These are the cars that I came to Woodward to see. They're vehicles you just don't see everyday, like the one shown above. It's a Stola. The Turino, Italy-based design firm of the same name has its North American HQ right in Ferndale where I used to live off of Woodward. I never saw a Stola on the road in the two years I lived there (I would've remembered), so it was great to see such a unique exotic on this most celebrated of american roads. More special, unique, rare and ultra-cool vehicles after the jump.

Engine: 6 liter TDI Diesel V12
Aspiration: twin turbochargers
Torque: 738 lb-ft @ 1750 - 3000 rpm
HP: 500 hp
HP/Liter: 120 hp per liter
0-62 mph: 4.2 seconds
Top Speed: over 186 mph

(from Audi Press Release) Audi R8 V12 TDI concept

Audi is presenting a revolution in the top class at the Detroit Auto Show 2008 – the first 12-cylinder diesel engine in a high-performance road going sports car. The V12 TDI with a displacement of six liters powers a concept car based on the Audi R8. This unit generates a huge 500 hp and 1,000 Newton-meters (737.56 lb-ft) of torque. Audi is writing a new chapter in diesel technology with this power unit. Equipped with the expertise that Audi has built up through its motor sport activities, the R8 V12 TDI in matt “Grace Silver” embodies superb road handling, pioneering technology and fascinating design.
The V12 TDI race engine in the R10 produces over 650 hp from a displacement of 5.5 liters, giving it the potential for a top speed as high as 330 km/h (205.05 mph) depending on the gear ratios. Its power and sturdiness immediately impressed both fans and experts, who were impressed by its restrained noise level. Unsual for or a race engine, this powerful Audi diesel makes barely more than a whisper.

The Drivetrain

The V12 TDI crankcase is made from gray cast iron with vermicular graphite – a high-tech material referred to as GJV-450 that is already used on the V6 and V8 TDI engines. GJV-450, made by a patented casting process, is about 40 percent more rigid and 100 percent more fatigue-resistant than gray cast iron. This enabled the developers to make its walls thinner,cutting its weight by around 15 percent compared with conventional gray cast iron.

The Design

The R8 V12 TDI concept with matt “Grace Silver” bodywork looks even wider and more resolute than the core model. It shows its potential through its muscular proportions, accentuated wheel arches and even larger air apertures. The rhombus-pattern cover on the air inlets and outlets is the hallmark of Audi’s sporty top models and a familiar feature of the current RS generation.
Typical of the side view of the R8 is the sideblade. Much wider in the bottom third, it visually accentuates the engine’s position as well as acting as an enlarged air deflector.
The continuous aluminum spoiler lip that connects the front and rear diffusers with side air baffles below the enlarged sills also pays tribute to this version’s highly developed dynamic talents.
The V12 TDI is displayed as the beating heart of this sports car, like a work of art inside a large showcase. Its look, underscored by the air deflectors located beneath the restyled rear glass lid, differs clearly from its production counterpart. The engine can even be seen after dark, when white light-emitting diodes illuminate the engine compartment – as on the production R8 version. This “showroom” can additionally be fully lined in genuine carbon fiber, for a particularly exclusive look.
The continuous line running from the front apron across the wheel arches and flanks to the tail end, then back down the other side, is one of the latest design hallmarks of the Audi brand. This “loop” naturally encompasses the air apertures, the headlights and the taillights.
Unmistakable Face by Day and Night
The passion expressed through the elaborate design of the lights is another typical Audi trait. Nor is anyone likely to overlook this Audi sports car from behind: the LED taillights have a three-dimensional look that can’t be missed.
But the absolute highlight is the all-LED headlights of the study vehicle. With their lenses and reflectors, not only do these innovative light sources have a ground-breaking appearance, they also have an enormous functional advantage: LED light, with its color temperature of 6,000 Kelvin, resembles daylight much more closely than xenon or even halogen light. Better light means the driver will have much less fatigue when driving at night.

