BMW and Volvo decided to skip the New York auto show this year. Can you believe that? Of all places, the two European luxury automakers decided that showing off their cars in Manhattan wasn’t worth their time. It’s extremely ironic for two reasons. The first is that the 7 Line now stops one block away from the Javits Center, making it more accessible than ever. The second is that this increased accessibility is due to the creation of Hudson Yards, New York City’s newest neighborhood for the wealthy. For about ten days in April, the bourgeoisie can walk from their apartments to a massive new car showroom that devotes a solid portion of its real estate to their ilk. Why ignore them?
We’ll begin part 2 by discussing Curbside Classic’s favorite vehicle type: crossovers! Audi has redesigned the Q3 for 2019, giving luxury shoppers another option in the fiercely competitive compact crossover segment. The Q3 will come standard with all wheel drive and start at $34,700, which is a pretty competitive price for the segment. Audi’s 2.0 TFSI turbo four will power the Q3, which in this application puts out 228 horsepower and 258 Ib-ft of torque through VW’s eight speed automatic. The Q3 now sits on the MQB platform.
I forgot to snap a picture of the Q3’s interior, so here is a picture I clipped from Audi’s official site. And yes, show goers were able to sit in the Audi even though it isn’t out yet. That was a surprising new trend at the show. Nearly every automaker followed suit and let their unreleased cars be poked and prodded by the unwashed masses. It makes perfect sense if you think about it. Show goers are probably more likely to be in the market for a new car compared to the general population. And there is no better way to get people excited for a car that does not involve them sitting in it.
Anyway, on the merits, the Q3 interior was very nice. What will definitely attract many buyers is the Audi virtual cockpit, which is a beautiful setup that has started to trickle down into the VW lineup, and for good reason. Other automakers are coming out with their own fully digital, high resolution cockpits, but the units in modern VW products still stand out for their distinctiveness.
Audi also had their newest electric vehicle in New York. The e-tron looks nice, but its range is pathetic. 204 miles? The Chevrolet Bolt and Hyundai Kona EV get at least thirty more miles out of their batteries for a fraction of the price of this thing.
I guess there’s an advantage with the e-tron since it has all wheel drive, but the $30,000 it costs to get this over the Hyundai and the Chevy could pay for a lot of winter tires.
I’m not even sure the interior is worth the price. It’s nice, but there are a lot of other vehicles at this price that sport superior cabins.
At least it looks good in white.
Then again, Doug DeMuro got to play with an e-tron and liked it quite a bit. Perhaps I should lobby Audi to lend me one for as much time as they’d give me.
Mercedes also brought their first electric crossover to the show, but first I’d like to talk about the new A-Class sedan. Mercedes has experimented with offering cheaper entry levels models in America for some time now. The CLA, which is basically the A’s predecessor, wasn’t a terribly great car. The majority of the auto intelligentsia found the 7 speed dual clutch automatic to be sorely lacking. And the rest of the car couldn’t make up for it.
It seems like the opposite is true for the A-Class. This particular model is the top dog AMG A35, which boasts 302 horsepower and 295 Ib-ft of torque from the Mercedes 2.0 turbo four, which is paired to a revised 7 speed dual clutch automatic and a 4Matic+ all wheel drive system. And believe it or not, but there is another AMG variant on the way that will stuff 400 horses underneath the hood, which is pretty insane for a car sized like the A-Class.
The non-performance A220 obviously isn’t as fast or powerful. The 2.0 turbo for the standard model has 188 horsepower and 221 Ib-ft of torque. With a starting price of about $32,000 for the front wheel drive variant, is that enough?
It all comes down to how the interior will be received. Personally, I think the car manages to sell itself via the cabin, mainly because of those dual 10.25 inch touchscreens. They’re very cool and they will no doubt sway a bunch of people to the car.
If my money was on the line I’d probably go for a highly optioned Accord or Camry, but the Mercedes is definitely a compelling option at this particular price point.
Like Audi, Mercedes is starting to dip its toes into the electric vehicle pool. The Mercedes EQC will soon be available to purchase in Europe and starting next year Americans should be able to pick one up should they desire to do so.
Beyond debuting an interesting new design aesthetic inside and out, it’s unclear how much range buyers will be able to get out of the 80kWh battery. Apparently the EQC achieved a 280 mile rating using the New European Drive Cycle Test, but that is an outdated standard and estimates put the actual range at around 200, which would make it competitive with the e-tron but not Tesla or even some EV’s from more mainstream automakers.
And to make things a bit more confusing, Mercedes says the American version should have at least a 280 mile range. All I know is that the crowd that gathered around the EQC prevented me from getting anything other than this rear end shot. I’m sure Mercedes hopes its auto show popularity will translate into actual sales. I’m also very interested in how it will be received when it arrives here next year.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the new G-Class. Although not a complete redesign, the SUV is substantially updated. In America, the G-Class has an interesting history, as it was a grey market import until Mercedes decided to buy back the rights to sell it once they realized it was a little more than a tiny niche vehicle.
The G-Class is basically the Jeep Wrangler for the 1 percent. This particular model is the AMG variant, but even the base model starts over six figures.
If I won the lotto I’d be torn as to what type of ostentatious vehicle I’d use as my daily driver. It would probably be a toss up between this and a Tesla Model X, at least if I were considering a utility type vehicle for that specific task.
Actually, no. The AMG GT 4 door coupe would be another contender. It’s confusingly named, but pretty cool.
The AMG GT has a belt less 3.0 inline six cylinder turbo with a 21 horsepower electric engine designed to help the hatch accelerate. It’s a bizarre setup that matches the unconventional exterior.
Of course more traditionally designed cars are cool too. Although the auto show is about new vehicles, it’s always great to see icons staying true to their heritage. The 911 Carrera S channels the spirit of its predecessors while still looking modern. That’s an incredible feat when you think about it.
That doesn’t mean the 911 hasn’t changed. Just take a look at this rear end. Clearly it breaks from the past with its LED’s, but that’s not exactly a bad thing, is it?
Yes, Porsche has quite the heritage. It’s how they can roll out things like this.
The 2020 911 Speedster channels a whole bunch of other models to become some sort of Frankenstein performance variant. It’s got the 4.0 liter inline six that has seen use in the GT3. Paired with a six speed manual, it can be propelled from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds.
That’s pretty fast, and the Speedster can achieve that because of the extensive use of carbon fiber throughout its body. The iconic deck behind the seats? Carbon fiber. So is the hood and the front fenders. There are also carbon ceramic brakes.
Even Porsche’s crossovers have established their own pedigree at this point. Did someone just scoff at that statement? Consider this: The Porsche Cayenne debuted seventeen years ago. And it’s never been a stinker. If enthusiasts don’t like Porsche having utility vehicles in its lineup, that’s on them.
The current Cayenne arrived for the 2019 model year, and it comes standard with a turbocharged 3.0 liter V6 that makes 335 horsepower and 332 Ib-ft of torque. That doesn’t seem like a lot these days, especially for a Porsche, but of course there are more powerful variants like the S model.
The Cayenne even has a smaller sibling in the form of the Macan, which starts at just under $50,000.
The 2019 received a cosmetic update that makes it look more upscale than ever. Car And Driver road tested a Macan not too long ago and came away extremely impressed. Seems like the engineers at Porsche successfully distilled the essence of their sports cars into their compact crossover, which shouldn’t be too surprising considering the positive reception the Cayenne has received during its lifetime.
The Bugatti Chiron is another vehicle noted for its excellent driving dynamics. This particular model is the “Chiron Sport 110 Ans Bugatti,” which is a roundabout way of saying it is a limited edition designed to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the brand. Unfortunately, they’re already spoken for, so if you had $3.75 million laying around you’ll have to find another supercar to buy.
Although not as exclusive, you could buy a couple of Aventador SVJ’s to soothe the pain of missing out on the Bugatti. For a tad over half a million bucks you can get the fastest production vehicle to ever tackle the Nurburgring. Not a bad consolation prize. The Aventador may not be the newest Lambo on the block, but it hasn’t lost its mojo. How many more naturally aspirated, internal combustion engines will we get before they’re replaced by electric or turbocharged powerplants?
A V12, 759 horsepower, all wheel drive track monster. We may never see something like the Aventador SVJ again.
Although newer Lambos like the Huracan are still keeping tradition alive. Yes, there is a naturally aspirated engine under that hood. It’s a 5.2 liter V10 that’s mated to a 7 speed dual clutch automatic, which enables the Huracan to go 0-60 in 3.1 seconds. Not bad at all.
But does owning a Lamborghini truly give you exclusivity? Why not own a car that will baffle your friends and family? The BAC Mono is a street legal, single seat vehicle. You get to impress everyone around you without the burden of having to take them for a ride. Beyond that, you get an 1800 pound vehicle with 305 horsepower that can run 0-60 in less than three seconds. All this from a company based out of Liverpool. The Beatles hailed from Liverpool, but everyone’s heard of The Beatles, and isn’t that just boring? The Mono stands out from the crowd on a fundamental level.
“Baby, you can’t drive my car, ever.”
Unfortunately, most people will be too weak willed to ride around in a Mono. They’ll probably end up in something like a Koenigsegg Jesko. It’s twin turbo 5.0 liter V8 puts out almost 1300 horsepower and works in tandem with the proprietary nine speed automatic transmission.
Koegnigsegg also had an example of the CCX on hand, which really demonstrated how far they’ve come in terms of exterior design.
Even smaller outfits like Rimac Automobili decided to show up. If you’ve never heard of the company, that’s because they haven’t really produced much in the way of actual production models yet. They currently produce battery systems for other manufacturers, and their technology can be found in the upcoming Aston Martin Valkyrie and various Koenigsegg products.
The Rimac seen here is the Concept_Two “C_Two.” It’s a fully electric design with four motors that combine to produce 1,914 horsepower and 1,696 Ib-ft of torque. 0-60 is claimed to currently stand at 1.85 seconds, which would make it one of the fastest production cars ever made. Purported range is about 400 miles, but owners who actually put the car through its paces will probably lower that number quite a bit. Apparently, the output of the C_Two was increased once Elon Musk announced the capabilities of the upcoming Tesla Roadster in order to make it more competitive. With a $2.1 million asking price, the Rimac will be several times more expensive than the future Tesla, so it makes sense why the company wanted to increase the performance of their product.
Perhaps the most obscure supercar manufacturer at the show was Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, which brought their SCG 003 to the show. I could discuss how it is a very fast car that is also extremely expensive but I’d rather write about the location of its headquarters. The company is based out of Sleepy Hollow, New York. Kind of a weird place for a boutique vehicle manufacturer, but the Glickenhaus family has extensive roots in New Rochelle and NYC, both of which are a short drive from the village. The company is building a second factory in Danbury, Connecticut, which is a also short drive from Sleepy Hollow. Here’s another interesting fact: Company founder James Glickenhaus is a film producer. He’s responsible for several cinematic masterpieces such as Frankenhooker (1990) and Basket Case 3 (1991). But I probably didn’t have to tell you that, because those movies are obviously very popular, and both are certain be re-released in theaters for their respective 30th anniversaries, perhaps with some new CGI enhancements mixed in, similar to what George Lucas did with the original Star Wars trilogy.
Although not part of the supercar collection, this Qiantu K50 was hanging out near the entrance of the Javits Center. This vehicle is a collaboration between Mullen Technologies and Qiantu Motors, which is a Chinese company.
