(Clifford Atiyeh/Boston.com)

A 1960s-era Volvo 122 wagon sits among dozens of other Volvos and Saabs at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline on Sunday.

BROOKLINE—Even in the biting swirl of cold rain and wind, Peter Maitland was certain the Saab faithful would show up on the drenched, soupy lawn of the Larz Anderson Auto Museum with their cars. For what were they, Volvo owners?

"More likely you get Saab people at an event like this, in this kind of weather," Maitland said, his 1968 Saab 95 station wagon behind him in the muck.

"There's a lot of people who just have Volvos," he said. "Most Saab people tend to know a lot more about their car and its heritage than most Volvo people."

But whether Volvo or Saab devotee, the crowd that gathered outside and within the museum were busy gawking and swapping car stories rather than debating a favorite brand.

(All photos: Bill Griffith/Boston.com)

MALCESINE, ITALY — Stumbling across a car show in a foreign country is a treat. It gives you a look at many of the vehicles that used to grace the local roads, plus a look at what others are collecting.

We were enjoying a weekend in town, about 80 miles northeast of Milan, drawn by the downhill mountain biking and Malcesine's annual Ciottolando con Gusto gourmet tour of the town. For dessert, we got the accompanying annual veterans car club show and rally (actually a parade).

The town parking lot, packed with vans and tents for a Saturday outdoor market, emptied out. At midnight, it was still full of revelers at the Ciottolando Festival. By 8 a.m. it was totally empty, soon to fill with vintage vehicles.

(Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff)

By Glenn Gould, Boston.com Correspondent

The view high above the Staples headquarters parking lot in Framingham was fantastic. But why was I hovering over the parking lot in a boom truck bucket in the first place? Well, as the operator started to give me a fast 360 degree twirl I too wondered this.

This particular Eaton bucket truck was a hybrid vehicle, part of a lineup of alternative fuel vehicles designed for commercial fleets.

Admittedly, I am not a commercial fleet owner nor do I plan to be one. So, from my bird's eye view of the assembled vehicles I chose two familiar looking Mercedes-Benz vehicles to look at.

(Bill Polo/Globe File Photo, 2001)

Very few people have seen a McLaren F1 up close outside a magazine. Even those of us who caught Ralph Lauren's silver example at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts auto exhibition four years ago couldn't see the gold leaf under the engine lid, or contemplate what a resting 250-mph speedometer would look like slammed to the max.

Thanks to mega dealer Herb Chambers, who has a 1995 F1 in his exotic and classic car collection, car enthusiasts can see this supercar very close, and sip some hot brew while they're at it.

As a marketing effort to introduce his 46th dealership in the Massachusetts and Rhode Island area, BMW of Sudbury, Herb Chambers is launching the first of what he hopes will be a monthly gathering of "cars and coffee." It's an early morning, no-reservation auto event for cars and motorcycles of any kind (no model discrimination, but preferably not your 1991 Tercel).

Join Herb and whomever shows up (there should be enough, given the McLaren alone) from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the Bimmer parking lot on 128 Boston Post Rd. Even though the Bugatti Veyron demolished his F1's once-record 240 mph top speed, there's nothing like a little McLaren in the morning.

By Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff

Strolling amidst the alternative energy vehicles on display yesterday at the fifth AltWheels Fleet Day exposition in Framingham, Staples Inc. fleet equipment manager Michael C. Payette almost immediately started talking trash.

As Peterbilt district sales manager Bob Moreau explained, the trash hauler uses a “hydraulic launch assist” system. It stores pressure when the brakes are applied, then uses that force to propel the truck forward. In a truck that starts and stops constantly - up to 1,200 times a day - that conserves a lot of gas.

“You're saving two brake jobs a year,” Moreau said, “and [up to] 25 percent of the fuel.”

Also on display were more than 50 cars and trucks, many powered by electricity, compressed natural gas, or lithium-ion batteries.

(All photos: Gene Ritvo/Boston.com)

By Peter Bourassa, Boston.com Correspondent

Held the Friday before the more serious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Concorso Italiano has always been a sort of "people's car show" filled with hundreds of predominantly bright red street cars from the Italian California car clubs.

(All photos: Gene Ritvo/Boston.com)

By Peter Bourassa, Boston.com Correspondent

Held at Quail Lodge in Carmel, Calif. on Friday, Aug. 14, the collection included several important and fascinating cars. The Daimler Green Goddess, one of only eight, that belonged to the late car and motorcycle collector, John Sweeney, former director of the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, sold for $249,000. The Green Goddess, thought not completely restored, was admirably prepared for this sale by local restorer and John's good friend, Spencer Guder of Spencer Restorations.

