Show Cars

The Geneva International Motor Show was going to be the “launchpad” for many automakers to showcase new models, including Bentley. The British automaker was supposed to premiere an ultra-exclusive roofless car called the Bacalar in Geneva. But, with the event being canceled, automakers decided to hold digital press conferences, and Bentley will be unveiling this beauty the same way instead of holding a standalone event later on.

The Bentley Bacalar has been designed by the company’s coachbuilding division, Mulliner. The Bacalar was one of the most anticipated vehicles from the Geneva Motor Show because it is only the second two-seater to have come out from the company’s stable since 1930. We already know that the Bacalar is inspired by the EXP 100 GT that was revealed last year as part of Bentley’s centenary celebrations. The Crewe company did tease the Bacalar in a three-part trailer series, and the last one gives us the vibes that it may actually be a roofless model. Until now, we’ve only seen bits of interior and the set of hot wheels.

If we go by the EXP 100 GT, the cabin will be nothing short of a marvel. The company describes it as, “The two-seat layout and wraparound cockpit of the Bacalar creates a luggage space behind the exquisitely stitched front seats, occupied by a bespoke pair of travel cases trimmed to match the interior materials, all of which are sustainably sourced.” The hand-built model from the world’s oldest coachbuilder will most likely come plonked with the familiar 6.0-liter, W12 engine that will bear impressive performance figures in this lightweight, topless car.

The live-stream is scheduled to start at 8:30 AM GMT / 3:30 AM EST and you can watch it right here.

The 2020 Audi RS6 Avant is the range-topping version of Audi’s midsize wagon, the A6 Avant. Arguably the most iconic RS model, the RS6 Avant returns with a brand-new exterior and is more powerful than ever. Unlike its predecessor, it’s no longer entirely based on the A6, as it borrows front fascia elements from the A7 and the R8. The 2020 RS6 Avant is also the first of its kind to feature a hybrid drivetrain thanks to a 48-volt system. Granted, it’s not a full-fledged hybrid, but it’s an essential step toward electrification. Unlike its predecessors, the 2020 Audi RS6 Avant will be offered in the United States.

Supernatural is the longest-running American live-action fantasy TV series. It’s been around since 2005, and this season will be its last. It’s been a hell of a ride — no pun intended — for Sam and Dean Winchester, and the latter’s loyal steed, the “Metallicar.”

That’s the nickname given to the 1967 Chevrolet Impala that has been a part of the show since the beginning. The Impala has become so important to the show’s history that fans even gave it the “Metallicar” nickname. Sure, the show doesn’t revolve around Dean’s ride, but it wouldn’t be the same without it, either. And as most famous Hollywood cars go, there are a few interesting things about the “Metallicar” that you might not know about.

The 2021 BMW M2 CS is higher performance, limited-edition version of the M2. Unveiled at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show, the M2 CS follows in the footsteps of the M4 CS. A beefed-up version of the M2 Competition, the M2 CS boasts revised aerodynamic features, exclusive items inside the cabin, the same engine as the M4 CS. Although not quite as powerful as the M4 CS, the turbocharged inline-six powerplant packs as much oomph as the M4 Competition Package, rated at 444 horsepower. This makes it the most powerful 2 Series model ever created. Not only the quickest 2 Series ever, it’s also quicker than the M4 and only marginally slower than the M4 CS. Let’s find out more about that in the review below.

The 2021 Wiesmann MF 6 is an upcoming sports car built by the German company. A spiritual successor to the GT MF 5, the MF 6 is Wiesmann’s first production model since it went bankrupt in 2014. Reopened in 2016, Wiesmann confirmed a new sports car for 2020. The vehicle is known as Project Gecko and the MF 6 name has yet to be confirmed, but it’s a natural choice given that the new sports car is supposed to be an evolution of previous models. Wiesmann confirmed that the MF 6 will feature a BMW engine, just like its predecessors. A teaser video and sketches posted on the company’s website reveal a familiar design that reminds of the MF 5.

The 2020 BMW M2 CS is finally here, and it comes with BMW’s legendary S55, 3.0-liter inline-six, which now boasts 444 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. It’s also gleaming with carbon fiber outside and packed full of Alcantara with contrast stitching inside. It’s certainly lighter and faster than the M2 Competition, but by how much?

Lexus is not fooling around when it comes to electrification and is using Tokyo as a sampling experiment for the stunning LF-30 Electrified prototype. Did we mention stunning? The LF-30 looks otherworldly, has gullwing doors, and uses four in-wheel electric motors, a steer-by-wire-system, and a slew of autonomous driving technologies plus Lexus Advanced Posture Control. Stick around to find out everything you need to know about the Lexus LF-30 Electrified concept shown at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show.

