New York 2018: High Rises, High Power

There were plenty of reveals at this year’s New York International Auto Show; a new Toyota compact, an electric Hyundai crossover; a Nissan sedan with AWD and more. That’s all well and good; bread-and-butter cars like these are what keep the industry solvent, and they’re what people are buying.

But this is NEW YORK CITY! High finance rules, high rises shroud themselves in the clouds above and the epic scale of the whole operation is gobsmacking. With that in mind, we take a look and some of the heavy-hitters that came to this year’s show, cars and SUVs with the true grit required to make it big in the Big Apple.

Rockstar Energy Drink/Nexen Tire 2019 Toyota Corolla drift car

We start small in stature, but anybody who knows anything knows that just because you aren’t the human equivalent of a Manhattan skyscraper doesn’t mean you can’t have the heart; sometimes, all you need is a stage. With the Formula D Championship, this humdinger of a Corolla has one on which to display it’s ultra wide-body, sparkling gold wheels and oh yeah its 1,000 hp – ONE THOUSAND HORSEPOWER – turbo/nitrous four-banger, while a NASCAR-derived rear end keeps everything in check. Rock on. Or is that drift on?

Mini John Cooper Works GP Concept

Also from the short n’ stocky side comes this: a look at what the next Mini GP – that car’s top spec – could look like, although it’s strictly a concept for now. Still, when you look this good (a little import tuner here, a little Renault R5 Turbo there, especially from the rear three-quarter) and have rims this spokey, well, you deserve a spot on any New York notables list.

Lamborghini Centenario

Sitting lower still than the first two on this list comes the Centenario, an all-carbon-bodied version of the Lamborghini Aventador, good for 759 hp and a sub 3-second 0-100 km/h time. It’s funny; we were at the supercar show that is the Geneva Auto Show just last month, and amongst all that automotive unobtanium from the likes of Bugatti, Koenigsegg and McLaren, there wasn’t a single Centenario in sight. That’s a win for the New York show in our book.

Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO

When piloting your Lambo on your favorite – but speed-limited – driving roads just isn’t enough, there’s this: The Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship, a one-make series featuring identically-prepped racers that look like this. It takes place all over the world, and is open to pretty much anyone, as long as you’ve got a racing license and can afford the car.

Koenigsegg Regera

Sure; it may be a hybrid, but when you’re hybrid that makes 1,500 hp and can sprint to 100 km/h from stop in under three seconds, well, all of a sudden being a bit of a greenthumb doesn’t seem so bad. Like all Koenigseggs, meanwhile, the Regera gets the signature dihedral doors that provide some scrumptious icing atop this hi-performance cake.

Rimac Concept 2

Oh, so your hybrid hypercar can reach 60 from stop in 2.7 seconds? That’s great! Our full-EV, though, makes 1,500 hp, reaches 60 in less than two seconds and can get to 311 km/h before you can spell “Koenigsegg Regera”. Oh, and we’re pretty sure we can lap the Nurburgring at full chat without running out of power. Twice.

Cadillac CT6 Vsport

While the “Vsport” moniker has never been applied to top tier performance Caddys – those are just “V”, without the “sport” behind it – darned if this isn’t the most ridiculous V-Sport offering we’ve ever seen. That’s 550 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels. That’s just 3 lb-ft down on the CTS-V, the torquiest Cadillac we’ve ever seen on the showroom floor. This one we’re going to have to try.

Mercedes-Maybach S600

In terms of sheer presence, there’s very little either at the show or out on the open road that can equal this monster sedan from the Mercedes-Maybach brand. With wheels as big as the pizzas you can get down at 2 Brothers and a money green/beige paintjob, this is one car that has “5^th Avenue” written all over it.

Porsche 911 GT3 RS Weissach Package

Looking a lot like – but not exactly like – the car that made its world debut in Geneva, the GT3 arrived in New York with notable differences you can see – the carbon fibre hood, for example – and not see, such as magnesium wheels, extra carbon bits and other weight-saving measures that bring the overall weight down to a svelte 1,430 kilos. It’s even racier than before!

Lincoln Aviator

While it may not have quite the presence as did the Navigator when it debuted at this very show two years ago, the Aviator still looks great as it follows in the footsteps of the surprising Nautilus we saw at this year’s LA show. It also gets three-row seating and a plug-in hybrid option, both firsts for Ford’s suddenly resurgent luxury brand.

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