The good people at Larz Anderson Auto Museum call it Tutto Italiano (Everything Italian). The event happens this Sunday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) when the museum's lawn fills with the likes of Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, Ducati, Moto Guzzi, Lamborghini, and De Tomaso.

In addition to the park and show, the museum will be selling raffle tickets for a chance to win a new Ducati 1198 motorcycle.

One vehicle that won't be there is Ferrari's latest model, the 458 Italiano, which was given a sneak preview this week and will be formally introduced at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September.

(Image from Larz Anderson Auto Museum.)

Bagpipers play in front of an Audi R8 at Newport's exclusive Carnegie Abbey Club.

The bites of grilled swordfish, a man claiming to own 37 cars, wine tasting, bagpipers, and an obnoxious Bentley owner who ripped a deafening backfire into my left ear were all quintessential parts of this past weekend's Newport Concours d'Elegance.

(Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

OK, posting photos of attractive women next to shiny sheet metal is a cheap way to get attention online, but consider this a true physiological analysis.

If you're a typical male, chances are a woman has seduced you into purchasing something you wouldn't otherwise take off a whim. If you're a typical female, you can admit at least once that your gender has gotten you something for free. It's not fair, but this vicious, beautiful cycle will continue for eons.

Go here to see the gallery.

(For more photos, check out this 2009 gallery from British magazine iMotor, and for archive's sake, a gorgeous 2007 gallery from Autoblog.)

(Fioravanti)

As automakers cut costs, perhaps they should become blatantly, honestly cheap and follow the Fioravanti Tris.

The Tris, which uses the same bumpers, lights, and doors on all sides of the car, first debuted nine years ago and is showing again at the Geneva Auto Show. While not much has changed since, the Tris is still a robust lesson in trimming manufacturing costs through the use of minimalist, modular design. Provided, of course, that style and embarrassment doesn't matter to the driver.

If a car like the Tris ever came to production, traffic cops would constantly ticket it for parking in the opposite direction of the street. Perhaps Fioravanti could install a steering wheel in the back to clear that up.

(Wiesmann)

At last year's Geneva Auto Show, I was fortunate to sit in a Wiesmann MF4 coupe, a visual cross between a Morgan Aero 8 and a Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe. Everything seemed so deliciously old-world: the smooth leather covering every imaginable surface, metal toggle switches, and a cramped cockpit with an amazing view of an obscenely long and narrow hood.

For 2009, this tiny German manufacturer added some needed headroom to the MF4 in the form of a beautiful softtop roadster. As with many cars in Geneva, it's off limits for Americans.

Two BMW V-8s supply the power: a 4.8 liter, 362 horsepower engine from the 550i and the M3's snarling small-block, good for 414 horsepower. A 6-speed manual is standard, with the option of a 6-speed automatic or 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The M3-powered MF4 S hits 62 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds, says Wiesmann, and there's little doubt to that claim.

Bentley has undone the Photoshop shadows on the ethanol-powered Continental shown last month, and - ta-da! - there's the usual and beautiful wheel, interior, and rear fascia upgrades. We predicted 650 horsepower and a 205-mile-per-hour top speed for the marque's fastest production car (it's actually 621 horsepower and 204 miles per hour).

Some 243 pounds have been cut, which means the Continental GT only weighs 5,000 pounds (about the same as a Hummer H3T or Lexus LS600hL). In place of the rear seat is a crossbar for added rigidity, and the interior also gets a mash of bright red leather, black Alcantara trim, and deeply-bolstered bucket seats.

The Supersports is part of Bentley's plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 15 percent across its entire lineup by 2012, the magic year when General Motors is profitable and the nation's fuel economy is so improved that daisies grow out of tailpipes. And like every cradle-to-grave estimate on alternative fuel, Bentley's claim that the Supersports cuts C02 emissions by 70 percent over the regular Continental is about as accurate as Timothy Geithner's tax returns.

But if Bentley must cite environmental numbers to keep Congress from outlawing their cars, we'll publish them no matter what. Zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds, however, is nothing but the whole truth.

(Rinspeed)

An array of automotive-themed iPhone applications – accelerometers, parking reminders, racing games – are little more than cute amusements for waiting in the dentist's office. But the most innovative and useful auto app isn't available for download - it controls a concept car made by Rinspeed, the wild Swiss company responsible for last year's submersible Lotus Elise.

Open the fighter jet canopy of the Rinspeed iChange, climb into the center driver's seat, and plug in your iPhone. A green starter button graphic appears; press it, and the electric sports car is ready to go. Another button closes the canopy, while another raises it several inches to accommodate two rear seat passengers (hence the word "Change"). Need to double-park and grab a quick sandwich? No problem, the hazard indicator switch is there, too, as well as the headlight controls.

