67th International Motor Show Germany (Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung) [2017 Frankfurt Motor Show]

titleguy1 · 12 September 2017 09:35

Auburn by Kimura. The ultimate definition of a compact car.

Hatchback LCt 1.8t trim shown in Smoky Quartz Metallic.

At the 2017 International Motor Show Germany, Kimura debuted the 10th generation Kimura Auburn for the 2018 model year. The second Kimura based on the CM-T (Compact Modifiable - Transverse) Global platform (the first being the 7th generation Auriga, debuting earlier in 2017), the Auburn comes with a new level of comfort, sophistication, and poise. This means front strut-type suspension and rear multilink suspension for extra grip at the limit and more supple, more comfortable highway drives. In addition, the new high-strength steel chassis is 25% stiffer than the previous model, creating a more solid driving dynamic. Retuned 4-wheel independent suspension has been further refined to make the Auburn handle with more precision, with a tighter turning circle and lower rotations lock-to-lock on the steering wheel. With the latest in aluminium technology, the Auburn’s panels are crafted completely from aluminum, leading to a lighter, more efficient Auburn. 4 engines are available; a naturally aspirated 1.8 Liter Inline-4, and 2 turbo engines; 1.6 and 1.8 Liter powerplants, ranging from 168 to 182 horsepower, respectively. These 3 engines, produced from previous designs, can be mated to a 6-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic. A 1.0 Liter 3-cylinder turbo petrol, 1.8 Liter turbodiesel, and 2.0 Liter 4-cylinder turbodiesel engines will release later in 2018 for European markets. Taking every lesson learned from 10 generations of experience, the Auburn is the best that it could be.

Coupe LCt 1.8t trim shown in San Francisco Blue Metallic.

An extensive redesign was made for the latest Auburn. Now with the same innovative center console found in the Auriga, the Auburn comes with a standard 8.5” touch screen with a 10” unit optional. In addition, another evolution of infotainment comes with the Auburn; ClearSense²™ which again is compatible with Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™. Automatic braking, Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Monitoring, Pedestrian Detection Systems, and KimuraGuard™ are also available. Overall, the design is more upscale than before, with richer materials used along the entire cabin. With an all-new HUD, flowing and luxurious design, and ergonomically designed to fit anyone’s driving needs, the Auburn’s interior gives way to all new Kimura’s of the future. With distinctive, modern styling, the Auburn emits a classy yet groundbreaking design. Revolutionary yet evolutionary, it remains a memorable and familiar design while staying timeless. The newest form of the Prismatic headlights return, with a more contemporary take on a well-known idea. The Auburn again is available in 3 classic body styles; a practical 5-Door hatchback, a stylish 2-door coupe, and a well-rounded 4-door saloon. With every meticulous change made to a proven formula comes out a car which has been tediously crafted to be as perfect as possible.

Sedan LCt 1.8t trim shown in Navy Metallic.

Sedan LCt 1.8t trim shown with Black Leather.

More info can be found in the official Kimura website.

abg7 · 13 September 2017 04:42

Another Important Announcement from Harris-Albury

Harris Cars Ltd. has confirmed that all four body styles for the Nimrod (coupe, convertible, sedan and wagon) will be available with three engines: a turbocharged 2.0L I4, a turbocharged 3.0L I6, and a normally aspirated 5.0L V8. A six-speed manual gearbox will standard on all engines, with an eight-speed gearbox being optional. Also, Harris-Albury’s Personalized Color Selection scheme (which allows customers to specify their own exterior colors and interior trim) will be offered on the Nimrod 5.0.

Gareth Brown, project leader for the Nimrod line, describes the convertible (a 2.0T manual is shown below) as having “all the attributes found in the rest of the range, but with the option to lower the roof if necessary”.

As for the Wagon, the flagship 5.0 version retails for $39000 with a 50% markup applied, which equates to $26000 without any markups. Harris claims that “its combination of a sonorous, highly responsive V8 and highly involving manual gearbox is unique among high-performance executive estate cars”. And they might be right - no other D-segment premium cars have this old-school drivetrain combination as of now.