Ergonomic and Elegant

The interior’s design is as sporty and exclusive as the exterior: the characteristic element here is the monoposto – an expansive arc running around the steering wheel and instruments, connecting the driver to the car. The interior consequently picks up on the dynamism of the R8 V12 TDI concept and gives it tactile expression in a form that is accessible the moment you climb in.
The start/stop button for the engine and the Drive Select switch with the Dynamic/ Sport/Race settings are arranged on the steering wheel. The latter controls the engine and transmission electronics as well as the magnetic ride dampeners in each of three different modes.
In Race mode, the instrument lighting changes from white to red. The navigation system shows a combined display with lap timer and navigation information for the racetrack being driven. Or supplementary information such as centrifugal force and boost pressure can be called up.
The R8’s exceptional everyday practicality foa sports car is maintained in the study vehicle’s spaciousness, even though the longer engine takes up more room. The two occupants have the generous wheelbase of 2.65 meters(8.69 ft.) to thank for the interior comfort. This means the driver and passenger will always be able to find their perfect seated position, whatever their build. The view is also very good for a mid-engine vehicle. Narrow A-posts optimize the field of view to the front and sides.

Ceramic Brakes with Extreme Reserves

A generously dimensioned brake system supplies the necessary braking force. It applies a total of 24 pistons to the four brake disks, combining excellent performance with minimal weight and high durability. The disks are made from carbon fiber reinforced ceramic, a material that has repeatedly proven its worth in the aviation and aerospace sectors. The basis is very hard, frictionally resistant silicon carbide, with its diamond-like crystalline structure. Embedded in it are high-strength carbon fibers that absorb the stresses occurring in the material. The intricate geometry of cooling ducts in the ventilated disks prevents extremely high temperatures. The ceramic brake disk ring is bolted by 10 spring-loaded elements to a stainless steel central element that acts as the connection with the wheel’s hub.

Aston Martin is ready with its “Technical Showcase” the fastest, most powerful Aston built to date. The rigid carbon fiber monocoque design holds a massive 7.3-l V12 that delivers more than 700bhp, the engine is an improvement over Aston’s 6.0-l V12. Not only is the new engine more powerful than the original, it is also 25% lighter. With a low kerb weight (1500 kg) and that powerful an engine, the car can go from zero to 60mph in just 3.5 seconds, while the top speed is expected to be well over 200mph.

A second supercar could appear based on the FXX development program, we think it far more likely that one vehicle will prevail, borrowing on themes and components from both the Millechili and the FXX test-bed.With the Enzo now out of production, and no mega-super-car in the Ferrari stable, the prancing stallion brand believes the Millechili concept, first revealed at the automaker’s 60th anniversary extravaganza, to move from the realm of conceptual toilet paper tubes to production.The buff book’s sources report Ferrari is looking to see the Ferrari Millechili hit the streets as a 2010 model.One approach is reportedly being based on the Millechili concept, which as you’ll recall was essentially a chopped-down Enzo crafted out of cardboard and plastic holding the promise of environmentally-friendly specs. The production vehicle is tipped to be based on the F430’s platform remember that the 288 GTO and F40 were based on modified 308 underpinnings – but feature a 600hp V10 in a lightweight 1000kg package, with a lengthened wheelbase of around 104 inces, a $500,000 price tag and a production run of 300.

The Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron "Pur Sang" Special Edition

Bugatti is presenting a special edition of the EB 16.4 Veyron limited to five worldwide - the Pur Sang - at the Frankfurt International Auto Show. The limited edition will be numerically consigned to the ranks of overall volume designed for 300 cars.

With the Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron Pur Sang the company is continuing a tradition that produced icons like the T57 SC Atlantic and the numerous versions of the T41 Royale. Then as now Bugatti stands for a unique symbiosis of art, design and technology. Precisely this claim - manifested by company founder Ettore Bugatti and his son Jean - is reflected by the EB 16.4 Veyron Pur Sang, presented in a world premiere in Frankfurt. Reduced to pure design and technology, a car was created here that again was not the means to an end, but in fact had become a work of art in the sum of its parts. The EB 16.4 Veyron Pur Sang completely forgoes exterior paint.

The idea for the EB 16.4 Veyron Pur Sang originated in the Bugatti factory in Molsheim. In what's referred to as the studio where the high-tech components of the Veyron are assembled with painstaking precision. "When some of our designers were looking at production and once again became aware of the technical beauty of the structure," says Achim Anscheidt, Head of Bugatti Design, "they came up with the idea of finishing the car in its pure material configuration. And that means without a coating of paint."

