New 2008 Aston Martin DBS

This could be the Nürburgring. Ahead the tarmac rises, kinks left and enters a long, dark, green canopy and in an instant we're into it. "I call this section 'The Labyrinth,'" says the German-accented driver over the basso profundo rumble of the big V12 which is surging out and back athletically as we jink the 2008 Aston Martin DBS between corners.

Finally we barrel out of the Labyrinth's final bend and down the straight that follows, the V12 running all the way out to its redline. Then near silence: He's demonstrating the carbon-ceramic brakes, and if you listen carefully you can just hear me choking as I hang hard from my seatbelt.

This isn't the Nürburgring. It's the B-something in Warwickshire, northwest of London. We're not going to tell you which one exactly; it's too good. And although the driver is German and a racer, he is better known as the CEO of Aston Martin.

Dr. Ulrich Bez took the company from producing 800 cars when he joined in 2000 to 7,000 now and over 9,000 when the Rapide arrives in 2009. He also led Aston Martin to independence from Ford earlier this year and the car we're riding in, the DBS, is the first to be launched since.

New 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo GT2

The A1 autobahn, somewhere north of Bremen, Germany. We're at the wheel of the 2008 Porsche 911 GT2. At an indicated 186 mph - almost 3.5 miles per minute - the surrounding countryside blurs into one constant stream. The slap of the tires against the expansion joints in the concrete road surface combines with the steady rush of the wind pouring over the car's curved profile. Yet even together they can't overcome the deep roar of the engine, which is still pulling hard some 800 rpm shy of its electronic cut-out at the redline of 6,800 rpm. Long sweeping curves in the road ahead tighten in intensity and our heart rate races. We can feel the front end of the car lifting as it fights to control the huge aerodynamic forces. Yet the new 2008 Porsche 911 GT2 manages to track better at such extreme velocities than any other road- going 911 thanks to bodywork developed for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It's uniquely challenging but wonderfully addictive. And thanks to Germany's insistence that speed - no matter how outrageous - is the right of each and every road user, all this is completely legal.

New 2008 Porsche Cayenne

The second - generation 2008 Porsche Cayenne can hardly be called all new, but it does offer worthy upgrades in the power and fuel economy of all three trim levels Cayenne, Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo while providing upgraded handling and freshened looks. After a brief sampling of all three versions through undulating mountain roads and entertainingly banked highways in Cadiz, Spain, its clear that the changes will make the already popular Porsche Cayenne even more desirable when it arrives in March. Most significant among them are more-powerful and efficient engines for each model and a new high-tech suspension system that neutralizes side - to - side leaning through turns. But as usual with Porsche, we find the list of standard equipment on the Cayenne to be lacking compared to competing models and the price hike of the top Turbo model to be appallingly high.

Exterior
The new Cayenne has a reworked front end and better aerodynamics than its predecessor. But if youre considering trading in your existing Cayenne for a 2008 model, then opting for a different color than your current vehicle may be the only way your neighbors will tell that youre driving a brand new SUV. Otherwise only the truly obsessive Porsche fans in your neighborhood are likely to notice the difference. The Cayenne Turbo (pictured at right) gets a little more visual differentiation, which it should for its major power and price increase over the others. The Turbo models front end features two thin vertical bars in its larger grille, as well as unique horizontal turn indicator lights in the front air intakes instead of the vertical ones of the other two. There are also two ridges in the hood that belie the muscular engine beneath it.