Meanwhile, the Albury Centurion MkVII was confirmed to be available with the same 3.0L I6 as the Harris Nimrod, Redoubtable and Conqueror, as well as revised versions of the 6.4L New Universal V8. Both engines come in two states of tune, but the more powerful of the two V8s is reserved for the limited production Super Ute, of which an extra 1000 will be built for the 2018 model year due to unexpectedly high demand. Except for the Super Ute, an eight-speed automatic gearbox will be optional on all trims, although a six-speed manual remains standard. On the Centurion 6.4, 19-inch wheels are standard, with 20-inch items optional; the 3.0 gets 18-inch rims as standard, with 19-inch wheels optional with the more powerful turbo engine.

Above from top: Albury Centurion MkVII variants - 3.0 Wagon, 6.4 Coupe, 6.4 Convertible, 6.4 Sedan and Super Ute

In addition, Albury has confirmed that the Pilbara luxury SUV will be available with the same 6.4L V8 as the Centurion and Crusader, with the resulting trim being called the XP8. While it is a more performance-oriented version than the six-cylinder versions, it is still capable of going off-road… very quickly.

Model shown is a Pilbara XP8 5-seater with optional 8-speed automatic transmission and Garnet Glow Pearlescent exterior paint.

Finally, the Crusader Mk.V will now be available in two trims: a comfort-oriented Touring spec, and a revised Track Edition powered by the uprated 6.4-litre engine. The latter is easily distinguished by its large, fixed, manually adjustable rear wing and an additional pair of side vents. As with the CMS-20T (and its platform-mate, the Harris RMA-4), both variants can have their suspension set up to customers’ individual requirements.

The expanded Albury Crusader Range for 2018. The Touring is more of a daily driver, but the Track Pack is harder-edged and more focused for track days.

Both of these models, along with the Viceroy, will also be included in the Harris-Albury Personalized Color Selection scheme for 2018. It is expected that demand for the entire Centurion range will remain as strong as it has ever been - a testament to the model’s enduring appeal among enthusiasts.

Oskiinus · 13 September 2017 16:06

Will the Albury Crusader oversteer like lately reviewed Albury sports car in one specific japanese magazine/youtube channel? If yes, then the company doesn’t know anything about actual safety of using the car on roads.

abg7 · 13 September 2017 16:14

The Crusader will oversteer, but more controllably than the CMS-20T that was sent for reviewing. In fact, the example in question had been configured incorrectly and customer cars will have a more benign dynamic setup by default, although the adjustable suspension will be retained. However, only the Track Pack Crusader will be given the option of semi-slick tires - those items will not be offered on the Touring trim.

And in response to Harris-Albury’s new duo of mid-engined affordable sports cars, Kramer has confirmed that the KLS16 will enter production. Its normally-aspirated engine and close-ratio manual gearbox, with fixed-rate dampers and mechanical LSD, makes it even more of a throwback to simpler times than the turbocharged pair - high-revving non-turbo inline fours are a rarity these days.

Grandea · 13 September 2017 17:34

Zenshi Axia Coupe '17

The Axia Coupe is a two door grand tourer that is based on the Axia, hence the name. It’s history actually dates it’s way back to 1987 with the EGC401S Axia CT400 Coupe, Zenshi’s first take on making a luxury grand tourer, which actually ended up selling well in Japan throughout the 80s and early 90s.

The 2017 Axia Coupe, will be Zenshi’s first luxury fullsize 2 door in 30 years, and, to an extent, does pay homage to it’s predecessor, with a blend of classy looks and not-so-subtle aggression.

Upon looking at the Axia Coupe, one can see the elegance behind the agressive demeanor the front has, and through the work from the same designers who designed the Gundan, the Shinka design is integrated well into the car, from the front all the way to the back.

The Axia Coupe is set to be released in two trims: the base CT480, and the top of the line Premium Plus trim. The CT480 is powered by the 460+ HP SA48-GDA 4.8L V8 engine that can be found in the Axia sedan, while the Premium Plus has an engine that can be found in the Gundan: the KSZ45-GDA2T 4.5L Twin Turbocharged V12, tuned to hit 620 HP. Both are mated to Zenshi’s 6-Speed AvanTec transmission, but buyers can request the car to be a Dogleg 7-Speed Manual transmission if they wish.

