Back by popular demand, the new Albury Centurion MkVII is distinguished from its predecessor by a longer wheelbase for extra comfort. Two models have been delivered to NAIAS 2017: a 6.4 Sedan and a Super Ute, the latter powered by a 500 bhp (metric) version of the Albury New Universal V8. Other body/engine combinations are available, but these two are the real headline-grabbers. The 6.4 Sedan retails for $32340; the Super Ute for $33930 (including a 10% and 30% markup respectively).
In addition, the new Viceroy Mk6 luxury sedan, built on an extended version of the Centurion platform, is now available for purchase. This car blends the brute force of a muscle car with the restrained elegance that has been present in the Viceroy line since its introduction 50 years ago, and now comes with a HUD-based infotainment system as standard.
The vehicle shown here is a 6.4 50th Anniversary model, finished in Anniversary Gold, although a Super Sport version with <500 bhp is due soon. Most intriguingly of all, it is available with a 6-speed manual or 7-speed automatic transmission. Do any other manufacturers offer a luxury car with a normally-aspirated V8 and a manual gearbox option? Nobody but Albury does - and it’s yours for $54510 including markups!
And by the way, the Crusader sports car is still on sale; it’s just unchanged from last year and its engine is shared with the Super Ute.
These should be among the last few cars to be shown at NAIAS 2017. It’s been a great motor show! Thanks for visiting!
DeLorean is a smaller car company. If you read their website, they have to follow the same regulations as larger companies and corps such as Ford. Sounds like they are having trouble with that. Now under Calvinator (never in real life), they won’t have that trouble. Now, this conversation (if it has to continue) should continue on a different thread. Don’t destroy this thread, it isn’t even my thread.
It’s like you guys are on to me. I will hold a compitition thread, and I don’t care about its structure now. This was out of line. No one goes to a car show to negatize a car company, it creates an unfriendly environment. This is only going on for 2 or 3 more days. Then talk all the smack you want on a different thread.
I will probably have an interview, cause of you guys. Besides, it was meant to be a joke.
Strop merely suggested you add some markup to the car instead of selling it for what it costs to build, and to perhaps not go mental with the tech sliders to shove the cost up so much. Not destroying anything, on to anyone, out of any lines, being unfriendly or whatever.
It’s a motor show, as you rightly said. People are going to form opinions of the cars that are on show for people to form opinions of. A bit constructive feedback should help you make your car you are displaying better. If you want to leave it the same by all means do, but it is on, show. People will comment.
18:30 GMT, 22nd January - that’s the closing time for Detroit 2017! A little while after that, we’ll begin the voting. All will be revealed/explained then
The last day of the show was brought in by the sound of a loud twin-turbocharged V12 making its way down the highway from Chicago, at Luke’s request.
“Sounds like the old girl’s just about here. If it wasn’t for the fact that it only gets 20 MPG, I’d use it as a daily driver, but sadly, an old Mamba doesn’t quite get the gas mileage it needs to be a daily car. Lot of fun to drive, though.”
The low, sleek profile of the Stealth Black High Gloss coupe caught everyone’s attention as it crawled into the parking space left for it. The engine was shut down and all went silent, with the exception of a handful of people who’d never seen one before asking if it was something new or old.
“This, everyone, is my 2007 Storm Mamba GTRS. It’s old, but it’ll still give some supercars a run for their money today.” Luke said. “Yes, it’s an old car, but we figured we had to end on a high note, and what better car to end our display on, than one of our strongest performers? There are faster cars, there’s cars that are better around a track, but this one was our star of the show. Some companies closed with a concept, we close with a promise: The Enthusiast has not been Forgotten. We will still build crazy and fast cars, as much as we will build economy boxes and hybrids.”
The driver behind the wheel got out slowly, still wearing their midnight black racing helmet, walked to the back of the car, opened the small trunk, and removed a rolled up poster. After pinning it to the nearby board, the driver took off her helmet.
“Welcome to the show, Amy. You’d always stated you wanted to drive the Mamba, how was it?” Luke asked.
“Quite fun, and exciting to drive around a track, too. I think one of the cooling flaps keeps getting stuck, though, because I can’t get a stable lap time out of it.”
“Easily fixed back at the shop, but let’s face it, the Mamba hasn’t lapped a track in 10 years until this morning.”
Amy moved out of the way of the poster she’d put up, revealing that it was a track map, some performance stats from the Mamba, and a lap time.
“Impressive. Even I didn’t think it was that fast. Still, it’s a good old car, and if it could get better mileage, I’d drive it more often. I will, however, be driving it home. Someone else that I can trust will have to drive my 3 cylinder Surge home, though, and there’s still the matter of the Deathtrap to bring back to the shop. We’ll figure all of this out for the departure ceremony, I’m sure.” Luke said, before opening the hood on the Mamba to show off the all AlSi constructed V12 engine under the hood.
(As for clarification, I suspect this is one of my older cars with slightly wonky cooling from an overlapping vent somewhere. I really can’t stabilize the lap times, and it’ll wander from ultra-low 1:56 laps to high 1:55 laps. But the car’s still up in my thread and has a download link available, just find 2007 and try it for yourself if you don’t believe it’s that fast.)
Hello and welcome. Here today I would like to reveal to you the 2017 Mott Works Aqueos as well as the 2018 Rage and Savage, 3 historic names in our company that we are now reviving.
First I would like to focus on the 2017 Aqueos. A concept version of this Super-GT car has been revealed previously but now it is going to be entering production this year. It features a 6L V12, reminiscent of the original, that now produces 750hp and sends it to all 4 wheels. There are also various styling cues from the original car that have now been incorporated into the carbon fiber body panels of its modern reincarrnation. On the inside of the car is where the 2 cars we have here differ. One version is the Sport trim, with lighweight racing inspired seats while the other is our touring variant featuring an ultra high end luxury interior designed for extreme levels of comfort. The sport trim is expected to sell for $250K and the touring variant, $300K
Onto the Savage and Rage and once again styling is inspired by the original version, even including the side exit exhausts, however the engine is different. It now features a 540hp 5.8L V8 engine in the top of the line MWR trim. The body and chassis are all aluminum, as with most of our regular road cars, and power is sent to the rear wheels. Also, in order to maintain practicality with the Rage we utilized multi-link rear suspension to increase payload. Pricing on the MWR variants of both the Savage and Rage starts at $50,000.
Failures in communication have forced Zenshi to withdraw their final two presentations for the auto show and have made mass apologies for the inconvenience.
(Computer BSOD’d and I ended up losing my progress on the two cars. Best course of action was to, unfortunately, withdraw.)
#A statement from Albury Motors CEO, Rick Burke, on the new Centurion and Viceroy ranges
“The Centurion, regardless of body style, is intended as a driver’s car first and foremost, just as Albury Motors wants it to be, even with the V6 engines found in lesser trims. But you really want the V8 version (in either state of tune); with normal aspiration and a six-speed manual as standard, it is a wonderfully analogue counterpoint to the prevalence of smaller turbocharged engines and quick-shifting automatics in its segment. Our Super Ute, in particular, will be a unique proposition at the end of the year, since no other company will produce a vehicle like it by then, and we encourage buyers to consider it as a sports coupe with a much larger luggage compartment than usual. Finally, by continuing to make the New Universal V8 standard on the Viceroy, we have enhanced the car’s emphasis on performance and handling, which is true to our belief that cars of this class don’t always have to be lumbering, isolated barges.”
Zenshi reveals two of their greatest cars, the Grandea and the GT, sports cars that have carried the Zenshi badge proud for a very long time.
Before they were revealed, Chief Engineer Masahiro Takahashi and the designer of the original GT, Naoya Odani, showcased the 2rd generation Grandea and the first generation GT; these specific models being the ones they actually own.
The 2nd generation Grandea was released in 1965, and was the first Grandea to have a coupe body style. In 1967, Zenshi established ZMD, which was at the time originally intended for racing purposes. To celebrate this achievement, Zenshi allowed ZMD to work on the Grandea, resulting in the GT2000 Special.
The GT2000 Special was the first Grandea to be powered by an Inline-6 engine. ZMD took the LW1 I6 motor from the Axia and completely redid the entire engine, resulting in the creation of the IA20, the first of the IA series motors, which eventually evolved into the LZ series in 1990.
Cranking 195 HP and weighing just barely below 1100 kg, the GT2000 Special served as the basis of how Grandeas ended up being over the years, fast, agile, and still practical.
