Our Favorite Cars From the New York International Auto Show

The big stories at the New York International Auto Show? Today’s usual–meaning electrification and alternative power sources. But not everything was about efficiency, as we found some excitement in the mix.

Here are some of our favorites:

BRE Stripes Are Back: The Nissan 370Z will return for 2020–pretty much unchanged since its release for the 2009 model year–with the big news being the stripes. Well, two stripes: The 2020 Nissan 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition recalls the BRE Datsuns fielded by Peter Brock and driven by John Morton and others. Choose from white with red accents or silver with black. 

Engage Drift Mode: The forthcoming, limited-edition Kia Stinger GTS comes in two different guises: rear-wheel drive as well as their D-AWD all-wheel-drive setup. The D-AWD version features a mechanical limited-slip rear diff as well as a drift mode that, according to Kia, “sends up to 100 percent of power to the rear wheels and holds gears without upshifting.”

The Porsche Speedster Returns: The forthcoming 911 Speedster isn’t just about looks and sunshine. It will be quick, too, as power comes from a naturally aspirated, 4.0-liter flat-six lifted from the 911 GT3 and 911 GT3 RS. One difference, though: The one in the Speedster receives individual throttle bodies; it will rev to 9000 rpm while producing 502 horsepower. The optional Heritage Design package adds the retro accents.

Racing the Kenmeri Skyline: Following the dominating performance of the Hakosuka Nissan Skyline, the follow-up model never got quite the chance–blame the energy issues of the day. From Nissan: “This car was a ‘Skyline 2000GT-R Racing Concept’ car and was exhibited at the 19th Tokyo Motor Show held in 1972 after the introduction of the new model. Its car number was 73 which suggested the participation in races of the coming 1973 season. But the Nissan works team stopped operating because of tasks such as the development of anti-pollution technology and improvement of fuel efficiency.” At the New York auto show, Nissan had the concept on display.

The Supra Is Here: We’ll be driving this one next month, but Toyota had the all-new Supra on display–two of them, in fact. Full report to come once we get behind the wheel, but our recent stint in the BMW Z4 left us impressed. This isn’t a BRZ. It’s a different animal.

Happy 30th, Miata: If you’re seeing the MX-5 Miata 30th Anniversary Edition and thinking that you’d like one, you’re too late. Sounds like all of the copies assigned to the U.S. market have been claimed. In addition to the Racing Orange paint, the anniversary model receives Rays forged wheels, Recaro seats, Bilstein dampers and Brembo front calipers.

Caddy CTS-V Continues: When we first encountered the CTS-V 15 years ago, we thought that maybe it was a one-time thing. Nope. Cadillac had their latest version on display: 640 horsepower, a 200 mph top speed, and the ability to reach 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. 

Hello, Rivian: This was our first real-life encounter with Rivian, the new maker of electric “adventure vehicles.” Electric doesn’t have to mean boring, though, as they’re claiming a zero-to-60 time of 3.0 seconds as well as the ability to ford 3 feet of water.

 

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