Chismillionaire's Geneva Report-

Somebody Cut a Nissan GT-R in Half: 2008 Geneva Auto Show

This is simply tragic. Some animal cut this perfectly good Nissan GT-R in half so a bunch of Swiss can ogle its innards. Unfreakinbelievable. With all those lame Sentras and worthless Quests they've got lying around, you'd think Nissan would take a buzz saw to one of those. Heck, I'll personally hack up a Versa just to watch it die. But a GT-R? Have a heart.

Alice, get me Ghosn on Line One. Somebody needs a talking to. -- Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief

2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe: 2008 Geneva Auto Show

It was a typical day at the Rolls-Royce booth in Geneva, meaning that we couldn't get anywhere near the 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe until 30 minutes after the press conference. Chinese manufacturer BYD had the good fortune to have its booth right next to the Rolls stand, allowing it to pull in a healthy crowd for its own press conference immediately preceding the two-door Phantom's unveiling.



As in the past, we were immediately cowed into silence by the Roller's monstrous size -- exactly as it should be for a car of this stature. Despite its 18-foot length, this will be the sportiest of the Phantoms, as it has the stiffest chassis and the firmest suspension settings. Nevertheless, said Ian Robertson, chairman and CEO of Rolls-Royce, "that waftability that we refer to is still very much in the character of this car."




How this relates to the 2009 Infiniti FX50 that dropped down from a coffin hung in the rafters, we're not sure. But this is a hugely powerful SUV. A 5.0-liter V8 with variable valve timing and lift delivers 390 horsepower and, says Infiniti, upward of 435 pound-feet of torque.

2008 Maserati GranTurismo S: 2008 Geneva Auto Show

Finally, Maserati has a car that can go from zero to 60 mph in under 5 seconds. This would be the 2008 Maserati GranTurismo S unveiled in Geneva today. Noting the crowd's fatigue at this late afternoon press conference, Maserati CEO Roberto Ronchi took a simple tack for his speech.

"People have been asking me, 'What does the S stand for,'" he said. "First of all, it stands for 'sport' because there is the new 4.7-liter V8 engine." That engine makes 440 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 361 pound-feet of torque at 4,750 rpm -- significant gains over the 405 hp at 7,100 and 339 lb-ft at 4,750 in the regular GranTurismo.

"'S' also stands for 'speed,'" he continued, "because this is the fastest Maserati we've ever built." The GranTurismo S has a top speed of 295 km/h, he said, which is 183 mph.

Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans: 2008 Geneva Motor Show

Last night Audi took the wraps off the newly red and newly named Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans. And we were there. We just failed to get a picture of the diesel-powered supercar. Well here it is in all its crimson glory, sorry for the delay.

Mechanically the car's story is unchanged from its showing at the Detroit auto show three months ago. It's still powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 diesel generating 500 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. And the engine is still mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and Audi's now ubiquitous all-wheel-drive system.

The diesel-powered supercar complies with Euro 6 emissions standards that take effect in 2014 thanks to the use of a 2,000-bar common-rail fuel system, piezo injectors, particulate filters in the exhaust and a urea injection system. Audi even parked a cutaway of the high-tech mill next to the newly red sports car for all the world to see its workings.

So far Audi says the R8 V12 TDI Le Mans is still just a concept, but the good money is on a production version in showrooms by the end of the decade.--Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief