By James Wong

The most exciting day is also the most busy one: pardon us if we do not get good photos this time as the crowds were maddening. Nevertheless, we hope you enjoy the latest offerings from Ferrari, Maserati, Jaguar, Suzuki, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Bugatti, Lexus, Lamborghini, Volkswagenand even Chevrolet.  Click after the jump for the full gallery.

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By James Wong

Day One of the Frankfurt Motor Show is now behind us, so we’ve pulled together some of the highlights of the show so far.  Click past the jump to see some of our favorites from the first day.  More to come later, and even more tomorrow.  Remember to let us know if you want photos or first-person impressions of any of the new models shown by clicking on our earlier post here.

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By James Wong

Autosavant is represented this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the biggest automotive exhibition of its kind in the world. The first press day has just ended, so here I am in my hostel typing up all of the news, I think, worth knowing to Autosavant readers. The updates will come in a few posts, so bear with me as they appear as soon as I get new information.

In Messe Frankfurt, the exhibition complex where the show is held, the atmosphere was electric. There are thousands of media personnel who have made their way down from different parts of the world to attend the show. I have to be brutally honest: the show does feel a little commercialised, with back-to-back (and clashing) press conferences and little else to appease the audience. Although it could still be early days as the show isn’t yet open to the public, I was expecting more hands-on experiences like test drives and seeing/hearing cars moving around me. Well, it was mostly a static display of cars, which if nothing else allowed for easy photography.

Given the massive number of new releases at the show, I had to be selective in which press conferences to attend. It is impossible to attend each and every one, which meant some difficult decisions. Nonetheless, the second press day is a relief as I will have more time to capture what I have missed today. If you want more pictures of any specific car, or more details, please write to us and I will try my very best to fulfill your request.

By Charles Krome

Here’s an example of a beautiful car that was, unfortunately, Jinx-ed almost from the very start. Which is only funny if you remember that “Jinx” was the name of the character played by Halle Berry in “Die Another Day”—and perhaps not even then. Regardless, the Pierce Brosnan-era James Bond film co-starred a number of PAG-era Ford products, including an Aston Martin Vanquish for Mr. Bond, a Jaguar XKR for one of the chief bad guys and a T-bird for Jinx—and it’s that last choice that caused the problem.

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By James Wong

When you think of a showroom dedicated specially only to the hallowed BMW M nameplate, the first place that comes to mind would be Germany. ‘It would definitely be there,’ you would think, the home of BMW and also to the Nürburgring, the choice testing ground for BMW M vehicles.

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By Kevin Gordon

I constantly find myself cringing when I am at a car dealership and I witness the following happen: Kenny “The Sap” Consumer walks into his local Honda dealership and is greeted by “slippery” Sam the salesman. Kenny says he is interested in a Honda Pilot, one “with the DVD system”. Sam the salesmen says that he thinks he might have one or two of those available, but immediately begins to explain how popular they are. Both people walk off to make a copy of Kenny’s license and Kenny the poor sap has taken his first steps towards paying thousands more than he needs to when purchasing a car.

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By Charles Krome

For 32 years, some of the oldest, most beautiful, rarest, and most expensive vehicles in the world had gathered on the grounds of Meadow Brook Hall, an incredible 110-room mansion that was once in the Dodge family and is located about 30 miles northwest of Detroit – and which I always considered just a little too far to go to see a bunch of antique cars. But this year, what was formerly known as the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance migrated to a new venue just down the street from me, and I was able to convince the family to accompany me to the 2011 Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s—that last bit being a nod to the hotel and meeting complex, built on the site of an old seminary, that is now doing the hosting.

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By Charles Krome

If you listen to some people in the industry, traditional “car culture” is a dying animal here in the U.S. For example, when I attended an Automotive Press Association event earlier this year, I heard designers from the Detroit three talk about how the generations that are now coming of driving age really aren’t all that interested in the actual activity of driving; they view cars as means, but not ends. I don’t know if that’s really the case or not, but if it is, the culture is certainly going out with a bang. Take the growing popularity of neighborhood gatherings of auto enthusiasts, who bring their vehicles together on weekend mornings to share America’s favorite hot caffeinated beverage, show off, and talk cars.

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By Chris Haak

In Part One, we read about the planning of this road trip, driving off the beaten path (sometimes too far off of it).

Shortly after we made the route change, we found ourselves on MD 51, with instructions to turn right in the next few miles. When we made the turn as instructed, we arrived at what appeared to be a parking lot and a small toll booth, with a river in front of us. We later learned that this low water bridge, called the Oldtown Toll Bridge, is the only privately-owned bridge that crosses to Potomac River. Why is it a “low water bridge?” Because it only works when the river is reasonably low. When water levels are higher, the bridge is closed because it’s underwater.

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By Chris Haak

I consider myself fortunate to own Autosavant and to have access to cars and events that this site affords me.  It’s a privilege to attend auto shows, press launches, track days, and to drive some really great cars and trucks.  And as someone who has a short attention span when it comes to car ownership, getting a new car with a full tank of gas delivered to my house nearly every week is a magnificent perk, and one that I take pains to not somehow ruin for myself.

But until Memorial Day weekend, I’ve always been a little out of sorts when it came to scheduling the appropriate car for the appropriate occasion in my life.  Going on vacation with the family for a week?  How about a Scion xB?  Need a roadtrip car in the winter?  Here’s a Lexus LS 460 Sport with summer tires.  Because I value this perk so highly, and because I just don’t have the personality type to call fleet vendors to demand a particular car, or even any car, there isn’t always a good match with what my family and I are doing and what vehicle has landed in my driveway.

And then there was Memorial Day Weekend 2011.

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