The 2020 Chevy C8 Corvette has yet to arrive in showrooms, but Chevrolet is already working on new versions of the mid-engined sports car. We’ve seen the race-spec C8.R being tested at Sebring, as well as new prototypes driven on public roads. The most recent C8 Corvette footage includes two cars that seem to be hybrids. Is Chevrolet electrifying the Z06 or the ZR1?

The Nissan R35 GT-R has been around for 12 years and if current form holds, it looks like it won’t go away anytime soon. Nissan, it appears, isn’t in any rush to roll out the next-generation R36 model, at least until the company’s decision-makers make a final determination on what kind of powertrain it will carry. Will the next Godzilla be a hybrid, or will it be all-electric? That’s the million-dollar question at the moment, and until Nissan arrives at an answer, our hopes and dreams of seeing the next-generation R36 GT-Rwill remain just that: hopes and dreams.

The Monterey Car Week is arguably the most important week for a lot of auto collectors. More than your typical car shows, this week-long extravaganza plays host to must-attend events like the Monterey Motorsport Reunion, the Quail, A Gathering, and the world-famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, so there’s no shortage of things to do and places to visit during the event. One highlight — or is it seven highlights? — that I have yet to mention is the car auction aspect of Monterey Car Week. These auctions are where the heavy-hitter collectors usually come out and play. Whether it’s RM Sotheby’s, Mecum, Russo and Steele, or Bonham’s, millions of dollars fly around during these events. Perhaps we might even see a record-breaking sale this year, just as we did last year when a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sold for a world-record $48.4 million. It’s going to be difficult to approach that figure, but, who knows, right? In the absence of a Ferrari 250 GTO, we picked out 10 cars that will likely fetch king’s ransoms when they’re auctioned off during the 2019 Monterey Car Week.

Teased in one way or another for the last two years, the Porsche 911 Speedster finally showcased its gorgeous body at the 2019 New York Auto Show. Revealed in red, the glorious 911 celebrates the 70th anniversary of the production of rear-engine sports cars, and it is the most extreme representation of philosophy once started with the fantastic 356. With such an important job to do and an incredible heritage to justify, the new Porsche 911 Speedster - the ninth Speedster overall - is the best the 991.2 generation can possibly offer.

For that matter, Porsche garnished it with the latest technology and epic throwback easter eggs that elevate the 911 Speedster unique qualities. This is the list of the most unusual Porsche 911 Speedster’s quirks and features.

The ’50s were a strange decade: on the one hand, the danger of nuclear annihilation grew bigger and bigger as tensions between East and West reached new peaks and, on the other hand, automotive design also reached new peaks - peaks touched by the ultra-high fins of cars like the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible, a true symbol of its time.

When you think of American cars from the ’50s, depending on who you are, you’re bound to first picture in your head one of three cars: the 1957 Chevy Bel Air, the 1955 Ford Thunderbird or the 1959 Eldorado Biarritz Convertible. The latter is most definitely the showboat, figuratively and literally, of a whole design trend; a trend that climaxed with this very car that, in a way, managed to kill off the trend altogether. The trend I’m talking about is of aeronautical inspiration, and it took off (pun intended) in the late ’40s and early ’50s thanks to concept cars like the Buick Le Sabre and a host of other GM Motorama creations.

No, those chrome-bathed fins didn’t help the cars corner better nor did they aid the back end in sticking to the ground better - they were just for style, and 1959 was the year of all-out chrome and all-out fins. Some think those cars are everything that’s wrong with American cars, others simply think they’re flamboyant while others still adore them. I guess it’s a matter of personal preference but, undoubtedly, the ’59 Eldorado continues to turn heads 60 years later.

The Pontiac GTO is widely regarded as one of the first muscle cars but, by 1970, even one of the stalwarts of the segment wasn’t able to sell as it once did. Still, The GTO of 1970 remains a cornerstone example of muscle cars at their absolute peak.

The Pontiac GTO was born as a sportier version of the Tempest, aimed at a younger clientele. The car debuted in 1964 and by-passed in the process GM’s policy that was limiting A-body intermediate models to a maximum engine capacity of 5.4-liters. As such, the original Tempest GTO came with the 6.4-liter V-8 that was also used by the larger Bonneville and Catalina models.

By 1970, the GTO had lost most of its chromed trim, instead sporting an Endura polyurethane nose and aggressively flared fenders. Of the 40,149, GTOs built in 1970, only 3,797 were ordered with the Judge trim level that had been introduced the year before. Sales kept plummeting from then on thanks to ever-increasing insurance costs, stringent pollution-related rules, and regulations and a general shift in the market’s interest from performance cars to economy cars just as the oil crisis hit.

Keep reading to learn more about the 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge

The BMW M3 Competition and BMW M4 CS might look pretty much identical, but put them side by side in a drag race, and there’s one very clear winner.

