While I probably wouldn’t be the first guy to drive a supercar through the throngs of taxis and potholes on Manhattan’s manic streets, there’s no question that big power still has a place in one of the world’s biggest cities.
Not to mention that if you have the patience to drive an hour or so north, you’ll find some great driving roads through the Adirondack mountains. Which is why, at the Javits Center in downtown Manhattan, a spot in the 2016 New York Auto Show’s main gallery was reserved for precious metal.
2016 Koenigsegg Regera
The newest car on the stand is also the most powerful; over 1,500 hp powerful, to be precise, thanks to a super-hybrid powertrain featuring a 5.0L V8 plus two electric motors on the back wheels that are good for a reported 720 hp.
It looks spectacular, too; it’s got Koenigsegg’s proprietary dihedral doors, fancy “Constellation” DRLs and exposed carbon fibre here, there and everywhere. Oh, and it will do 200 mph “pretty easily” according to Koenigsegg boss Christian Von Koenigsegg.
You’ll need about US $2 million to find out for yourself, though.
2015 Koenigsegg One:1
While Koenigsegg’s last supercar may be upstaged a little by the newest member of the family, the One:1 is nevertheless a spectacular piece of machinery making over 1,000 hp. Unlike the Regera, it gets a twin-turbo V8 as sole provider of motive force. Still, though, the power it provides is enough to do justice to the name, with “One:1” representing a ratio of 1 PS (about .986 hp) to 1 kg of weight.
2016 Spyker C8 Preliator
We have no idea what a “Preliator” is, but you don’t need to understand the name of this latest model from Dutch company Spyker to appreciate the fine craftsmanship that goes in to its latest car. Toggle switches, exposed gear linkage, a jeweled centre console that would look as at home at a diamond retailer as it does in a car all lead to a sense of occasion that even the world’s largest luxury brand would be hard-pressed to repeat. The power from the Audi-sourced V8 isn’t huge, but the steampunk style and attention to detail more than makes up for it.
2013 Bugatti Veyron
Even now, years after it first cracked the 400 km/h barrier, the Veyron still has a massive presence, even when sitting beside newer metal like the Spyker and 'Seggs. Especially when finished in black as the New York car is, there’s something about those low-mounted slits for headlights, horse collar grille and broad hood that give the car huge presence, even if it is actually a pretty small car.
Land Rover Range Rover SVA
As long as we’re on the topic of presence: Land Rover was kind enough to bring along their Range Rover LWB SVA, “SVA” standing for “Special Vehicles Autobiography” and it’s the second of two new ‘SV” brands at Jaguar/Land Rover, the other being “SVR”, which stands for “Special Vehicles Racing” and adorns the grille of the Range Rover Sport and more recently, the Jaguar F-Type. This particular Rangie, though, sits at the other end of the spectrum, going whole hog in the luxury department. Two-tone paintjobs, special wheel designs and even a Holland & Holland variant that gets its own custom gun rack (because Range Rover people were always hunters, right?) make for one special SUV that commands respect.
Jaguar F-Type SVR
If the big carbon-fibre spoiler, new front splitter and big wheels aren’t enough to turn your head, then the numbers surely will: 575 hp. 516 lb-ft. 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds. Top speed of 320 km/h. And, thanks to an all-new titanium exhaust, one of the loudest reports this side of an F-16 fighter jet. Sort of.
Acura NSX GT3
Yes, it loses its hybrid chops, but the race version of the much-ballyhooed 2017 Acura NSX looks the business, thanks to its sky-high rear wing (IMSA-approved, of course), flared body panels, much carbon-fibred front end and sharp black OZ racing wheels. When it starts hitting the track as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year, it will definitely benefit from the fact that the NSX was built from the ground up as a race car from the get-go.
2017 Nissan GT-R
While it may not look all that different from the current-gen car this side of a slightly new front fascia, Nissan says that most of the body panels have been newly shaped for better aero, with the drag coefficient being reduced to 0.26. Oh, and if that’s not enough, that power now sits at an eye-watering 565 hp and 467 lb-ft of torque.
Porsche 911R
If motoring purity is what you’re after, then chances are the 911R will scratch you right where you itch. It makes all 500 of its horsepower from a proper, naturally aspirated flat-six just like 911s of old. Add the fact that it’s available only with RWD, and only with a six-speed manual transmission, and you’ve got the purest 911 since the 2010 Sport Classic.
2017 Audi R8 Spyder
Weighing only a few kilos more than its hard-top equivalent, the latest addition to Audi’s R8 lineup is sure to turn heads wherever it goes, and snap necks acceleration-wise while it’s at it. It uses the same V10 as the Coupe, meaning 540 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque. Coupled with Audi’s patented Quattro AWD and seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, that’s enough to send the R8 drop-top to 100 km/h from rest in just 3.6 seconds, on to a 320 km/h top speed.
Genesis New York Concept
Of all the cars listed here, this has to be one of the most visually arresting. Whether we’re talking about the open-topped steering wheel inside, or the squinting headlamps and art-deco rims outside, it’s an absolute stunner. If and when it makes production, it will have the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe and Mercedes-Benz CLS firmly in its sights. What an interesting battle that will be.
BONUS: Lincoln Navigator Concept
It’s just a concept for now, but aside from the full-length gullwing doors, there are many elements here that point to one spectacular SUV by the time it arrives for the 2018 model year. Massive (like, 24-inch massive) wheels with turbine-style “blades” (read: rims), huge, deep chrome grille and display screens aplenty inside are all thing that in this day and age, could very well be on the production model in some form or another. The Navigator was one of the pioneers in the full-size luxo-SUV game, but has since fallen off the pace a little. Maybe it’s time for it to regain some of that lost ground.
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