Although a bit generic looking, the K50 is pretty impressive, as it boasts an all-aluminum frame with body panels made of carbon fiber. Its frame weighs a mere 516 pounds. And it’s an all electric design, featuring dual motors at each axle that enable all wheel drive, with a claimed 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds. Output is estimated at around 375 horsepower and 428 Ib-ft of torque.
The K50 should arrive some time next year for a little over $100,000.
If supercars aren’t your thing, I understand. This Bentley Continental GT should serve as a nice antidote to all those crazy two door track monsters you just read about. This is the all new third generation model, which replaced the GT that had been in production since 2010. It shares a platform with the Porsche Panamera. Although it’s not designed to shred the Nurburgring, it can still keep up with a lot of its more track oriented brethren in a straight line, as it packs a W12 that makes 626 horsepower and 664 Ib-ft of torque, mated to an eight speed dual clutch automatic. That enables the Bentley to reach 60 from a standstill in 3.6 seconds.
The W12 even has cylinder deactivation technology and can run on six cylinders under light load conditions. Although I’m not sure many buyers of a $220,000 luxury coupe care about fuel economy, the technology probably helps the company achieve a higher CAFE rating.
Perhaps this Ferrari 250 can also serve as a palate cleanser?
It seems GTO Engineering brought one of their vehicles with them as an advertisement of sorts. The company is a restoration firm based out of Los Angeles and the UK that works exclusively on classic Ferrari models. While it’s not clear if they delve into replicas, the likelihood of this particular 250 being an authentic model is slim, given how expensive they’ve become.
It’s impossible to mention a 250 without talking about the replicas featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, which is how I’m familiar with the model. There were actually three made for the film, and one of them went to auction last year.
I will conclude part 2 with perhaps the ultimate expression of modern opulence, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. This is the perfect vehicle for the Arab despot who unironically listens to “Rock the Casbah.”
I say that because it is not an attractive vehicle. It doesn’t need to be. This is an automobile that can never be disparaged because it is a $350,000 luxury yacht that still somehow manages to successfully channel the brand heritage of the Rolls-Royce vehicles that came before it.
Sure, you could get a Bentley Bentayga or a Lamborghini Urus, but neither of those vehicles were lusted after by the British royal family for a time, right?
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic Visits The 2019 New York International Auto Show, Part 1: Ford, Lincoln, and Rivian
I can remember a time when you had to buy a sporting model Mercedes Benz to get the star in the grille, starting with the Gullwing and going thru the more recent Sport option sedans. Since the CLA (aka, the “ultimate badge whore car”) it seems like every Mercedes is not sporting the biggest possible three pointed star it can up front. Guess it has become incredibly important to scream what brand you’re buying.
To think that a few decades ago you appreciated a Mercedes for it’s quality and subtlety.
And it lights up (for an additional $500 or so)…
Back in the day it was the four doors that had the traditional grille with the hood ornament star (560SEL for example or 300E) and only the coupes had the grille star instead (SL, 560SEC, 300CE etc). That went away a couple of C-class generations ago when the “Sport” model got it on the grille as well. Note that the previous “fast” Benz’s such as the 190 2.3-16 and the 500E still had the traditional hood ornament as they were sedans, not coupes so the sport factor didn’t used to come into it.
There were always several coupes – the more stately and less sporty ones – that had the upright chrome grille and hood ornament too
Right on.
I’m never a fan of ‘jet engine intake’ nose on the four/five-seated cars, sporty or not. I always felt it should be limited to SUV or two-seated cars.
Wow, a lot of these cars could just recycle the Jaguar ad from the movie Crazy People:
Thanks for attending, that was an interesting glance at a different slice of life.
The wheels on that Bentley Bentayga make it look kind of plebiun.
The German manufacturers seem to be doing EVs so badly, they still likely hope the whole thing will go away and they can get back to their old ways.
This.
They likely have the most to potentially lose if EVs (and new EV manufacturers) become big, unless they do it better than they have so far.
Same with Toyota wanting to restart the hydrogen programme as a ‘Plan B’ if the electric propulsion system unexpectedly hits the wall due to the potential disruption in supply of specific material.
