The New York International Auto Show has been in a rut lately. Detroit is still the biggest game in the States, kicking off all things auto in January. Then, in early March, Geneva steals any thunder that's left. By the time the press gets to America's least friendly car town on in late March, there is hardly any news to break. But there were a few rides that stood head-and-shoulders above the rest, including a couple exciting birthdays. Here is my top five from the floor of the Javits Center.

Land Rover LRX Concept
This boldly reimagined four-by-four, which should get 50 miles to the gallon thanks to its turbodiesel hybrid engine, was issued to celebrate Land Rover's 60th anniversary. The LRX is the only concept vehicle I've included on this list since, considering the positive reception it received and the recent purchase of the company, along with Jaguar, by the Indian company Tata Motors, there's a very good chance you'll see the LRX cruising Santa Monica Boulevard in a summer or two. This smaller, lighter, more streamlined SUV is the future of Land Rover. No price.

Pontiac Sport Truck
You have to admire GM. Gearing up for a nearly 20% drop in sales for the first quarter of 2008, they resurrect the El Camino in the form of a two-seat, gas guzzling V8 "sport truck" that can go from 0 to 60 in 5.4 seconds. That'll show them! The Ute, as they call it Down Under, is as rad as they come, though. On sale summer 2009, should be under $30,000.

Porsche Limited Edition Boxster RS 60 Spyder
This limited edition Boxster pays tribute to the 1960 12 Hours of Sebring-winning Type 718 RS 60 Spyder, which helped Porsche solidify its reputation as a "giant killer" in auto racing. Today, of course, Porsche is the giant of giants. The Boxster RS 60 Spyder went on sale March 22, 2008 ($64,900), but only 800 of the 1,960 models that will be manufactured will make it to North America.

Bentley Continental GT Speed
It's the latest model to be released by the VW-owned Bentley, which is on a roll. The GT Speed is the fastest "winged B" ever made: it does 0 - 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and tops out at a nice symmetrical 202 mph. The low-slung, flowing design stopped me in my tracks every time I passed by, but it wasn't until I had the chance to handle the twin-turbocharged V12 engine on the winding hills of Eagle Rock, California, that I really understood the Speed: This beast is civilized. On sale now, $199,000.

Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series
Sorry for the missing image, but our friendly German handlers at the "super secret VIP lunch" around the corner from the Javits Center confiscated all phones and cameras. Still, this well-kept secret was my favorite unveiling of the show: It's a limited edition (350 will be made) monster of a SL wrapped in a palladium silver carbon-fiber body with 12 cylinders, 670 horses, 20-inch rear wheels, 19-inches up front, huge wheel flares, and a racing style carbon-fiber interior. Get in line, now. Price will be under $300,000 for 2009. --MICHAEL MRAZ

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In the The Spy Who Loved Me, Roger Moore speeds underwater in his Lotus to elude a villain. That kind of amphibious dexterity might soon be a reality. The Swiss car developer Rinspeed has created the world's first submersible car, the sQuba, and will unveil the modern marvel at the Geneva Auto Show, which begins on March 6. 

Rinspeed CEO Frank Rinderknecht says his obsession with James Bond inspired the sQuba concept car. In fact, he'd wanted to create it ever since the film came out in 1977. The sQuba's chassis is even modeled after the Lotus.

The carmaker removed the vehicle's combustion engine and replaced it with three electric motors. One propels the car on land and the other two are for underwater driving. The car will float if driven into water, with two rear propellers thrusting it forward. But when a door is opened (there are no windows), it submerges itself. The engines take in water through the car's front grill and push it out through side vents. Two jets, mounted on swiveling heads in the front of the vehicle, maneuver the car. Lithium-Ion batteries power the sQuba, which can stay underwater for up to two hours. On land, the car can even drive itself with its high-tech laser sensor system.

Since the car is roofless, occupants should expect to get a little wet. Rinspeed built it to be open-topped so that occupants could exit the vehicle quickly in an emergency. Passengers will breathe underwater through a tank of compressed air similar to what scuba divers use. The sQuba has a top speed of 77 miles per hour on land, as a boat it moves at 3 mph, and underwater it slows down to 1.8 mph.

Rinderknecht said that the only sQuba in existence cost more than $1.5 million to create. Making a car watertight and pressure-resistant enough to be maneuverable underwater was difficult, he said. Rinspeed is in talks with commercial car manufacturers about making a limited number of sQubas. It'll be cheaper than a Rolls Royce, according to Rinderknecht; A 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is going for more than $400,000.

Rinspeed, a concept car company, has made glass, flying and expandable cars in past auto shows. Rinderknecht and other 007 fanatics would probably agree that this is their best yet. There's not better way to arrive at the Monte Carlo in style.  -- BRANDON FELDMAN

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MV STAT: There are no known photographs of Rolls-Royce founders Charles Rolls and Frederick Henry Royce together...