Inside, the coupe is adorned with leather. While Zenshi prioritizes the driver when it comes to designing the cars, they also kept the passengers in mind, with the rear bucket seats being comfortable enough with ample amounts of legroom as well as being given access to air conditioning.
Standard equipment includes power heated/cooled front row bucket seats, quilted leather upholstery, an 80 GB hard drive android-based infotainment system, Nakamichi audio, AIGCS co-developed by Fujitsu, auto-dimming mirrors, and active suspension.

The Axia Coupe is expected to be released in Japan in late November, and then worldwide by December. More info will be disclosed by then.

Holts · 13 September 2017 19:59

Holts Alaris Redesigned

(Alaris DXShown)
The alaris is Redesigned for 2017-2018. The Previous Alaris Hk1 is The first Hatchback For holts. This is the Hk2.

                                Standard Features

                             -18 inch rims
                              - 175HP Engine (IX18T)
                              - 1500Watt Speakers
                               - Navigation System
                               - Park Assist (NOT AUTOMATIC)
                               - Cruise Control

Awildgermanappears · 13 September 2017 22:24

Home Turf

IMP/ Monolith do not have anything completely new to show off, apart from the redesigned Opera sedan.

While the redesigned ex- and interior are one thing, the mechanicals remain largely unchanged, meaning you can stil choose out of a range of six and eight cylinder petrol and diesel engines between 245 and 670hp. The only addition on that front is a 320hp variant of the 3.4L Diesel that effectively replaces the 310hp 4.25L Diesel on all non-Monolith vehicles.

Also found in the area is a prototype IMP Magnum with a twin turbocharged 4.0L Inline 6 that produces 720hp.

Despite the extreme specific output the engine is able to pass stringent emission standards and meet the reliability expectations of any modern engine.

Nothing new is to be found on the rest of the IMP range.

Monolith is all about the sport this year. A few classics are mixed with new fast versions of existing models.

The V-100 BZK was a special edition of the compact V-100 built by IMR in 1500 examples between 1997 and 1998. It used the known 187hp FB25E engine in the lightweight RWD van chassis with tuned suspension and a close ratio 5-speed manual transmission. Good enough for 0-100kph in less than 7s and a cult following.

There are also not one, but two classic fast trucks on display. We think the 1991 Artisan GA760 Turbo introduces itself.

For those still not in the know: 500+hp, a manual transmission and rally-raid spec suspension.

The 2002 Artisan RS Biturbo meanwhile is all about the handling. Built on the lightweight single cab frame it was the first IMP vehicle to use a twin turbocharged engine, a 4.0L Inline 6 with 460hp.

Of course there also had to be the S340 Blitz for completion, as the latest of many collaborations between IMP and KHT famously beat the Saminda C2000Rs thought to be unbeatable Nürburgring record.

News at Monolith include the addition of the new 320hp Diesel for three models.

The Meteor R1 is the newest version of our lightweight sports Crossover and the only diesel among three petrol options. The R1 combines the 3.4L engine with our 710M 7-speed manual transmission, standard all-wheel drive and 19" Wheels. The 1500kg CUV sprints from 0-100kph in 5s, reaches a top speed of 254kph and returns fuel economy of 5.9L/100km.

The N340 Sport uses the same drivetrain as the MR1 but with RWD and an Automatic transmission as an option. The Sport has a unique front fascia and unique two tone 21" Wheels. Sports suspension and a limited slip differential are standard. The 2000kg Truck reaches 0-60 in 6.8s, tops out at 205kph and consumes 8.1L/100km.

The S340D2 is a more powerful variant of the S340D1.

The rest of the Monolith Portfolio is unchanged.

Keen Viewers might have noticed that this isn’t quite the full model range. Missing from this display are the Okavango, Alpine and Saturn as well as all the vans.

stickmaster62 · 13 September 2017 22:43

The moment is here. Ladies and gentleman of the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Miller Automobile Company is proud to reveal to you, and the world, the Miller R-71!

The Miller R-71 is the latest super car to be coming out of the Motor City. A carbon fiber body sitting atop an AHS steel space chassis and 4 20 inch rims (255/22/20 Front and 305/20/20 Rear), of which are not black alloys, as our favorite reporter Gavin Anderson thought, but carbon fiber, making the R series weigh less than 3300 lbs.

Mounted in the middle of the R series, the beating heart, is a naturally aspirated, direct injected 7.1L V12 SOHC producing 722 HP and 554 lb-ft. of torque sent to the rear wheels through a 6 speed dual clutch sequential gearbox, giving a 2.4 second 0-60 time and a top speed of 209 MPH.

And just for you reporters out there, we do have a few available for you to test for your next article.
Miller R - 71 MS.zip (4.4 KB)

BobLoblaw · 13 September 2017 22:54

In 1965 Petoskey Motors released an update to the 432 cubic inch V8 used in the Meteor, the 1960s were an age that saw performance at a low price come into the fold and it was known that a top range sports car would not meet the same competition. Therefore it was decided to put this big engine into a lower cost vehicle thus heralding Petoskey Motors’ foray into the Muscle car era with the…

MONTAUK

The initial feedback on the car was stunning and the Montauk was a hit. Over the years the car received several updates to stay modernized. In 1969 improvements were made in both output and handling. The '69 Montauk was also much better suited to put the power from the 432 to the ground, something that was a tad shaky in the first design.

1972 saw an end to the 432 as a sports car engine due to the switch to unleaded fuel and the addition of catalytic converters. The Montauk now featuring a 301 cubic inch V8 as the top range engine proved lackluster in performance.

The Montauk received another update in 1976 with the addition of a unique 377 cubic inch flatplane V8. A stronger emphasis was placed on suspension and handling as well. In 1979, a special 301 Turbo was released.

The years from 1982 to 1993 saw the J body Montauk take to the streets. As the '80s went through no car saw a more transformative decade than the Montauk. The J body was the first Montauk to use a four cylinder engine as the base model. (Not the most popular model, can you imagine?) 1985 saw the introduction of Electronic Fuel Injection in the car. The Rally and Fastback models signified the top end for performance. In addition, 1985 was the twentieth anniversary for the Montauk, and a special twin turbo V6 model was released.

The car proved so popular that a more powerful intercooled version hit the streets in the '86-'87 model years.

In 1994 Petoskey Motors began production of the 301 TriForce V8. This was a giant leap into modern times as the engine proved far superior to the outgoing pushrod TBI motor. A limited edition Trance Am model was available for the '94-'96 model years using the 377 now used in the Meteor.

One of the shining moments came when the Montauk got a redesign in 2003 returning to a more retro style. The style was an instant hit as the car now boasted a bad boy attitude similar to the original. The new model also boasted the return of the RTX trim. For most of its run the car used a 301 TriForce V8. However, in 2013 it was time for something new and improved. Starting in 2008 Petoskey Motors began a modernization project called ADI (Advanced Design Initiative) The plan called for a gradual overhaul of Petoskeys lineup to bring the company more in tune with the 21st century. 2013 was the first year for the new 301 ScramJet V8. A high-revving DOHC bulletproof monster under the hood. With 100 more horsepower than the outgoing TriForce the Montauk saw a tremendous boost in performance.

In 2015 a special 50th anniversary edition was released. The new facelift provided mixed reactions as the more modern styling was offset by the fact that the new model was heavier and slightly slower. A special 522 horsepower version released last year helped a little, but it was clear reception was not as warm.

Why this breakdown of our history? Simple, to build up the suspense. You see, when we started talking about what we want out of the new generation, Dave Wilson said it couldn’t be done. Max Draper also said it couldn’t be done. Frank Stenning said it could be done, but as it turned out he was only kissing our asses. These men are now collecting unemployment. When we approached Paul Mowers with the proposal, he said “I’ll get to work on it right away.” This is the result…

Getting 555 horsepower out of a sports car is not difficult.

Getting 26 mpg from a car is not difficult.

Getting 26 mpg out of a 555 horsepower car on the other hand…

That is difficult…

…

Until now!

**INTRODUCING THE NEW 2018 PETOSKEY MONTAUK RTX!

**
That’s right, your eyes do not deceive you, 555 horsepower on tap, and a pleasant 25.9 MPG to boot. What is the secret? That would be telling. But fear not, part of the formula rests under the hood.

The 301 ScramJet was famous for high output with reasonable fuel consumption. Combining the raw power of the ScramJet with the sophistication of Petoskey’s EcoForce technology has developed the Triple Nickel. 555 horsepower for a fuel economy similar to a midsize sedan. The ultimate for the Fast and Frugal.

