THE BEST Rides

While its exterior is largely unchanged, the Porsche’s 2010 911 Turbo gets significant upgrades under the hood: a 3.8L 500hp flat-six, lower weight, and RWD bias make it a contender.

It may be puerile and dangerous, but Ken Block arguably has the best job on earth: he visits the Utah Salt Flats and sets speed records for garbage cans and $3 plastic sleds in his STI.

The Shelby Daytona Coupe MKII goes legit, carrying not only the Shelby name but a CSX 9000 chassis number; improvements include visibility, suspension, noise and cooling.

Winner of the James Dyson Award, Dominic’s Hargreaves’ The Contortionist is not just a sweet looking aluminum bike, but rolls up via a system of pivots into a size no larger than one wheel.

Build-your-own-car tools are a ubiquitous on automaker sites, but Ford’s 2010 Mustang Customizer ups the ante with hood scoops, stripes, and even the size of your Stang’s burnout.

GM pitches its hat into the GT2 ring with the 2010 GT2 Corvette C6.R: it sports ZR1 fenders, Z06/ZR1 aluminum chassis, steel brake rotors, and a new 5.5L V8 for the 2010 season.

Celebrating two decades of Miata, Mazda has released a 20th Anniversary MX-5 for JDM only; it’ll come in white with special badges, clear foglights, and heated red/black Recaro seats.

The 2010 Polaris 600 Rush is a tough snowmobile to miss: a unique, progressive-rate rear suspension that won’t bottom out along with a stiffer chassis makes it a potential game changer.

The 2010 Leaf is Nissan’s first all-electric car and arrives stateside next year; it boasts zero emissions, a 100 mile range, 8-hour charge time, and an engine good for 107 hp and 208 lb-ft.

Last week’s Competizione renderings were sweet, but SV Motor Company has dropped a slew of photos that don’t disappoint; by far the best shots are for the opulent Euro-styled interior.

Zero’s DS (Dual Sport) electric motorcycle is based on the Zero S but is both street and trail-friendly, with lighter and stronger wheels, grippier tires and an upgraded suspension.

The 2010 Kizashi is a brand-new mid-size sedan that is more Jetta than Camry in size; official specs aren’t out yet, but both the interior and exterior are surprisingly stylish for a Suzuki.

Harley’s been hit hard by the recession, but they’ve still released an extensive 2010 lineup of nine new models: it includes the new Road Glide Custom, Street Glide and Fat Boy Lo.

The F430’s successor, Ferrari’s 458 Italia is an aluminum stunner with a 4.5L V8 good for 562 hp and 398 lb-ft; it also features a 7-speed dual clutch shifter and a 0-60 of 3.4s.

A remake of an old legend, Eagle’s Jaguar E-Type Speedster updates the tried and true lines of the original, along with a modern straight six 4.7L powerplant mated to a 5 speed gearbox.

Frilly skull and crossbones aside, the 2010 Victory Cross Country is one sweet touring bike with a 1731 cc air-cooled V-twin, extra-low 26.25″ seat height, and iPod-ready audio system.

For auto buffs, the star of Comic Con was likely Black Beauty, a modded ’60s Imperial Crown for the upcoming Green Lantern movie; it boasts gatling guns, missiles and green headlights.

If you’re one of those peons still working towards their first GranTurismo, look away now: Maserati’s Design Driven shows off the Ultimate Garage along with 125 drool-inducing entries.

Platune claims its Sand-X is the world’s fastest offroad vehicle, and with a 0-100kph of 2.8 s, we won’t argue; it’s basically a hybrid ATV and snowmobile designed to carve up sand dunes.

We’re drooling over the Japan-only Subaru Impreza WRX STI spec C; it gets grippier wheels, weight reductions, a tuned ECU, redesigned supercharger and tweaked suspension.

The Soliloquy Super Yacht is super green: powered by solar, wind and hybrid tech, the 190-foot, rigid-wing luxoboat boasts zero emissions and even uses gym equipment to charge batteries.

More than a scooter but not quite a motorcycle, the Sachs MadAss 125 gets the best of both worlds with a lightweight design (the fuel is in the frame), manual transmission and 124cc engine.

Its sacrilege to some, but the SV 9 Competizione brings a bit of euro-flair to American muscle car design; it’s a reskinned C6 Corvette with plenty of carbon fiber and a 0-60 of 4s.

The Shocker Chopper’s only cc’s will be in your water bottle: Team Tentakulus’ bicycle is purely pedal powered, but retains the low-riding aesthetics of its gas-guzzling brethren.

If you know internal combustion like the back of your hand, Drive In Wall Art is for you: mounted on sheets like childhood plastic models, each is made of replica vintage car parts.

Joshua Herron’s video of the 2009 Formula Drift Grand Prix is just sweet, sweet auto porn as drivers negotiate the notorious Wall, New Jersey track–hence his name, “The Gauntlet.”