Though Saleen won’t be officially unveiling its new supercar, the S5S Raptor, on stage until tomorrow, we’ve got pics and details for you now. Though slated to slot below the hardcore S7 in Saleen’s lineup, the S5S Raptor looks no less the part of a high-powered high-performance sports car. It’s powered by a supercharged 5.0L engine mounted amidships producing around 650 horsepower and 630 lb-ft. of churn on a steady diet of E85 ethanol.

Developed as a collaboration between Saleen and specialty builder ASC — both of which are owned by the same private equity firm — the car is plenty of tech and a bit of throwback. The aluminum chassis 2-seater can get from 0-60 in a supercar-standard 3.2 seconds. When it’s time to stop, six-pot calipers hidden by 20-inch wheels clamp down on 15-inch rotors up front. The retro bit: a six-speed manual gearbox. A paddle-shifting sequential is also in the works and may be ready when the car goes into production in 2010. Compared to the S7, the S5S is another relative domestic bargain at only $185,000.

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Saab’s latest car, the 9-X BioHybrid concept was named ”Best Concept” by AutoWeek magazine at the Geneva Motor Show last week.With this award, the General Motors owned Saab 9-X BioHybrid premium compact joins the successful Saab Aero X coupe concept which also received AutoWeek’s “Best in Show” honours in Geneva, two years ago.

The 9-X BioHybrid is powered by a a 200bhp (147 kW), 1.4-litre BioPower turbo engine backed by GM’s next-generation hybrid system. The development team explored design themes from Saab’s award winning Aero X and earlier 9X concepts to design the new ultra-efficient powerful car.

Anthony Lo, director of Advanced Design at General Motors Europe, who led the 9-X BioHybrid design team in co-operation with the Saab Brand Center in Sweden, stated, ”This car is all about efficiency in design and performance,”

Projected combined cycle CO2 emissions of just 105g/km on E85 fuel (ethanol blended, where which contains 85 per cent ethanol by volume) are testimony to the promise of this package.

The interior displays an entirely new expression of Saab’s driver-focused cockpit design, together with innovative, seamless connectivity for personal nomadic devices and a rear cargo deck with a ‘low friction’ loading system.

Other exterior features include turbine wheels placed at all four corners, minimal bodywork overhangs and an extended roof line, with compact hatchback looks.

The fine bodywork is now without visible handles or door mirrors, while the window graphic and deep front grille are stirred from the Aero X coupe concept car that was displayed at Geneva a couple of years ago.

The car’s silhouette and rear functions are derived from the 9X multi-role concept car that was displayed at Frankfurt in 2001. Lo says that is could be said the car was designed back to the front, as the contours of the 9X are apt for a car of its size, and the longer roof helps aerodynamics while providing increased interior space.

Saab’s 9-X BioHybrid explores possibilities for using aerodynamics to reduce drag - and fuel consumption - at cruising speeds. Above 70kph (43mph), the upper and lower bodywork is reconfigured, as the roof spoiler automatically increases the roof line and an under-body diffuser deploys itself from below the rear bumper.

This four-seater is an entirely driver-focused cockpit design. An instrument panel sweeps out from the top of the door mold and arches across the driver to provide extra comfort.

This car has been targeted at the youth and its features are testimony to the same. (Also see: Saab 9-X BioHybrid at Geneva Auto Show to feature Sony Ericsson wireless interface
The rear features an electrically-powered slide-out floor, which aids easy loading and unloading when it is activated.

Scandinavian designs use effective illumination, which is evident in the use of variable, white ambient lighting inside the cabin. The intensity can be modified from bright and cold to warm to soft. This personalised feature can also be programed to reflect seasonal changes.

Based in Sweden, Saab is a division of General Motors Corporation. The company markets and sells cars in more than 60 countries worldwide.

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Patrick Le Quément is a genius. While other automakers’ stylists are content to rehash cues and shapes dating back half a century, Renault’s design chief continues to brave new territory. His cars have arguably done more to define modern automotive design than anyone else’s (save, perhaps, Giorgetto Giugiaro), from the 1982 Ford Sierra (sold briefly in the U.S. as the Merkur XR4Ti and a prime motivator of modern aerodynamic sensibilities) to France’s ubiquitous first-generation Renault Twingo. Le Quément’s car’s aren’t always pretty in the traditional sense, but they are thoughtful, polarizing, and spectacular. And (with rare exceptions) they sell like crazy.

The Mégane Coupé Concept presages the successor to the current Mégane Coupé, a popular, Volkswagen Golf-sized two door hatchback. But the concept, with its lithe shape and slung-back seating for four, is much grander and vastly more dynamic (closer to the Geneva-unveiled VW Scirocco, in fact).