The result is the EB 16.4 Veyron Pur Sang, a study in which carbon and aluminum blend into a unique two-tone color, although no paint is involved. "Interestingly," explains Anscheidt, "the pure materials used to underscore even more clearly the unified extremes of this car. Power combined with comfort, technical structure and organic bodies, light and dark. A closer look at the details reveals the techincal logic behind the stylish appearance. The innovatively designed monocoque carries all main structural components, including the W16 engine, the passenger compartment, the crumple zone and the suspension. It's precisely this foundation determined by function, made of carbon fiber coated with clear paint, that lies open in view at the heart of the Veyron. The use of aluminum linings is equally forceful. Through the bold and muscular coverings of the wheels as a perfectly designed wing they lend the car its stature and the unique body sculpture. Polished to a mirror finish, these perfectly curved shapes make the facinating surface reflections visible that characterize the Veyron."

The balance of the visual impression is especially apparent when viewing the Bugatti from above. "These qualities," says Achim Anscheidt, "merge into a unique appearance - almost like a painting by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian." The outstanding representative of classical modern wanted to express the following in his art in the past century: "Beauty across the line and harmony by the balance of relationships between lines, colors and surfaces. But only in the clearest and most powerful way." This definition has also described a car for over six decades: the EB 16.4 Veyron Pur Sang. The two essential materials of the Pur Sang - thoroughbred in English - examined in detail:

Carbon Body

A car can never be light enough. This principal applies all the more so for the Bugatti Veyron, because it was designed for a sporty high performance. This is why the battle for each kilogram of weight has been one of the big constants in the development history of the Bugatti. Special attention was paid to materials: Only one material was used for each component, guaranteeing the best functionality at the lowest weight. Titanium, magnesium, aluminum and carbon fiber proved to be ideal.

Thanks to carbon fiber construction techniques, the monocoque of the EB 16.4 Veyron Pur Sang is not just especially light, but - as it is known for motorsport - extremely safe. The monocoque is not just a rigid survival compartment, but can also ideally dissipate crash energy through elastic deformation. The main responsibility for this lies with the frames in which the carbon fiber monocoque is integrated - done in aluminum in the front and in combination of the carbon fiber and stainless steel at the back.

Aluminum

The parts made of aluminum show the meticulousness and will to perfection the designers of Bugatti pursued in their work. And this doesn't just apply to the body. The reason for this is that aluminum is normally a recycled product, resulting in a variety of impurities in the alloys. This has no effect on the characteristics of the material, but on its appearance. After polishing and anodizing the aluminum there can be different degrees of gloss. Not so on the inside of the Veyron, where aluminum is used with the material corresponding to the body shell: If you look closely, you can see that there are no differences in gloss here. Because a single, special alloy is used exclusively in the Veyron: AlMgSi 0.3 Vitral 42. No work is done with other alloys.

All told, 1,888 kilogrammes of net weight stand in contrast to performance of 1,000 hp. This results in a power / weight ration of 1.88 kg/hp (4.15 lbs./hp) an excellent relationship that also positions the 400 km/h fast EB 16.4 Veyron Pur Sang beyond everything previously known.

The number one - as the most expensive car in the world- is Bugatti Veyron- with a price tag of $1,700,000. Veyron is the most expensive legal street car available today. Also, it is the fastest accelerating car reaching 0-60 in 2.6 seconds. Although it claims to be the fastest car in the world, Bugatti Veyron- with a top speed of 253mph+, was defeated by SSC Ultimate Aero which exceed 253 mph.

These amazing cars are every man's dream but, sad enough only few can own them. Besides offering high comfort, extreme speeds, the newest technologies and an important visual effect, these cars offer social status, general admiration and envy. I think this is a good motivation for working hard: owning one of the coolest cars in the world!

The number one - as the most expensive car in the world- is Bugatti Veyron- with a price tag of $1,700,000. Veyron is the most expensive legal street car available today. Also, it is the fastest accelerating car reaching 0-60 in 2.6 seconds. Although it claims to be the fastest car in the world, Bugatti Veyron- with a top speed of 253mph+, was defeated by SSC Ultimate Aero which exceed 253 mph.

These amazing cars are every man's dream but, sad enough only few can own them. Besides offering high comfort, extreme speeds, the newest technologies and an important visual effect, these cars offer social status, general admiration and envy. I think this is a good motivation for working hard: owning one of the coolest cars in the world!

Next, in our ranking is the Swedish made Koenigsegg CCX, with a cost of $545,568. This model is struggling to become the world's fastest car but for now it is in the 4th position with a top speed of 245 mph. Although its producer is not very popular, the model continues fighting for the pole position.