Holts · 13 September 2017 23:41

are there car competitors in automation? like for example toyota and honda are competing i think

Dorifto_Dorito · 14 September 2017 00:09

No, you can choose to compete either with others on the forum or compete with real life stuff. If you do want to compete with other companies on the forums, stuff like Motor Nation is the place to do so. Competing in other challenges like Car Shopping Round is also another way to compete against others on the forum

11alualhati · 14 September 2017 02:46

AL Autos Booth

Author’s Sidenote: Hey ya’ll, posting this a bit late because I have been busy throughout the time of the IAA Press Days.

A word from the Founder of AL Autos:

Hello one and all and welcome to the AL Autos booth! We are proud to bring to you for this year’s IAA 3 new models for the AL Autos lineup. These models will showcase the new way that we will be making our cars look as well as our improved engineering skills. So without further a do, lets get down to the cars!

AL Autos Dominus (Trim Shown: 613 XLES)

The Looks

AL Autos decided to go for more of a sharp and sleek design with the Dominus: LED Headlamps with the capability to follow the road, the geometrically shaped nose grille, mouth grille, and vents, and halo fog lamps/turn signal combination, the sharp and sleek tail lamp/reverse lamp/sequential turn signal combo, etc. The Dominus will really stand out in the crowd and make you feel like you’re on top of the world.

The Performance

The heart and soul powering the Dominus is a no nonsense 4.9 L Twin Turbo V12 kicking out 613 HP to all 4 wheels. In addition, the Dominus as an Electric LSD, Longitudinal AWD system, 305F/325 AL Sport Compound Tires, AL Comfort Sport suspension, vented disc brakes, and a 7 Speed Double Clutch Sequential Gearbox. This allows the Dominus to go from 0-62mph in 3.3 seconds, corner at 1.16g-1.19g, attain a top speed of 193.9 MPH (312.1 KPH), and clock a 1:17.9 on the Top Gear Test Track.

The Luxury

Despite having a heart of a beast, the Dominus comes packed with luxury to make your journey just that little more relaxing: AL’s Comfort Sport suspension will still allow you to drive and corner fast while making those pesky potholes and bumps in the road less of a pain to deal with, Premium Nappa Leather Seats, 12 Speaker Premium Bose Sound System, wood leather combo steering wheel, a choice of brushed metal and wood combos, massaging front and rear seats, automatic climate control, and AL Autos’ AL Connect Infotainment System: USB Capability, AM/FM/Satellite Radio, Hands Free Satellite Radio w/ Real Time Traffic, and AL’s WorldConnect which allows the user to see what attractions are nearby, make reservations, check sports teams scores, weather forecast, and so much more!

Pricing

Trim Shown: $75,015

Base Price: $65,005

The AL Autos Habilis (Trim Shown: 175 CS)

Habilis - 175 CS-6

Habilis - 175 CS-8

The Body

AL Autos has decided to enter the hot hatch market: cars that provide the best fun and decent amount of practicality for your buck. This is simply our take on this wonderful type of car: Aggressive sporty lines, compact body, and the sports trimings that go along with any hot hatch: spoiler, front and rear lips, etc.

The Performance

The Habilis 175 CS has a peppy little 1.3 L Turbocharged 4-cylinder producing 175 HP that is sent to the front wheels through a 6 speed manual gear box, transverse FWD system, and an electric LSD. The 175 CS also comes with front and rear Double Wishbone suspension, 245 F/R AL Sports Compound Tires, sport tuned disc brakes, and sports tuned suspension. This allows the Habilis to go from 0-62 mph in 7 seconds, corner at 1.23 g, attain a top speed of 131 mph (210.8 kph), and clock a 1:27.4 on the Top Gear Test Track.

The Practicality

Probability the main highlight of any hot hatch, the Habilis has 19 cu. ft. of space to put all your luggage, has a decent amount of room for your passengers, and gets 29.2 MPG which will allow you to rip up the track for longer.

Pricing

Trim Shown: $27,908

Base Price: $23,818

Habilis 124 Cv2 Base Price: $15,814

The AL Autos Litore (Trim Shown: 569 XLES)

The Looks

Just look at it; The sharp angled LED Headlamps, that present grille, those front vents, the side vents, the lights, the wheels. You’d probably want to look at the car more rather than drive it, but where’s the fun in that?