Who would have thought Rolls Royce would ever make a hatchback?
It rather stuns me that interior designers won’t figure out how to integrate touchscreens into the overall visual design of the dash. The Mercedes at least extends a single screen across to incorporate the gauges, but the whole thing looks like it was glued onto a dash meant to work without it. Why not bring the dash vinyl up and around it to make it of-a-piece? Ditto for the current generation of Audi screens, which project above the center dash and look like they were meant to be snapped off by a bored nine-year old passenger.
This reminds me of how slow designers were to integrate backup lights into the exterior design of cars. They were mandated in, what, 1968? Yet designers still treated them as afterthoughts into the 1980s.
The Mercedes A220 name just sounds like an Airbus plane — because it is. That the exact same designation Airbus gave the plane formerly known as the Bombardier C-Series after they bought the program.
Actually come to think of it, given Peugeot’s X0X numbering system, it’s somewhat surprising there’s never been a Peugeot 707.
Airbus didn’t so much as buy the Bombardier CSeries as have it given to them. Really weird situation there if you read about how that came to be.
Although not a complete redesign, the SUV is substantially updated.
This explains why the model designation remains second generation W463 rather than W464 or whatever different numbers.
Interestingly, the G-Class for the US market has widest range of exterior colour to choose from even for Mercedes-Benz…
Did anyone notice the dog lying down between the Rimac and the Scuderia? It seemed a bit odd, but perhaps he or she was guarding the expensive hyper/super-cars.
Also, I’ve often wondered about this one: How does Lincoln put up with Bentley using the model name “Continental”? – Or the other way around if Bentley had it first?
Doesn’t a company have to NOT be using a name for a certain number of years before another company can pick it up? The example with which we’re most familiar here is the “Suburban” – Used by Chevy now, but was at one time a Plymouth if memory serves. Both of the Continentals are running concurrently. Just curious.
Thanks for the tour Edward… I always look forward to these. You’re gradually wearing me down on crossovers. My disdain for them is easing, to the point of actually liking some of them. Perhaps resistance really is futile, and we will all be assimilated.
Now if only we’d get the cool stuff at the Baltimore show that happens in February! Of course in our case, BMW did show up at our show this past February. I can’t recall if Volvo made it, but they’ve never really been on my radar. Sorry Volvo fans!
Regarding the name clash and lack of legal action: Most likely it happens because the older manufacturer decides not to take legal action.
The first Lincoln Continental was 1940 (1939? I’m doing this off-the-cuff), while the first Bentley Continental was 1952. Given that the Bentley came out at a point when there was no Lincoln Continental, nor firm plans to make a Mark II, I’d assume that Ford Motor Company just didn’t feel there was a necessity to fight the trademarking.
At this point, they’re both well known trademarks for their respective manufacturers which would mean a hellish and expensive legal fight. Plus, the two cars definitely do not compete against each other, so why bother?
Probably the best humorous example of cross-branding came in 1959 when Triumph motorcycles introduced the first Bonneville. To head off a possible legal fight, BSA/Triumph contacted General Motors with their intention. As a reply, they got a letter back pretty much stating that as long as Triumph had no intentions of bringing out an automobile (at this point Triumph motorcycles and Triumph cars had been separate companies for over twenty years), and GM had no intentions of bringing out motorcycles, they didn’t see any problems with the duplication of names.
When (Hinckley) Triumph re-brought out the Bonneville in 2001, they once again got in touch with GM, who assured them that the 40+ year old terms were still good.
In the case of the Suburban, the Chevrolet version dated back to 1936 and was a truck. Plymouth started using the model name in the early ’50’s for a car-based station wagon and, once again, we’re talking two very dissimilar markets (well, back then at least), so nobody seemed to feel the need for a legal fight and resultant expense.
Syke, you’re shooting from the hip without having loaded your gun first.
