Blackbird is now at the 67th IAA (International Motor Show) in Frankfurt. The tagline for this year’s event is “Future Now” and with nearly 1,000 exhibitions from 39 countries, we are guaranteed to be immersed in the latest technology and innovative concepts from the automobile industry. Here are the highlights from the motor show so far:
Hypercar megastars
The long awaited Mercedes-AMG Project ONE is definitely one of the biggest showstoppers. Unveiled to the press and future owners on Monday, the car will be built around the 1.6-lire V6 hybrid engine pulled directly from the current Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 car. It is said to generate over 1,000 hp and reach a top speed of 350 km/h. Limited to 275 examples, the hypercar is still under development and we look forward to its next announcement on how the F1 aerodynamics will be incorporated to boost the performance of this road-going car. Another hypercar that caught our attention is the relatively unheard Aspark Owl. Priced at 3.5 million Euro, it is now official that the Owl will be road-legal, with delivery aimed for two year’s time. It’s certainly looking like this machine is going to break the fastest accelerating production car record with its less than 2 second 0-100 km/h acceleration claims.
New high-performance cars
Ferrari is introducing its latest “entry-level” Portofino to replace the current California T. The folding hardtop convertible’s 592 hp V8 engine can top 320 km/h. A new shade of red for the exterior, Rosso Portofino, is subtly different to the Rosso Corsa, and it’s coating a supercar that looks just equally as good with the hardtop down or raised. We also walked past the BMW M5 “First Edition” in Frozen Dark Red Metallic paintwork. Limited to 400 examples worldwide, the “First Edition” stands out with contrasting high-gloss Shadow Line dark trim with the double kidney grille, M side gills and quad tailpipes finished in glossy black. The sedan offers numerous driving modes, including options for all-wheel drive and pure rear-wheel drive, allowing more enthusiastic owners to enjoy drift dynamics.
Stay tuned for more interesting concepts we come across in the show in our upcoming coverage.