Subaru has launched the Impreza WRX STI Diamon Edition, the most powerful Impreza ever made. If you want one, you have to get to South Africa. Here’s why you should consider it: 349 horsepower and 342 pound-feet of torque are barely contained under the hood, and all that power is matched by an outrageous body kit.

Subaru has built numerous special edition Imprezas over the years. For instance, think about the 22B or the RB320, both dedicated to the late Richard Burns, or the Japan-only S208. Now, this latest super-Impreza is the work of Subaru South Africa who built it to mark the 30th anniversary of Subaru Technica International or STI.

This isn’t the first limited-edition model built by Subaru South Africa and, like the 15th-anniversary edition, it will most likely become extremely sought after as only 30 will be built. All of them are, probably, already booked and will be shipped to their very lucky owners in January of next year.

The Mercedes-Benz 190 SL was the more laid-back version of the legendary 300 SL and, like its much more exclusive big brother, was a huge hit in the U.S., practically establishing the SL model in Mercedes’ range for decades to come.

The 190 SL, like the 300 SL, was born out of a suggestion from U.S. executive and luxury foreign car importer Max Hoffman who thought that a less expensive but still exciting and luxurious version of the 300 SL would appeal to the U.S. clientele. He’d previously come up with the idea of the road-going 300 SL as well, reckoning that America’s rich and famous would love to blitz down the country’s infinite highways aboard a more friendly version of Mercedes-Benz’s 1952 Le Mans winner, the W194 300 SL designed by Rudolf Uhlenhaut.

Due to Hoffman’s significant success as the Mercedes importer, the Stuttgart-based company decided to follow suit on his bold ideas and debuted prototypes of the two SLs at the 1954 New York International Motor Sports Show in February of that year.

Unlike the 300 SL, for which a purpose-built tubular spaceframe chassis was created, the 190 SL exhibited a tweaked version of the Mercedes-Benz 180’s underpinnings. As such, it received the W121 nomenclature with the sedan known as the W120.

Keep reading to learn more about the 1958 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL

You can pretty much see anything and everything automotive related at the SEMA show. From pure-bred muscle cars, wild exotics, monster trucks, and full-on race cars. SEMA has something for everyone to love. On the other side of that spectrum, there is a lot that may not be to your taste. From the crazy awesome to the crazy clueless, here you can find a bit of each.

One hundred forty thousand people descend upon the Las Vegas convention center for the largest aftermarket automotive trade show in the world. Welcome to SEMA 2018, where many of the top automotive aftermarket manufacturers, builders, and shops come together to learn, shop, and show off the best products and some of the best custom rides in the game. I overheard one SEMA organizer saying that if you were to walk up and down every aisle in every pavilion you would walk almost 54 miles and I believe it! Sadly, most of SEMA is very boring and very repetitive (I mean seriously, how many booths about tires does one show need?) but, there are always those automotive gems to look at and once in a while a new product that just makes you stop and say "wow." So, here are a few of those cars that made me stop and actually take a look.

Car customization can make your dreams come true - even if that dream is turning your mid-80’s domestic into a Porsche supercar. Case in point is this, uh, unique Pontiac Fiero, which someone transformed into a hilarious parrot of the Porsche Carrera GT.

The best part is that it’s listed on Ebay UK, so if you really want it, and have an extra $16,881 to spare, it could be yours. Don’t worry, we won’t judge you.

Hyundai is not yet sure it wants to make a full production version of the Santa Fe Cabriolet (and it probably won’t), but if it did, it’d be the world’s first seven-seater convertible... that’s also an SUV.

Koenigsegg has admitted to being bowled over by Tesla’s performance claims for its new Roadster to the point that company engineers went straight to work after realizing that the Roadster’s performance times were indeed possible. Speaking with Top Gear, Koenigsegg chief Christian von Koenigsegg admitted that Tesla had thrown the gauntlet, and it was up to his company to respond. In typical bravado fashion, Koenigsegg is embracing the challenge with plans that could set up an industry-altering showdown with Tesla.

Jaguar Land Rover has some good news for classic car fanatics. The British automaker is opening a classic car refurbishing and restoration center in North America. Apart from restoration, the center will also sell and service JLR’s classic vehicles. The facility will open in Savannah, Georgia in the summer of 2019.

TopSpeed is at Monterey Car Week 2018, and we’ve already stumbled across so many cool cars that we couldn’t help but share them with you. For the first day of Monterey Car Week, we spent some time checking out the area and visiting the Gordon McCall’s Motorworks Revival. To finish out the day, we cruised on over to the Monterey Jet Center but not before we stumbled across none other than the McLaren Senna and a bunch of other really cool cars. We even managed to snag a video of a really cool Ferrari racer, and we were lucky enough to catch the startup of a dragster in all its glory. Check out the videos and more than 200 images below!