The term “Continental” is generic and cannot be trademarked. Numerous cars used it, including Porsche in 1955-1956, when all US-bound 356s had a “Continental” badge on their front fenders.
That’s how Lincoln used it in 1940-1948, as a generic name applied to this body style/variant of the Lincoln. As did Bentley. They do not have a trademark on “Continental”. They may well have one on “Bentley Continental”.
Which is what Ford has: a trademark on the term “Lincoln Continental”, meaning only that the term “Continental” is protected by use with the name Lincoln. Here’s their filing from 1954, a year before the Mark II came out: https://trademarks.justia.com/716/52/lincoln-71652518.html
And as we know almost all Continentals were of course legally Lincolns. The only exception is 1955-1958, when there was a Continental Division. But! The cars sold by the Continental Division weren’t called just “Continentals”, they were called “Continental Mark II” and “Continental Mark III”. I’d never thought about it before, but this was quite possibly/likely done because they couldn’t sell them just as a “Continental” since this was not a trademarked name. I haven’t looked it up yet, but I’m curious as to whether the combination of “Continental” along with “MarkXX” was trademarked, as neither word could be trademarked singly, being generic.
The long run of “Continentals” starting in 1961 were ok, as they were legally Lincolns.
The term “Suburban” dates back to 1911 (first used by a body builder) and was a generic term applied to windowed station wagon bodies. Numerous companies used it, for truck and car-based wagons. GM couldn’t get an exclusive trademark until 1988, after everyone else had long stopped using it.
Rick,
I believe the dog belongs to one of the gentleman on the left side of the picture and served as some type of emotional support animal. As to why they’d be in the display, I believe the Javits Center offers paid tours of the show, which presumably enables show goers some “backstage” access.
I’ll admit, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan is a guilty pleasure of mine. No, it has no reason to exist and no it’s not super attractive or good looking, but there’s something about it I find charming. I think the main reason is that unlike it’s primary counterpart/competitor, the Bentley Bentayga, the boxier and blocky design language of Roll’s Royce works better when adapting to the platform of an SUV. Unlike Bentley where the Continental GT aerodynamic styling is compromised to fit on a similar platform and it looks hideous as a result.
Thanks for a great tour!
A minor nitpick – a Porsche Speedster has a flat six, not an inline six.
It’s important to remember that the Cayenne kept the entire company afloat for years.
That’s news to me.
Piecing together from news reports over the years, it appears Porsche became the world’s most profitable car brand in the early 2000s, after the Cayenne was launched; they also revealed, after the Cayenne’s introduction, that they had become more profitable.
Now, they already had a 13% profit margin shortly before the Cayenne’s launch (2001) but that was up to 15% by the beginning of the following decade.
It’s a point that often gets repeated and I’ve probably said it before myself. It merits further investigation but, ultimately, Porsche’s SUVs did increase the brand’s sales and reach and did have a positive effect on the brand’s profit margins, even if they weren’t solely responsible for keeping the company afloat. It seems the brand was already on the profitability upswing prior to the Cayenne’s launch after an apparently rocky period during the 1990s.
The Boxster’s success is what really saved the company, then the Cayenne was the icing on the cake by being a model that was purely additive to sales volume and more or less engineered on the cheap (by splitting much development with VW for the Touareg.)
Porsche has been madly profitable after Wendelin Wedekin took over in 1993 and majorly overhauled the company. Within two years, it became very profitable, and by the late 90s, had one of the highest profit margins in the industry. That’s well before the Cayenne.
Wedekin, cut costs, killed the 928 and 968, brought in the Boxster (which he had initially had assembled by a contractor Valmet), and later the Cayenne, streamlined production, renegotiated with the unions, jacked up the prices of options, as well as a number of other moves. He turned it into the money monster that almost ate VW.
GTO Engineering builds fake (“replica”) GTO 250 SWBs. That’s what was on their stands. It goes for a fraction of the price of the rear thing.
