2009 LeMons Reno

We've finally wrapped up our "inspection" and "judging" of the LeMons Reno "racers," and as suspected, there's a motley assortment of cars, contenders and bribes. The adjudication duties have been two parts entertaining and one part grueling, covered with a nice helping of faux outrage, bad attitudes and judicial entitlement.We can see a thunderstorm brewing a few miles away and we've taken shelter (and alcohol) in one of the team's RVs before heading back to the hotel for a desperately needed shower and a full night's rest. But before we enjoy some barbeque and promptly pass out, we ran through the pits to snap some shots of the assorted vehicles that make up this year's race at Reno-Fernley. Check 'em out in the gallery below and if you haven't done so yet, subscribe (or just read) our Twitter feed live from the paddock. Look for more LeMons madness tomorrow.

2009 Shanghai Auto Show: Geely GE Limousine

Earlier this week, we showed you the first live shots of Chinese automaker Geely's new GE model, a three-seat luxury sedan unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show. With its gigantic, upright waterfall grille, boxy proportions, Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament, and LED starlight headliner, it didn't take an enthusiast's eye to see that Geely is openly aping the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Understandably, that development hasn't been sitting well with Rolls-Royce officials, who promptly got on the horn to their lawyers after clapping their eyes on the GE. While the British luxury firm has stopped short of saying they intend to sue, according to an article in the U.K. Telegraph, a Rolls-Royce spokesman admits "Rolls-Royce is currently keeping its options open and is in consultation with its legal advisers."At an estimated £30,000 – around $44k USD – for the GE (versus £250,000/$365k for the Phantom), it could be argued that few are likely to confuse the two vehicles, but even still, critics argue that Roller would appear to have a compelling case that cars like the GE are not only intellectual property theft, but that they could also serve to erode brand equity of the genuine article.

Shanghai Motor Show: Buick Business MPV

On Monday, we brought you live images of the Buick Business MPV that's currently on display at the Shanghai Motor Show. Judging from the comments from that post, this hauler for the Chinese market is a pretty polarizing design, but in a sea of boring and derivative shapes, we don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. In any case, these new shots and accompanying press release from the GM mothership show the new concept in much better detail.One of the most controversial design elements are the shoulder-level dips about halfway into the rear sliding doors. These were reportedly added to give the MPV a distinctive look and to incorporate the rail guides for the power sliders. Up front is a large toothy grille done up in chrome that looks typical for a Chinese Buick.Inside, dual second-row captain's chairs slide for and aft and are capable of swiveling 225 degrees. A power sliding center console houses a writing tablet or laptop computer and is accessible from both the second and third rows. Under the short front hood sits 2.4-liter four cylinder engine mated up with a six-speed automatic transmission. This powertrain is equipped with the latest version of GM's belt-alternator-starter mild hybrid system, which reportedly improves fuel efficiency by up to 20%. Check out galleries below of both live shots and high-res images from GM, and click past the break for the official press release.

AutoShanghai show bucks trend to show record attendance figures

In the introductory videos for the Bertone Mantide, designer Jason Castriota says "There's a reason we introduced the car here," in Shanghai -- and the performance of the Shanghai Motor Show appears to justify that kind of thinking for nearly every automaker there. The show was physically larger than the last one (two years ago), with 600,000 people arrived to view the gleaming wares of 918 cars (602 of them from China) and 582 component makers from all over the world.Nor did the show skimp on the financial numbers as well: Lifan took $170 million in international orders for its MINI-derived Lifan 320 (pictured), Bentley 15 cars -- including all of its display vehicles -- and expected to close several more deals after the show closed its doors, and Rolls-Royce moved 18 models. China's economy may not be burn like a supernova anymore, but there is still plenty of heat left in it.

The world's fastest BMW coupe

The G-Power crew is constantly striving to produce the most insane BMWs on the planet, combining forced induction with thoroughly revised suspensions and aerodynamics to attain completely unreasonable speeds. It's latest creation, the M6 Hurricane CS, takes the standard set by its M5-based Hurricane RS, and straps a duo of superchargers onto the 5.0-liter V10, boosting the coupe's output to 740 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque.Combined with a remapped ECU and a titanium exhaust, along with carbon fiber seats and a few other tweaks to reduce the curb weight by around 100 pounds, the CS can run to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, to 124 mph in 9.6 seconds, 187 in 26 seconds and on to a claimed top speed of 230 mph – making it the fastest road-going BMW coupe on Earth.In addition to the twin superchargers and bespoke body-kit, G-Power fitted the CS with carbon ceramic brakes at all four corners, with the front discs measuring in at 380mm and clamped by six-piston calipers. A coil-over suspension with nine adjustable settings joins front and rear anti-roll bars, and for a scant 390,000 euros, it can be yours. All the details can be found in the press release below the fold.

Audi R8 Spyder coming in 2011

Pacified as we've been by the appearance of the 5.2-liter FSI V10 and LMS competition spec versions of the Audi R8, it's been a while since we've heard anything about the roadster version. But reports citing unnamed company insiders suggest that the ruthless roofless supercar is scheduled to hit the market by 2011.Since Ingolstadt opts to stick with soft-tops on its other convertible models, the R8 Spyder is expected to follow suit in order to save on space and added weight. Earlier reports suggested a partial convertible targa-style roof opening, but the drop-top flagship is likely to get a more conventional and complete solution. The big question mark remains over whether the convertible variant will be limited to the V8 powertrain or whether it will get the more potent 5.2-liter V10... we'd hope that if they can manage to pack it all in behind the buckets, a V10 roadster would prove a delectable alternative to the likes of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster and Ferrari California, to say nothing of the R8's own sister Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder.