The 5 most exciting cars revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show

This year’s Frankfurt Motor Show has returned a bumper crop of innovative new releases. We’ve seen F1-engined hypercars, rear-wheel-drive Audis and retro-designed electrics all displayed under one roof. Picking favourites is a tough job, but we’ve taken five of our top vehicles from this year’s show and put them together.

Mercedes-AMG Project One

The long-awaited and much-teased hypercar project from Mercedes is here, with all of the Formula 1 technology it promised to deliver. It uses a race-spec 1.6-litre engine – rev-limited to 11,000rpm for reliability, it’s still higher revving than any other car – and four electric motors to produce about 1,000bhp.

It has a top speed in excess of 217mph thanks to all that power and the fact the Project One has highly impressive aerodynamic efficiency. There are extendable splitters and wings on the front and rear of the car, and an F1-inspired fin down the middle for stability.

Honda Urban EV Concept

This funky little number is Honda’s vision of inner-city electric mobility. What makes it stand out is that compared with most EV concepts it’s relatively understated. Enthusiasts of Japanese cars will see hints of the original Civic hatchback and other small Hondas of the past.

Some features, such as the ability to share energy with the grid to reduce home energy costs or even earn money, are more viable than others – wing mirrors being replaced by cameras and screens is likely some way off reality. The concept previews a production model slated for release in 2019.

Audi R8 RWS

Since the Audi R8 was introduced back in 2007, the supercar has seen many versions: V8, V10, convertible Spyders, track-focused variants and even a second generation. One has been absent, though — a rear-wheel-drive version. Well, until now anyway.

Introducing the R8 RWS. It still features the current car’s 5.2-litre V10 engine, producing 533bhp and 540Nm of torque, but all of that power is now sent to the rear wheels. As a result, 0-60mph comes in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 198mph is claimed.

Only 999 will be built, so if you want one, act fast.

Porsche 911 GT3 Touring Package

Porsche’s 911 GT3 Touring Package blends supercar performance with effortlessly discreet styling. It does away with the large fixed wing of the standard GT3, but retains the base car’s naturally aspirated 4.0-litre engine. It’ll take just under four seconds to hit 60mph, and will keep pulling all the way to 196mph. It also costs the same as the GT3 – £111,802 before options.

The key appeal of the Touring Package is that it makes the GT3 look similar to a regular Carrera – and that’s something that manufacturers don’t tend to do. Of course, those who like a little bit of flamboyance won’t see much appeal in the low-key Touring Package, but those who like going under the radar – very quickly, we might add – will no doubt love it.

Land Rover Discovery SVX

The Discovery SVX is the latest product to come out of Special Vehicle Operations – Jaguar Land Rover’s in-house skunkworks. The hardcore 4×4 uses a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 that develops 518bhp and 625Nm of torque, and its underpinnings have also been fettled in order to improve its off-road abilities. The SVX’s ground clearance has been jacked up and a trick version of Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 system has also been installed. As if this wasn’t enough, a heavy-duty winch has also been fitted at the rear of the vehicle to help with tricky descents down steep hillsides.