X Prize contenders debut online

A few weeks ago I reported on the Progressive Automotive X PRIZE competition, a $10 million contest that is designed to inspire dozens of new super-efficient vehicles that can make it in the marketplace.

More than 60 teams have taken up the challenge to design a vehicle that can exceed 100 miles per gallon, and starting in September, they will square off in real-world race stages all around the country. After the qualifying rounds are over, the big finals will take place in 2010.

So what do these cars look like? Now we can take a peek.

Popular Mechanics has pulled out all the stops, analyzing each of 64 entrants to see how well they meet the X PRIZE specs and compiling a list of what they believe to be the top 10 contenders.

Flip through the excellent slide show to enjoy some serious auto porn. These cars look cool. I recognized the name Tesla, but other than that, all the top contenders are newbies, including one model designed by a bunch of Philadelphia teenagers. Impressive.

This contest is going to be fun to watch, and I'll be bookmarking Popular Mechanics to stay on top of it.

Don Willmott's blog posts are provided by LifeWire, a part of The New York Times Company.