Our readers don't realise just how hard we work for them. I'm sitting typing this up following three days in Frankfurt with not enough sleep, not enough food or water and way way too much shoe leather gone.
But I'm not complaining, as we got to see, touch and yes, drool over some of the most exciting cars coming our way in the next few years, not to mention the legions of wacky concept cars that'll never see the light of day. The Frankfurt Motor Show is a mind (and foot) numbingly large event, which is thankfully only every two years and it's not as if only some stands hold interesting exhibits; oh no, virtually every car maker has at least two vehicles that are worth the effort to see. As you'll know if you've been following the excellent coverage on the News Page from the CompleteCar.ie team.
But the purpose of this blog is not (just) to whinge about my sore feet; I'm going to try to pick out my favourites and the most significant cars of the event. Facebook users can add their comments at the bottom to let me know how right or wrong (never happens) I am.
There was no obvious theme to the cars that stole the headlines this year. Everyone is talking about weight reduction (the new Opel Astra is 200kg lighter than before for example), hybrid power and the electrification of the car, but that's nothing new.
Audi and Porsche stepped things up a bit with their show-stopping concepts, the Audi e-tron quattro concept and the sublime Porsche Mission E. Not only does the latter look stunning and have a gorgeous four-seat interior, it is a clear statement of intent from the sports car maker, signalling its plan to be among the best electric car makers on the planet.
I really hope the concept becomes reality at some stage.
I'm not sure the same can be said for the Concept IAA revealed over in the Mercedes-Benz building (it's not just a stand). I adore the extravagant active aerodynamics of this car, and no doubt we'll see more modest implementations of that idea in the near future, but the rest of the exterior style probably doesn't mean a lot to the future of Mercedes. The interior might, however...
While there I was quite taken by the new C-Class Coupé. It's a beautifully judged piece of design. Can't wait to drive the AMG version in November, especially if it continues where the Mercedes-AMG C 63 saloon left off.
Sticking with production cars for a moment, many of my colleagues were underwhelmed by the new Volkswagen Tiguan, but I really liked it. Sure, it's far from radical, and very similar to the new Passat inside and out, but it's far more desirable than the previous Tiguan and something many buyers will get excited about owning.
Same story for the new Kia Sportage actually, though I imagine some won't like the pert new face, which is highly reminiscent of the Porsche Cayenne. For the record, I do.
There were dozens of other debutantes that I could bang on about, such as the ugly Bentley Bentayga SUV (it's irrelevant what I think, it'll sell by the hundred in certain markets);
the loin-stirring Ferrari 488 Spider
and Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 Spyder;
the elegant Rolls-Royce Dawn;
and the promising Alfa Romeo Giulia rear-drive sports saloon; but I must admit that the one car that grabbed my attention more than any other in Frankfurt was the Honda Project 2&4.
It's unlikely to ever go on sale to the public, it's impractical and a little bit silly, but boy does it look fun and the show car is exquisitely made too, just ready for someone crazy enough to don a helmet and point its nose at the nearest race track. I'd do that for you dear reader. I'm selfless like that.