Every major league Auto Show has its
share of stars who steal the limelight from everyone else. Sometimes it filters
down to a handful of cars which got all the attention of the crowds and media -
for reasons good or bad. Sometimes it isn't a car at all. It might have been a
star who came down to pull in some extra crowds to the pavilion. The recently-concluded
New York Auto Show too had its crowd-pullers. We went over all the big launches
and new faces to pick our list of 5 show stars and one of them isn't a car.
2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
2014
Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
Chevrolet has updated the Camaro after a
long time and New York was the venue chosen for the unveiling. The front fascia
of the new Bumblebee has gone discreet with a narrower grille, new design head
lamps and the rear now sports new tail lamps - a mild facelift which will keep
the car fresh for some more months. But what stole the show at the Chevy stand
was this - the Camaro Z/28. The revival of the Z/28 nameplate saw the car
receiving a massive engine, large alloys, tweaked suspension and sharp steering
among many others. Being more focused on road manners, the Z/28 has less
gadgets, little sound insulation, thinner glass and a light battery. An
aero-kit makes it look as purposeful as it should with a front splitter, rear
wing and diffuser working in unison to press the car on to the road at high
speeds. Our pick is the engine which is rather gargantuan and may not appeal to
Greenpeace activists. It's a 7.0-liter V8 taken from the Corvette Z06. Corvette
Racing worked on it for a while and added a dry sump, titanium intake valves,
ported aluminum cylinder heads and a high-lift cam. Though Chevy hasn't
announced the figures yet, estimates place it at 500bhp and 618Nm of torque,
all of which is efficiently transferred via a Tremec TR6060 six-speed,
close-ratio manual transmission.
Jaguar XKR-S GT
Jaguar
XKR-S GT
The XKR-S GT is a limited edition run which
will be distributed in the US in very small numbers - 30 to be precise. If you
are willing to part with $174,000, you get a European sports car which comes
packed with a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine. The power plant produces 550
horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque. So it isn't a timid little kitten that
we have got here. However, instead of focusing on drawing out more power, the
manufacturer opted for tuning the car with a view to efficiently transfer and
use the power produced.
So that new hood with rows of louvers is
not there just for kids to count while parked at the supermarket parking lot.
It is to aid engine cooling. The XKR-S GT has also got a liking for carbon
fiber which can be seen in the redesigned front air splitter, dive planes,
extended wheel arch spats and the new rear diffuser. What we like the most is
the...yes...the rear spoiler which is massive. The suspension has been retuned
and height-adjustable adaptive dampers have been added to the revised front and
rear suspension. 20-inch forged alloy wheels shod with Pirelli Corsa tires also
house new and larger carbon ceramic brakes which undertake the tough job of
pulling this cruise missile to a halt. The steering system has also gone
through a round of enhancements for better handling.
Shelby 1000 S/C
Shelby
1000 S/C
Shelby American came to show with an
all-conquering version of the Shelby Mustang GT500 - one which is
stratospherically powerful with a staggering 1200bhp output. That's 250bhp more
than last year's car which produced around 950bhp of power and almost twice as
much as the standard GT500. Named the 1000 S/C, the new Stang's 5.8 liter V8
engine had to go through a hell lot of modifications to extract the mountain of
power that it owns now. If that isn't enough, it also gets an adjustable
suspension, a performance cooling package, big brakes and a new set of wheels.
The package costs a monstrous $154,995. Not
bad? Well, we said "the package", and that doesn't include the car
which costs around $54,995. So that rounds out to around $200,000 which is not
that enticing a deal for a muscle car. That's supercar money. But you don't get
1200bhp in a standard edition $200k supercar. Do you?
Subaru WRX
Subaru
WRX
The WRX is a smashing-looking car with its
lowered stance and mean presence, not mention the clever design which more or
less conceals the fact that it is four-door sedan. To the casual onlooker it
might actually pass off as a coupe. Subaru hasn't made any solid announcements
on their plans with this car neither have they let us in on the details. But
from their press release we did dig up some useful info. The roof is
constructed entirely from carbon fiber which the designers claim is
instrumental in reducing weight as well as lowering the center of gravity. The
vent in the hood and the prominent bulge are indicative of Subaru's plan to
shoehorn the WRX with turbocharged engine with intercooler.
There is a surprising subtleness in the
overall design of the car. Most of us expect a Subaru with sporting intentions
to have a massive, vulgar spoiler perched on top of its boot. The WRX doesn't.
Instead, it has a discreet trunk lid spoiler which does the same job, without
shouting about it. 20-inch BBS wheels with fluorescent yellow brake calipers
are a gentle throwback at Subaru's rallying heydays. Even the shade of blue has
been borrowed from the Imprezas that ruled the WRC circuit once. The
proceedings are wrapped up with four tail pipes which adorn the rear.
Daniel Craig
Range
Rover Sport
Told you. There was a star which wasn't a
car. Daniel Craig was there at the New York Auto Show on behalf of Land Rover.
Appearing in a video which showed him driving the new Range Rover Sport to the
venue, the set piece concluded with him actually driving on to the stage in the
2014 edition of the luxury off-roader. The car looks spectacular by the way.
Surprisingly, Craig left the scene in a
matter of minutes after a brief photo shoot with the car. The actor who is
fresh off the highly successful "Sky fall" which grossed more than $1
billion at the box-office is rumored to have pocketed around $1million for his
cameo appearance at the Land Rover stand.
Speaking with The New York Post, a Land
Rover spokesperson said, "We won't comment on our relationship with Mr.
Craig beyond confirming that Land Rover supports the charity SAFE, of which the
actor is a patron, and will continue its charitable efforts with a vehicle
donation later this year."