The Engine

This beautiful grand tourer is powered by a 4.9 L Twin Turbo V12 producing 569 HP sent to the rear wheels through a Longitudinal RWD sytem. In addition to this, the Litore has a 7 Speed Double Clutch Sequential Transmission, Double Wishbone (F) / MultiLink R Suspension, an Electric LSD, 295 (F)/305 R AL Sports Compound Tires, and Vented Disc Brakes. This allows the Litore to go from 0-62 mph in 3.7 seconds, attain a top speed of 203.1 MPH (326.9 KPH), corner at 1.17 g - 1.18 g, and clock a 1:17,2 on the Top Gear Test Track.

The Luxury

A GT car is meant to have luxury to accompany the performance. The Litore is no exception: Premium Nappa Leather Seats, 9 Speaker Bowers and Wilkins Sound System, Polished wood + Leather steering wheel, a combination of brushed metal and wood combinations, automatic climate control, a HUD, and AL Autos’ AL Connect Infotainment System: USB Capability, AM/FM/Satellite Radio, Hands Free Satellite Navigation w/ Real Time Traffic and AL’s WorldConnect which allows the user to see what attractions are nearby, make reservations, check sports team scores, weather forecast, and so much more!

Pricing

As Shown: $130,578

Base Price: $119,547

That’s all for now! I will post the rest of the cars later on! Look forward to it and enjoy the rest of the IAA!

titleguy1 · 14 September 2017 10:33

Reveals are prohibited after this point. Thank you for your participation.

Starfish94 · 14 September 2017 11:58

#C5000R #Frankfurt #ComingSoonC5KR

Saminda has teased the C5000R Concept with the company new ‘‘Spider Grille’’ that first debuted in it F Concept Car, Saminda said that the C5000R Concept will be actually very near to it production look.

It will be debut in 20 September.

Leonardo9613 · 14 September 2017 12:55

Great idea, titleguy!

As anyone who has ever been to a motorshow knows, after the press days all cars are already on display so the general public can go and have a look for the remainder of the exhibition.
Publishing cars after those days was a major gripe I had always had with the way shows were handled in automation.
Imagine you were a spectator who had purchased a ticket irl, you wouldn’t like if a stand was fully covered and not opened.
Plus, this also gives us the time to wrap it up and vote for the best cars within the time frame of the actual event.

So if you have just revealed a teaser, for a future reveal, after all entries were closed altogether, think again.

Awildgermanappears · 14 September 2017 17:03

Lol I dumped everything I have made in the past year literally minutes before the end of the press days.

11alualhati · 14 September 2017 20:02

Well guess I’ll have to wait till the next auto show to post the rest of the new cars I made. DIdn’t even get to my big reveal lol. I guess the cars currently in the AL Autos Booth will have to do for now.

DeusExMackia · 17 September 2017 20:55

Final thoughts

Frankfurt’s 2017 show has produced a whirlwind of great vehicles. A proper mix of new vehicles that really showcase a healthy and vibrant auto industry. I don’t have time to go through every thing in detail, but I do have time to make some remarks about what was on display at the bi-annual car expo.

Miller’s 50th anniversary celebration of the Anacdona was a bit of a dissapointment; a one colour, plain looking coupe. It’s good from some angles, but it’s hardly something that scream 50 years of a marque. It certainly seems fast, but that isn’t enough to keep me interested.

Erin also celebrated an anniversary, 60 years of them being a car maker. Their ClassicSport concept was a real…(read more)

Zenshi’s Arum ‘Comme Des Garcons’ special was not what I was expecting from a collaboration with a clothing line. In essence, it was red everything with a special badge on the back, all based around a nice performance version of the sedan. I would have thought some, er, clothes would have been more appropriate but if you want to drive around advertising yourself as an expensive hipster, this is the car you’ve been waiting for.

BREAKING NEWS: Sachiuri have made brown look quite good! The sL800 has finally been birthed, meaning Sachiuri have a proper mid-size sedan now. This sLR800 variant, a sporty 485hp machine gun of a wagon looks like it came straight out of Evangelion and seems to be in a constant state of maximum attack. This is in no way a bad thing. $47.7k for the sports trim and $56.7k for the extra sports trim makes it well priced in this sector too.

