Not wanting to miss this year's party, the Volkswagen R GTI made sure to show up, and show up it did. Last year, as the GTI's relatives, the Passat and Jetta stole the limelight; the GTI was not able to make the show. This year at SEMA, however, the R takes the center stage at VW's booth. With enough carbon fiber to build a Stealth bomber, it was sure to be a hit, and the fact that it's touting 375 hp doesn't exactly shy people away either.

There are not many cars on the face of the planet that can upstage a McLaren F1, a Porsche 911, and a Pagani Zonda all at once, but when you mention horsepower figures approaching the 1000 mark, people start noticing. This Bugatti Veyron was caught by our Inside Man (Justin Miner) on display at SEMA this year, proving that even with a completely stock car, you can still make a statement. The quad turbo W16 engine produces 1001 hp, and gives a lucky passenger a thrill ride as it reaches 100 mph faster than most production cars can reach 60. With a top speed of 253 mph, it is faster than any production vehicle ever made. Just be prepared to pull out the checkbook; a mere 1.25 million puts one in your garage. Stay tuned to RPM Planets and Planet Euro for more amazing dream cars from SEMA 2006.

Certainly not one to be left behind in the sports car arena, Ferrari has finally prepared its newest stallion for the road. Continuing the Challenge series in its cars, the legend of these cars includes the 355 Challenge, as well as the delicious 360 Challenge as well, Ferrari has introduced its Challenge Stradale version of the new Ferrari F430 coupe. Adding carbon fiber body panels and more horsepower, Ferrari has once again improved on what many would consider an already perfected automobile.

Land Rover announced that in a possible sharing of technology with Jaguar, they may pursue an aluminum chassis over the standard steel unibody. The chassis would be formed by a set of riveted aluminum monocoques. The advantages to this would be an 1100 pound weight loss from the Range Rover, helping it to compete better with the other vehicles in its class. Fuel economy and performance would surely improve, both strong selling points in the large SUV category. Land Rover says that an all aluminum Range Rover wouldn't be available until the 2010 year model, but it certainly gives potential buyer something to look forward to. Stay tuned to RPM for more updates as more information becomes available.

The newest kid on the block in the "insanely cool" category is the Caparo T1. Caparo Vehicle Technologies, a young new car company, amazingly finished the first of two prototypes in its first year, recently. The T1 is a brilliant example of power-to-weight ratio, much like the Lotus Exige S. Its 500 hp 2.4 liter engine propels the 1100 lb car to 60 miles per hour in only 2.5 seconds. The car is basically a street legal F1 car, with amazing handling and insane power. The small company, started by two of the Mclaren engineers, is based out of Basinstroke in the United Kingdom. With a building speed of only two cars per month, this car is guaranteed to be a low production masterpiece. The company spokesperson says that half of the first build of cars have been sold already.

An automobile like this hasn't been seen since the 1960s, but Mercedes Benz intends to bring the hiatus to an end with its upcoming SL Gullwing supercar. While it is still in the planning stage, rumor has it that the supercar will be powered by a twin turbo AMG V8. The 6.3 liter engine will put out about 750 hp and will quickly make up for time lost over the past 40 years. Stay tuned, as we'll keep you posted if any more snippets are released about this sweet MB.