The first generation GT was released in 1968, originally intended for racing purposes. When Odani thought of the idea of mass producing the car to the public, Takahashi backed the idea straight away, and right away, it became a success in Japan as Zenshi’s 2+2 sports car.
In 1970, the 310SJ was launched. Powered by the TY31 3.1L V8 engine, the 310SJZ became the first in the GT series of cars to be powered by a V8 engine. While it made only 205 HP compared to american V8 engines, and a subpar amount of torque, at 255 lb-ft, the 310SJZ was still incredibly quick thanks to it’s light weight of 1,156 kg.
While it was very dependent on fuel and not to mention a tad bit expensive, the special V8 powered GT saw a good amount of success in the streets as it did on the racetracks.
The eleventh generation Grandea makes it’s grand appearance on the stage. This generation of the Grandea was actually built on a modified platform of the 2018 Altrea, everything else about it remains completely different.
The Grandea will be powered by a 275 HP 3.0L NA Inline 6, the LZ3-ACE GDME, as the default engine, but has the option of the 373 HP turbocharged version, the LZ3-ACE GDMET.
The new Grandea will appear on the showroom floors sometime soon, with an expected base MSRP of $39,500, and with a handful of options, such as a choice of a 6-Speed Manual or 6-Speed DCT, RWD or SM-AWS, and an electronic limited slip differential, which comes standard on the range-topping GTS-30T Type S.
The eighth generation 2+2 GT, originally released a year ago, makes a comeback in a more vicious looking refresh. Seen on the stage is the performance GTZ 5.6R, which is powered by a 5.6L Twin Turbocharged V8 cranking 608 HP and 612 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 7-Speed Manual. An automatic version will come out outside of Japan for the first time, the GTZ 5.6A, which will come equipped with a 7-Speed DCT. For 2018, the GTZ will come equipped with a rear active aero.
Can I just pipe in and say its quite a good looking car regardless of critism…anyway.
over at the DSD stand the cars are being driven away and the information stalls are being packed away…when a drunken Darkshines suddenly turns on the stage P.A grabs a mike and starts ranting about how DSD is moving forward and comimg back from the brink before finally sluring inti the mic " DSD will outsell Saminda in sales even if I have to make hybrids, poxy city cars, kei cars boring hatchbacks whateva I will do it so fuuuu…ggragggh hugggghhhh grghgg ah give me thst back" the mic is wrestled from Darkshines hand by someone in P.R. before Darks is escorted out of his own display and M. Odge quickly grabs the mic apologizes and then tries to downplay the whole episode.
##Daily Round-Up - Day 14
Welcome back to Detroit for the final time this year where the last day of show has just closed up. In a little while, voting will open for the best cars of the show - it’s going to be quite something, let me tell you!
Time to see what was released in the final few days of this years show.
The final musical accompinament is Bolero by Maurice Ravel
Blackbird unveil astounding coupe concept
It’s been teased throughout the duration of this show, but at last, Blackbird Racing Development have unveiled their breakthrough into the sports and GT car market. The stunning Concept V is tastefully styled, menacing and terminally unhinged when it comes to performance. Powered by a version of the company’s new H634-8 engine platform, the Concept V reportedly does 0-60 in 2.3 seconds and tops out at 215mph, which might make it the fastest front engine car around today. The plan is to use this platform and engine to enter the sports and GT coupe market, which will certainly be tough for a company that’s been more used to Formula 1 recently, but we wait with anticipation to see how this develops.
Zenshi unveil new versions Taigi and Tessitura supermini
Cute and filled with character, Zenshi’s new versions of their supermini twins have been revealed. Coming in a range of trims, including some sporty ones, and with a good range of engines, these look to be very safe buys for anyone in the market for a supermini. Of particular note is the Tessitura VS-15T which is an AWD supermini, one of very few around. Prices have yet to be revealed.
Alongside this, a number of classics from the company were on display, including the beautiful Grandea with its timeless styling. Sitting beside it was its relative, the new Grandea, sporting tidy looks and a range of powerful engines. The spirit of this car is most certainly still around. A new performance version of the company’s GT, named the GTZ 5.6R was unveiled as well. Packing 600 hp under the bonnet, a 7 speed DCT and even active aero, the good looking coupe will certainly be of great interest to us when it arrives next year.