I’m not sure that’s the case with the car on display. It’s a 250 GT SWB, not a GTO. Unlikely it’s a replica as this model in not in such demand as the 250 GTO (pictured) and 250 GT Spider ‘California’ (Ferris Bueller) – both of which are probably outnumbered in genuine form by tributes. A quick look at the GTO Engineering website suggests they don’t build replicas, but instead do high-end restorations and sales of classic prancers.
It’s definitely a fake. Just Google “gto engineering 250 swb replica” and there’s a number of articles about it including several drives of it, including this one by Petrolicious:
https://petrolicious.com/articles/what-its-like-to-drive-a-gto-engineering-ferrari-250-swb
And the Wall St. Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-art-of-faking-a-ferrari-1525963426
These (real) 250 SWB’s are fetching over $10M. The GTO Engineering Replica goes for some $500k.
I didn’t know this in advance. What tipped me off is simply that I didn’t see why they would be showing a real one at the show, given their price and scarcity. Folks who restore these have no purpose in advertising their abilities and even showing an example at a consumer car show. What owner of the real thing would want it shown this way? That very rarefied business doesn’t work that way.
So I Googled and my suspicions were quickly confirmed.
They’re at the show to sell their car, like everyone else.
I stand corrected. Seems the recreation market has its own snobberies; an SWB for those whom the GTO is a tad predictable. hehehe
What threw me is the Ferrari script and logo on the body. Given this setting is a sales environment, I’m very surprised to see a non-sanctioned vehicle bearing the (very strongly protected) Ferrari trademarks. And I’m pretty sure this doesn’t have factory imprimatur.
Hmm, interesting. Maybe the Ferrari badging is permitted because they started with a “lesser” Ferrari like a GTE or 330. However these too have had a huge run up in value so I think the practice of throwing away a 4 seater body to make a GTO replica has diminished.
For driving I’d sure rather have a replica GTO than a real one, but frankly I’d rather have a genuine sports car of any type than a replica GTO.
But that’s just my own version of snobbery. Ha.
These GTO Eng. cars are apparently scratch-built; one was even commissioned by the owner of a real SWB who wanted something to use on the track when his genuine example became too precious to drive in anger.
It’s something I still can’t figure the logic on. There’s Rennsport, the UK company who build early 911-looking cars from 964s and can only use the Porsche trademarks on the basis that the donors are still Porsches.
Then there’s the Aston Martin thing, starting with the Sanction II DB4 GT Zagatos that were factory-built in 1991 based on 4 unused chassis numbers from the original batch. That led to Sanction III and the recently announced DB5 factory recreations.
Given Ferrari are absolute sluts with their brand for anyone with the money (Abu Dhabi theme park, anyone?), I’d say they would be looking at the recent DB5 announcement (with its attendant sticker in the millions) very closely for their own potentially insanely lucrative heritage-based model release(s).
That’s why I find it very curious that GTO Eng. were allowed to present a SWB with Ferrari badges at such a prominent arena as the NY show.
I was at the show and kind of just glossed over this supercar display.
At a time when you can now spend $40k on, say, a Kia Stinger GT that will hit 60 in 4-something seconds (and do everything else you’d expect of a regular car, and probably reliably), the prospect of spending $100-200k more to hit 60 in 3-something seconds seems quite, quite silly.
In other words, mainstream modern cars have gotten so good and so capable that the expression of conspicuous consumption is, probably more than ever, supercars’ and ultra-lux cars’ chief differentiator.
All that said, this was a great review of this section of the show, and it is good to see some smaller independent makes still carving out a niche for themselves in a hyper-competitive industry. I just can’t work up much enthusiasm for them.
My sentiments exactly. I’ve just never clicked with supercars and as “regular” cars have improved, they have less of a “point” to me. I mean, sure, a Stinger is never going to be the dynamic equal of a Huracan but still, we live in amazing times for regular car performance.
Even if I was filthy rich, I think my garage would slowly fill up with cars like the BMW M5 more so than Ferraris and Koenigseggs.