The Maybach high-performance show car “Exelero” was unveiled to the world for the first time this afternoon in the Tempodrom in Berlin. The 700-hp two-seater with a V-12 biturbo engine is a unique custom model produced for Fulda Reifenwerke, which is using the Maybach Exelero as a reference vehicle for a newly developed generation of wide tyres.

The German manufacturer of luxury cars built the unique model as a modern interpretation of its legendary streamlined sports car from the 1930s, thereby forging a link with the historical predecessor, which at that time was likewise based on a powerful Maybach automobile (SW 38) and used by Fulda for tyre tests.

The Exelero embodies the highest expression to date of the Maybach individualisation strategy of offering specific custom solutions on request. In initial tests on the high-speed track in Nardo (Italy), the unique vehicle reached a top speed of 351.45 km/h (FIA*-standard unit of measurement). Developers at Maybach designed the custom model with the participation of students from Pforzheim College. The Exelero was built by the prototype specialists at Stola in Turin (Italy). There are no plans to produce the model in series.

The fuel-challenged years ahead are a real threat to the traditional driver’s machine. However we think that, by going back to the roots of the automobile, we were able to create a smart, efficient and environment friendly sports car.

For many years the key to performance was the power to weight ratio and not just power. Manufacturers these days seem to have forgotten that and got absorbed in an absurd competition for power.

The Z0 is the proof that less can be better. As the name suggests the car is intended as the smallest sports car produced by BMW. The “0” number signifies that the vehicle is reduced to the essence and it has zero harmful emissions.

The small 1.6 liter turbo hydrogen engine and the 450 kg kerb weight ensure top performance in an affordable package. Modern, yet nostalgic the Z0 is a tribute to the cars designed for the lucky person behind the wheel. The open cockpit offers unfiltered driving pleasure similar to the competition cars.

With the drivers and passengers of 1,200 smarts attending the event there was no shortage of potential participants but the winners proved to be the aptly-named smart car-tortionists, a group of body-bending specialists chosen for their gymnastic feats. They included Iona Luvsandorj, semi-finalist in this years Britains Got Talent TV series.

With remarkable flexibility, a total of 13 contortionists managed to climb aboard the micro smart which measures just 2.7 metres long by 1.6 metres wide, proving that the fortwo is small on the outside and big on the inside.

Said Iona afterwards: The interior of the smart is tardis-like and I think we exceeded the crowds expectations of how many people we could fit inside it.

The one-of-a-kind Mini exclusively designed by cult label Agent Provocateur will feature a black paint and pink police paint scheme. Pink police stripes run down on the side and feature the logo of Agent Provocateur. A fishnet stocking pattern covers the roof and on top there is a flashing blue light. The “Life Ball Mini by Agent Provocateur” is described as a sort of police vehicle-cum-stylish pinup by its makers.

Joseph Corré, creative director of Agent Provocateur will present the one-of-a-kind Mini and drive on the Red Carpet to the Red Ribbon stage. He will be accompanied by the equally charming and legendary dancers of the “Crazy Horse” in Paris. The Life Ball MINI will be auctioned through on eBay from 5th to 15th of June, 2008, with all proceeds being donated to Life Ball.

The lingerie maker dressed the Clubman in its signature pink and black colors complete with a pink flashing light. The Clubman’s interior features fully reclining rear seats and ankle cuffs for forensic investigations of the third type and saddle stitched leather seats and bespoke compartments for various tools of the job –if you get our drift.

It is painted black with contrasting pink stripe highlights and the Agent Provocateur logo. “The roof is covered with a fishnet-stocking pattern, and the rear windows have prison bars,” said the company in a statement. The cabin is swathed in black leather said to “stimulate the viewer’s imagination,” according to the lingerie company.

Well, someone installed one, and took the bicycle to a ride in a Lamborghini. Picture found at autoblog.nl.

You can wathc the video here: Dodge Charger SRT8

One of the 5 1980 Batmobiles have popped up on the auction block on eBay Motors and if you have $500,000 to throw around you can take on Gotham city in your own style. The chassis and V8 engine come from a Chevrolet 350. Of course we doubt you can fit this in your garage so get a head start on the Batcave.The auction was already removed.

“A Bugatti test driver took a $100 bill and plastered it on the dashboard,” recalls duPont, who was invited to strap into the passenger seat for a demonstration drive. “He told me I could have it if I could grab it once we took off.”

As many of you know the amazing Bugatti Veyron goes from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds with a top speed of 253mph.