It's official, iPhone fanatics: song recognition and 3-D topographic maps are officially lame.

(BMW)

So this, a lowered BMW X6, is Chris Bangle's latest, greatest, and final creation. Where is the media firestorm this time?

Bangle, the company's now-departed design chief, has been responsible for the most controversial cars in BMW's history, and despite the criticism, his work has helped sell more BMWs than ever.

His signature "surface flames" and infamous "Bangle butts" have turned every BMW product launch since the 2002 7 Series into a group session of electroshock therapy. Aside from Infiniti's wild FX, mainstream production cars haven't gotten much livelier than a new BMW.

But Bangle's 5 Series Gran Turismo concept looks very tame - and dare we say it - unoriginal, if only because the Z4, 6 Series, 5 Series, and X6 have completely desensitized the auto show crowd. We've seen the big nostrils before, and the body creases and flat, puffy rear ends.

The only bit of surprise comes from the marketing department, which never fails at adding new entries to the dictionary of useless automotive acronyms. Instead of admitting what the 5 Series Gran Turismo really is - a crossover, inflated station wagon, or Chrysler Pacifica clone - BMW has proclaimed it the world's first "Progressive Activity Sedan." According to the press release, that means it "combines the looks and appearance of a sporty BMW Sedan, a modern Sports Activity Vehicle, and a classic Gran Turismo."

Buyers still call the "Sport Activity Vehicle" X5 a plain-old sporty SUV, and still are figuring out what the "Sport Activity Coupe" X6 actually is. When the 5 Series PAS debuts in Geneva next month, Chris won't be there to explain.

(GM)

This concept Corvette - just unwrapped at the Chicago Auto Show - will be a new character in the upcoming film "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." Other Chevrolet "characters" include a purple Volt, two Beat subcompacts, and of course, the yellow "bumblebee" Camaro.

Sadly, the Corvette concept won't get on the Bowling Green line for production, though its silky surface, mixed with angled creases like on the Lamborghini Reventon, would translate well into future designs.

Chevrolet says the Transformer Vette is reminiscent of the 1959 Stingray roadster concept. If that doesn't ring a bell, remember the C4 with a marine V-12 engine? Or the mid-engine CERV III? Neither does anyone except Motor Trend, which reviewed the 1959 Stingray and other Corvette concepts that never went past the auto show floor.

For an overkill of photos, head over to Jalopnik.

(Ford)

After a 10-year absence, the Super High Output nameplate is back - this time, on a much larger car with far more power. Taurus fans - who knew? - have hung a "mission accomplished" banner on the website bringbackthesho.com as the car was unveiled this morning in Chicago. Clearly, there's more than a few people willing to fork over $38,000 for this fully-loaded four-door.

Ford's 3.5 liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 makes a healthy 365 horsepower, 130 more than the last SHO's Yamaha V-8. Besides dual exhaust tips, a subtle rear decklid spoiler and wheels up to 20 inches, there's not much to differentiate the SHO from the standard Taurus, but according to Ford, that's the point of its "authentic sleeper sedan formula."

Unlike the first 1989 SHO, there won't be a manual transmission, but the six-speed paddle-shifter automatic will blip the throttle on downshifts. For a detailed history on all three prior SHOs, head over to bringbackthesho.com or watch this commercial.

(Ford)

Admit it. You'd rather make a delivery in the Euro-chic Transit Connect over that paltry Econoline.

Ford has sold more than 600,000 Transit Connects across Europe, where skinny high-top vans work wonders on the continent's narrow city streets. Thanks to the Dodge/Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Americans are somewhat used to this style, but breaking the mold of the US commercial market is like trying to convince R.V. owners to buy minivans. It'll be tough at first, but Ford has finally recognized that its smaller, sleeker, and more fuel-efficient overseas models are an easy way to start making money again. (The Euro-spec Focus and Fiesta subcompact are coming in 2010.)

The Transit, shown in New York last year as a taxi concept, will debut at the Chicago auto show tomorrow and arrive at dealerships this summer. Ford claims 20 miles per gallon in the city, which should be a big improvement over the heavy-duty Econoline, which is exempt from EPA reporting. An electric version with a claimed 100-mile range will go on sale next year.

Two handy options: Tool Link, co-developed with DeWalt and ThingMagic of Cambridge, tracks cargo and tools with radio frequency identification tags, and an on-board computer allows Internet access, printing, and even remote access to an office PC.

The media would have you believe that Detroit is completely lost in the dark, an industry that has ignored the plight of the little, lightweight gas-sippers that are supposedly saving the world across the Atlantic. Writers on the auto beat are fixated on these cars, and so too, they say, is the American public.