Calvinator resurrect Delorean brand with new CXT hypercar
Under the name badge of ‘CXT’, Calvinator have reintroduced the Delorean name to the automotive world. The sleek hypercar is capable of 0-60 in 2.5 seconds thanks to a 1099 hp 8.6l naturally aspirated V8 that sits in the middle, and, crazily enough, sends power only to the rear wheels. We’re not sure whether ‘hypercar’ is an appropriate term, ‘insane’ seems to be more fitting.
One thing we’ve yet to understand entirely is how this is a Delorean. Although it seems to have the same metallic body panels as the iconic original, it seems to evoke none of the principles of the original company given that the DMC-12 was made to be sporty yet still affordable to the everyman - perhaps then this is a steroid-filled tribute to the original. We don’t really know to be honest. What we do know is that company is planning to sell it for $262k, and make absolutely no money off of it whatsoever.
Albury close their display with three new performance variants
The appropriately named Super Ute was among three new performance variants of current cars on display at Albury’s stand today. The Australian sedan maker showed off the new ‘6.4’ variant of the Centurion, with massive quad exhausts and big, low-revving V8 to power it, along with a sports-utility version of the same car called the Super Ute. Both feature restrained yet pleasing styling and are bargains for what they are, with prices hovering around the $33k mark.
Also on display was the tech-packed Viceroy. This luxury sedan is celebrating its 50th birthday with a performance version, and better still, an even more powerful version is promised in the near future. We’re not sure about the colour, but considering it has a HUD, manual gearbox option and costs less than $55k, it’s certainly a real spanner in the works for rival limousines.
Storm’s iconic Mamba back on display
Already beginning to take its place as a modern classic, the Storm Mamba was out on display today. The company used to reiterate their belief in the Enthusiasts car, and as a way of reflecting upon their heritage. The Mamba was one of the first proper F-AWD coupes, and was very fast indeed, still being just as competitive against newer hypercars. It’s great to see this legend out once more.
Mott Works showcase new range of performance vehicles
Reviving a number of old names today, specialist car maker Mott Works added another performance ute to the many others that have been released at this years show, along with other vehicles too. The Savage and Rage, both based on the same platform, will give buyers the chance to own a 540hp V8 powered monster in either sedan or pick-up form. Along with this, the new version of the Aqueos was unveiled, now taking the form of a coupe platform. A sports version and more comfortable GT version will be produced, both at high prices, echoing their exclusiveness.
While we’ve been doing all this, plenty of interviews we had!
Masahiro Takahashi, the chief engineer of Zenshi, came in for a chat this afternoon.
One of the people at Mott Works also came in to talk about the new cars from the company.
And finally, closing up this years interviews, Rick Burke of Albury had this to say about the new cars from the company.
And there we have it! The show is now closed, so except for Ram, no more cars please. Voting will open very shortly. It’s been a pleasure to report on the show for Splendid Auto Monthly, we now hand over to the official Detroit 2017 organisers for the voting process. Goodbye for now!
-Gavin Anderon
I gave a specific time of closure in this post yesterday:
Apologies for not making that clear at the start of the show, should have added the time factor to those original rules.
##The Voting
Alright folks, the time is now upon us to decide the best of the best from Detroit 2017. It’s been quite a show, with a huge number of releases, but we’re going to try and find some winners.
Here’s how it’s going to work:
[ul]Voting Round 1: People choose their favorite car from each of the sub-categories (see below). The car that wins each of these will be crowned “Best in Category”[/ul]
[ul]Voting Round 2: The winners of the individual categories will go through to this round, and this vote will decide the “Best In Show” award.[/ul]
Rules and guidelines:
I am the judge.
One car per category per company (decided by the judge)
A car can only enter into one category, even if multiple trims/variants have been released
Only new cars are elgible.
If there is a tie, the judge will decide the winner
Here are the categories, with full links and what not. Click the box to select your vote, click on the car name to link to the car itself.
Notes:
Concepts and Production cars have been combined in a number of categories
If a company released more than one similar type car (eg two super cars, two compacts etc), I have chosen the one I deem to be the best.
Some cars simply didn’t have enough enough competitors to be put into a category and didn’t make the vote. I apologise for this, I’ve done my best to ensure every company is in at least one category as a result.
#[color=red]PLEASE[/color] CHECK THE LINKS TO YOUR CARS TO ENSURE I HAVE LINKED THEM CORRECTLY!