But the Veyron is not the fastest car on the road, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. In March 2007 it tested the American-made SSC (Shelby Super Cars) Ultimate Aero and crowned it the Fastest Production Car in the world. The $654,400 twin-turbocharged car boasts a top speed of 257 mph and goes from 0 to 60 in 2.78 seconds. Snagging this title marked a first for a U.S. auto manufacturer since the Ford GT40 claimed the Guinness record in 1967 with a top speed of 167 mph.

Rounding out the top five fastest cars are the $695,000 Swedish-made Koenigsegg CCX, top speed 250 mph; $595,450 American-made Saleen S7 Twin Turbo, top speed 248 mph; and the $700,000 British-made Bristol Fighter T, top speed 225 mph.

All of the cars on our list are street legal. So if you really do want to use one of them to cruise around town (or test the limits of how late in the morning you can leave for work), that’s up to you. When researching which cars truly go fastest–with the automakers themselves as well as data available at www.thesupercars.org–we excluded cars that are built and equipped for the sole purpose of racing on a track. We also excluded vehicles that are no longer in production.

If the wait is a bit too much to bear for one of the aforementioned cars and you are on a slightly tighter budget, you could check the second half of our fastest-cars list–some no less expensive, or more available. But you might get lucky. They’re the $741,000 Italian-made Pagani Zonda F, top speed 215 mph; $325,560 Netherlands-made Spyker C8 Double 12 S, top speed 215 mph; the $430,000 Italian-made Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, top speed 213 mph; $497,750 U.K.-made McLaren Mercedes SLR, top speed 206 mph; and the U.S.-made Silva GT3, which clocks in at 205 mph and sells for $75,000.

This is the for Forbes list of the Top 10 World’s Fastest Cars.

SSC Ultimate Aero: 257mph - 0-60 in 2.78 secs
Bugatti Veyron: 253mph - 0-60 in 2.5 secs
Koenigsegg CCX: 250mph - 0-60 in 3.2 secs
Saleen S7 Twin Turbo: 248mph - 0-60 in 3.2 secs
Bristol Fighter T: 225mph - 0-60 in 3.5 secs
Pagani Zonda F: 215 mph - 0-60 in 3.5 secs
Spyker C8 Double 12 S: 215mph - 0-60 in 3.5 secs
Lamborghini Murciélago LP640: 213mph - 0-60 in 3.3 secs
McLaren Mercedes SLR: 206mph - 0-60 in 3.8 secs
Silva GT3: 205mph - 0-60 in 3.7 secs

source: Forbes

The survey was conducted by green motoring organisation City Car Club, and it shows that the X Factor judge’s cars have the highest average level of carbon dioxide emissions per kilometre.

Cars owned by Cowell include an 8.0-litre turbocharged Bugatti Veyron, which emits 574g/km of CO2. The average emissions of Cowell’s fleet is 457g of CO2 per kilometre.

Celebrity emissions offenders
1 Simon Cowell
Average carbon emissions 457g/km
Cars owned Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari F430, Rolls-Royce Phantom

2 Jay Kay
Average carbon emissions 444g/km
Cars owned Bentley S1 Continental, Ferrari Enzo, Rolls-Royce Phantom

3 David Beckham
Average carbon emissions 421g/km
Cars owned Bentley Arnage, Bentley Continental GT, Hummer H2, Lamborghini Gallardo

4 Rowan Atkinson
Average carbon emissions 398 g/km
Cars owned Aston Martin DB7 Vantage, Audi A8, Bugatti Veyron

5 50 Cent
Average carbon emissions 394.5g/km
Cars owned Hummer H2, Rolls-Royce Phantom

6 Rio Ferdinand
Average carbon emissions 379g/km
Cars owned Bentley Arnage, Bentley Continental, BMW X5, Cadillac Escalade

7 Steven Gerrard
Average carbon emissions 361g/km
Cars owned Aston Martin Vanquish, Bentley Continental, BMW X5, Porsche 911 Turbo

8 Kerry Katona
Average carbon emissions 359.5g/km
Cars owned Aston Martin Vantage, Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche 911 Turbo, Range Rover

9 Wayne Rooney
Average carbon emissions 308g/km
Cars owned Aston Martin Vanquish, BMW X5, Mercedes CLK, Porsche 911 Turbo

10 Justin Timberlake
Average carbon emissions 287g/km
Cars owned Audi TT, Jeep Wrangler, Range Rover

Source: Whatcar