was this particular Exige that got me pumped about these fierce urban racers. I remember searching far and wide to try and find out whether or not Lotus offered this as an option and was disappointed with the answer. However, that is all about to change.

The AE-86 is back. After a long vacation, and apparently some great plastic surgery, the little drifter that could may return to appease the masses of cheap RWD aficionados. This concept, dubbed the Toyota FT-86 or Hachi Roku, follows the same formula as the original: small engine, 2 doors, rear wheel drive and tight suspension. Toyota said that the auto market has become so focused on being green, eco-friendly and saving baby hummingbirds that they forgot some people like to keep their heart beating when they drive a car.  Fine, some people get excited behind the wheel of their soap-shaped whale-saver. They watch the computer screen that tells them how great their mileage is at that exact moment, with little moving arrows that show whether the power source is the gasoline engine or the batteries. It's ironic for Toyota to acknowledge the lack of sporty cars, since they basically created the current hybrid craze when they introduced the Prius. But I tip my hat to them, because the first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem.

The 2009 Tokyo Motor Show kicks off next month and there is now a flurry of pre-event product announcements. Honda has just revealed the first official images of their EV-N Concept, designed to be a fast-forward of the classic 1960's era N360. This new design study is a four-seater micro car powered by an electric motor.

As humans become lazier and lazier, society has seemingly decided that it is important for technology to facilitate our increasingly sedentary lives. Many people want to exert themselves as little as possible. And for those individuals there is a burgeoning industry of personal mobility devices. We are not talking about bicycles and such but electronic gizmos that whiz us on our way like the Jetsons. (Ok, so this isn't a high-performance product yet with blitzing acceleration, but we still like to keep you up-to-date on the latest trends because in five years these things may actually zing...)