2006 Britain Auto Show

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There's a party goin' on in London at the 2006 British International Motor Show. The British auto show has been turning heads since 1903, and has played host to some of the more interesting moments in the British cottage industry for cars, including the 1971 show at Earl's Court, where English automaker TVR shocked the crowds by draping naked women over its show models.

At this year's auto show in London, local favorite Jaguar showed its 420-horsepower supercharged XKR, and Land Rover (also owned by Ford) launched its Freelander SUV replacement, the LR2.

Not to be outdone by the Brits, the Pacific Rim countries showed a boatload of fresh stuff. Mazda led the way with a retractable hardtop version of its always popular MX-5 Miata roadster. Honda followed its performance aspirations with a Type R concept version of the Civic three-door, while Mitsubishi blasted everybody's expectations with a 400-hp version of the Lancer Evo IX called the FQ-360. Even Kia showed off a concept five-door hatchback, code-named "ED" for "European Design."

Several mainland European carmakers got into the British auto show act, too, including Euro GM, Euro Ford and DaimlerChrysler's Smart division, which debuted an electric Fortwo city car. And BMW unveiled the convertible variant of its 500-hp M6.

As an added performance bonus for showgoers, the organizers are including a rock show every night after the show closes. This year's shows include Van Morrison, UB40, Roxy Music and Simple Minds. Once again at the 2006 British Motor Show, cars and music make for superb partners.