The interest is indeed real, and the Big Three's European divisions have made happy profits from the sales of premium compact cars as their home bases struggled. Upcoming hatches like the Ford Fiesta and Chevrolet Spark will fill a void in the American market, and will no doubt attract younger buyers who want to save space and gas.

But compact cars have never been ideal for families, the industry's core demographic. Unlike Europeans, who like cramming relatives and luggage into Peugeots and Opels, the majority of Americans and their families like room. Those who don't salivate for giant SUVs and crossovers shop for midsize and large sedans, the bread and butter of American motoring that accounts for about 43 percent of all US car sales.

There's no bread or butter in the 2010 Ford Taurus and 2010 Buick LaCrosse. Instead of good intentions mixed with bland execution, there's spice, upscale flavor, and a wholehearted desire in these cars to lead the industry - as Detroit once did - by design. If these two Yankees drive as fantastic as they look, then Detroit is roaring into 2009 with its brights on.

(REUTERS/Mark Blinch)

Check out the hot hybrid, plug-in, and electric cars that premiered at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Save for Chrysler, all of these cars will be on the road this year and next.

• 2010 Toyota Prius
• 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
• 2010 Honda Insight
• 2011 Chevrolet Volt
• 2010 Lexus HS 250h
• 2010 Fisker Karma
• 2011 Smart Electric
• 2009 Chrysler 200C EV concept
• 2010 Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid

(REUTERS/Mark Blinch)

Lexus has been the only manufacturer to market hybrids as top-tier luxury trims instead of frugal, more expensive economy cars. The V-8-powered GS 450h sedan, RX 450h crossover and flagship $115,000 LS 600hL are not models in restraint, nor are they fuel-efficient. Saying "hybrid" to a Lexus dealer just meant another item checked off on an already lengthy list of features.

But even the affluent are cutting back and downsizing in this dour economy, all the better to introduce the Prius-based HS 250h, the "world's first dedicated luxury hybrid," according to Lexus. A 2.4 liter four-cylinder in a Lexus is also a world first, but those worried about noise, vibration, and harshness should know that Lexus surely did - and that the car probably has enough dampers, insulation, and seals to muffle five screaming babies.

Styling, however, is typical Lexus, a hybrid of attractive lines and copycat curves. With its large blue oval "L" in the middle of a three-bar chrome grill, the front fascia practically screams "Ford Fusion" (a good thing for Ford). Flat, square body panels shape the doors, trunk, and roof into a mold of the last-generation Mazda 6, but they contribute to a slick 0.27 Cd drag coefficient.

EPA estimates and pricing haven't been released, but Lexus says the HS 250h will return 30 percent better mileage than its most efficient model, the combined 24-mile-per-gallon IS 250. Expect the first models to arrive "late summer," right when gas prices should peak. Lexus really does think of everything.

For more photos, see the full entry.

All eyes - including pairs that normally turn blind at the sight of auto shows - will be fixed on Detroit this weekend.

Car enthusiasts with burned retinal images of Ferrari Californias and Corvette ZR1s already know what to expect at the 2009 North American International Auto Show, the industry's first of the year (there won't be any Ferraris, actually, or Nissans or Porsches ...). But since General Motors and Chrysler weaseled their way into $17.4 billion government loans (plus an extra $6 billion for GM and its GMAC financing division, and possibly later, Ford), everyone else is suddenly interested. Interested, that is, to see the cars sell.

Judging by the debuts from GM and Ford, they should indeed. Tired of playing fifth fiddle to the Lexus RX, Cadillac has overhauled the SRX crossover into a tighter, more aggressive package (from January through November 2008, Lexus sold five times as many RX crossovers as Cadillac). The current model's rear-wheel drive, optional V-8, and third-row seating are scrapped in favor of front-wheel drive, a 5.5-inch shorter wheelbase, and a turbocharged V-6. The CTS wagon will also debut, but expect this model to be as rare as a 5 Series Touring around these parts.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid is nothing short of a breakthrough for mid-size family sedans, promising spectacular mileage without looking like an egg (Dan Neil reported 52 miles per gallon in his mixed city-highway testing). The Taurus is also getting a slab-sided makeover at the Detroit show, but the ancient, US-spec Focus remains.

Chrysler, however, doesn't have any new or significantly-updated production models to show. Besides the hairy Dodge Challenger introduced last year, there's nothing but hearsay (Jalopnik reports the possibility of updated 300 and Charger models later this year).

This won't be an easy year for any automaker. But the industry has unwittingly created a spectator sport far better than reality competition shows on television, a literal race to build innovative and unconventional products before the money runs dry. May the best cars (and companies) win.

The Lotus Elise may zip to 60 miles per hour in under five seconds, but getting out of it takes twice the time. Luckily, only a few security guards at the New England Auto Show saw this embarrassing exit. Don't try this in heels.