The Shromet Dragon Limited has been turned into a “motorsport experience”. The engine has motorsport parts, the spoiler is motorsporty, the gearbox is manual to make it extra motorsporty and it’s fast. The fastest Shromet ever in fact, which is quite something for a machine that began life as a GT car. How does it drive? No idea, but undoubtedly sharper and harder than the rounded base car. Shame the looks couldn’t also be a bit more dramatic to suit its new purpose.

The new/facelifted Baltazar Zeppelin was revealed, reworking its smooth styling into something with more edge and class. It’s a marked improvement over the old looks, and with promise of a range of new engines and general retuning, it should be better to drive too. No word however on whether or not it’s lost any weight, the main problem I had with it in my roadtest. A new trim of the Quasar, the GT-S, was also revealed, designed to echo the touring car variants of the car. It aims to be the “ultimate FWD experience”, a bold claim but one that certainly sets out its priorities well.

The Zenshi Seriyu ZMD version made it’s debut; it’s ditching it’s ultra light weight credentials and going for more power instead. It’s more aggressive, much more powerful, and very, very blue.

At last, we got to see the Kimura A U B U R N unveiled. It’s a good looking machine, though the coupe looks quite squat and I cannot stand the “90s kids will remember” spiral spoked wheels. Usual range of engines, fairly large ones for a compact but it makes for a change in this market. There’s little else to say other than it’ll probably be as solid as most japanese family cars.

Albury unveiled a lot of cars, or at least I think they did, or maybe they revealed a lot updates. I wasn’t too sure, the press release was a mess. It was more of a brochure for their whole lineup rather then something that really got to the point. In short, a lot of cars will be availible soon and they have all had things done to them and do other things too.

A redesign Holts Alaris made an aperance. Blocky headlights with nice grille design and an appealing rear end make this a nice looking motor, and I am especially interested in the 1500 watt speaker system. Is that 1500 per speaker? Is this a Metallica concert?

IMP did a similarly Albury thing and gave us their entire range in one go, thankfully with slightly more photos than text. The star of the show here though was the new IMP Opera. It’s a bit flat in its design, but it is at least smart. Conservative then, but it’ll look good parked up outside a sky scraper in the city centre.

Damn. Miller really are channeling the original NSX with the new R Series. It feels backwards to make a car that looks like it should have come out in 1998, but at the same time my nostalgia senses really, really approve of it. Plust, 0-60 in 2.4 seconds? Screw the Honda tribute looks, this thing is a monster. 722 hp, 209 mph top speed. Yeah, that sounds pretty good to me.

It’s a new Petoskey Montauk! It doesn’t look as good as the old one! Heck, it looks tired, and very 2003. The specs are good, but it doesn’t look up to date, or indeed that good. It also a a bit of an Albury exhaust situation going on at the back. The short of it is that it doesn’t cut it for me, especially not for a muscle car.

AL Autos made their apperance (they only ever seem to appear at car shows) with a few vehicles. The Dominus is perhaps their best looking car to date, though surely that 4.9l V12 could be upped to a proper 6l model. The Habilis is pretty decent too, and packs power with this 1.3l 175hp turbo model. At $23k for this sports trim supermini, it is very expensive. Its $15k base price is very high too.

Saminda announced that the C5KR ain’t dead, though its reveal date didn’t quite match the shows schedule. Still, they’re clearly not giving up on performance vehicles just yet.

And, er, that’s that. Another show done and the automotive circus heads off to the next city. ~~Paris I think is the next one? In which case, auf wiedersehen and bon voyage!~~ Nope, actually it’s Tokyo next. Or maybe Los Angeles. I need to check with my boss…

-Gavin Anderson

stickmaster62 · 17 September 2017 21:14

I’ll take 1 out of 2, much better than I was expecting tbh

If Mr. Gavin would like to take any of the Miller cars for a spin, I know a guy who knows a guy.

abg7 · 18 September 2017 00:13

The Paris motor show only takes place on even-numbered years. Frankfurt hosts its own show on the odd-numbered years. So logically, the next auto show will be the one in Tokyo, then another in Los Angeles.

And I was as disappointed as you were about the new Montauk’s styling. From the front, it doesn’t look different enough from its predecessor (and unusually bland to boot), and the plain rear fascia doesn’t seem memorable enough for anyone following it. At least it’s fast enough to be a true muscle car… But Petoskey’s stylists need to find a way to hide their exhaust tips. And their vaunted Scramjet engine deserves to be in a better-looking car anyway.