The Mégane Coupé Concept also brings to mind (in a good way) the Renault Avantime. I was fortunate enough to tour France in an Avantime, probably Le Quément’s most daring (and poorly received) production car. Mine was one of only 8,545 examples built between its debut in 2001 and its quiet demise in 2003. A minivan-like monobox grand-touring coupe, the Avantime was unorthodox, somewhat ungainly on tight rural roads, and expensive. But despite its icy reception (even in France, where nutty cars are the norm), the car’s eccentric style endures. Le Quément’s vision for the car continues to influence automotive designers in ways they don’t even realize. It is, in my estimation, a modern classic. And the Mégane Coupé Concept has the makings of one, too.

Continued after the break, with more photos courtesy of Renault.

The concept employs a 197-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine, matched to a six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive. Performance is brisk (0-60 mph in a tick over seven seconds), and fuel consumption for a vehicle of this size is modest (about 36 mpg). It demonstrates quite well that eight-, ten-, and twelve-cylinder engines aren’t necessary equipment for a grand tourer.

Le Quément has always had a thing for unconventional doors (recall the marvelous and monolithic double-hinged portes on the Avantime), and the Mégane Concept’s may be the most unconventional yet. Deploying upward, gullwing-style, the glass section and the lower panel stack separately, hanging at roof level like the wings of a dragonfly. Notes the designer: “The spectacular, unprecedented door-opening kinematics add that little touch of magic which contributes to the dream factor associated with the automobile.”

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Under the all-aluminum hood, is a 4.8 liter V8 engine from BMW that develops a stunning 367 bhp, does 0 - 100kmh in just 4.2 seconds and tops at 170 mph. This is supposed to be the first Morgan ever to feature an automatic transmission, a six-speed ZF gearbox.

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If until now the only ultra-luxury coupe was Bentley Continental GT, Rolls Royce felt like they have something to say about it and revealed in Geneva the new Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe. I expect you to come up with a “wow” when you see the pictures, but wait a little to know more about the specs and what’s under the hood.

Under the hood, the “piece of resistance” is the BMW built 6.75L V12 engine that produces 453 bhp and 720 Nm of torque. It’s supposed to have a 25 percent increase in fuel capacity compared to the Drophead Coupé so you can expect to drive longer.

Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe has an aluminum chassis, uses lightweight materials, comes up with a strong single piece roof unit and has a very large interior furnished up to the extreme. It’s going to cost $400,000 and production will start this summer (2008).

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Making any car longer, particularly a sportscar, comes with penalties and concessions. But Spyker managed to circumvent them with the new C8 Aileron, which the eccentric Dutch automaker unveiled here in Geneva. Despite a ten-centimeter stretch in wheelbase, torsional rigidity has improved by a whopping 40-percent without adding extra weight to the C8’s aluminum space frame. The same Audi V8 continues to deliver 400 horsepower as in the shorter C8 Laviolette, but is now offered for the first time mated to an automatic transmission, which Spyker hopes will help improve its sales and extract the company from its financial woes.

The longer wheelbase of the C8 Aileron also means that Spyker will be able to produce a more functional convertible than the spyder it’s offered in the past. In the meantime, a slew of new visual details are added to the already busy design along with the stretch, including some new vents and scoops drawn from the forestalled C12 Zagato. If you want more details, we’ve got the full press release for you after the jump, and a whole gallery of high-resolution images of the C8 Aileron from the floor of the Geneva Motor Show.

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Last October, when Yamaha showed off its Tesseract concept, we had trouble deciding how to classify the vehicle other than as extremely awesome. We are left scratching our heads yet again as Swiss automobile and motorcycle customizing company Sbarro unleashes its Pendolauto concept. Like the Tesseract, the Pendolauto leans into turns like a motorcycle would, yet features four wheels, like a car or a quad. With most of the excitement of a motorcycle, the machine would certainly be a blast to ride, but perhaps a bit more stable due to the addition of the two extra contact patches. Piaggio has seen a great deal of success with its MP3 scooter, but that machine features three wheels and is classified as a motorcycle. Because the Tesseract and Pendolauto have four wheels, nothing quite like them will be available in the U.S. any time soon. Unfortunately, the powers-that-be have yet to understand that a machine like the Pendolauto can offer similar benefits as motorcycles while perhaps adding a few degrees of safety. Click one of the sources below for more pics.

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The students of the Instituto Europeo di Design unveiled their Maserati Chicane concept, which won out over rival designs to win sponsorship and a spot under the bright lights of the Geneva Motor Show to show their talent to the world. Certain details aren’t likely won’t make it to production, although wit design chiefs from Maserati and Fiat AG on the selecting jury, we wouldn’t be all that surprised to see some similarities when Maserati eventually unleashes its anticipated new sportscar.

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Already a head-turner left untouched, the Ferrari 599 wasn’t quite up to par to German tuner Mansory, who has developed a range of carbon-fiber accessories and performance upgrades designed specifically for the stunning 599. The performance kit includes high-performance compressors and custom made intercooling. The supercharging of the V12 powertrain is supported by a sport air filter with higher airflow, as well as modified control electronics. This increases the performance of the 6.0-liter engine from 620 to 720 horsepower. Mansory also installed 20-inch front and 21-inche rear wheels, along wit a carbon-fiber aero kit with new side skirts, front spoiler and integrated rear diffuser.

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