The birthplace of the Speedster
There’s no better place for Porsche to launch its 991 swansong, the 911 Speedster, than New York. The original 356 Speedster was created at the request of New York dealer Max Hoffman who wanted a ‘stripped-down’ version of the 356 to sell on the West Coast.
The new machines uses the same 4.0-litre flat six as the current 911 GT3 but is heavily modified with a revised fuel system, different revs and more. It’s a lot of work for just 1948 examples, so there’s every chance this unit will make its way into more mainstream models...
Rivian is go
This Electric start-up only rose to prominence last year (despite being around for a decade). Its stand, featuring its R1S SUV and R1T pick-up, took pride of place alongside prominent car makers such as Audi and Mercedes. Its presence is likely a statement of intent as much as anything else, but shows how serious founder RJ Scaringe is. He told Autocar earlier this year that he believes he has now found a niche with Rivian, and can build something different and lasting.
New York is new home for Genesis
Genesis is still finding its feet in America, having launched as a stand-alone brand four years ago. Brand boss Manfred Fitzgerald said, at the unveil of its Mint Concept, that New York had become Genesis’s “second home” and is where it chooses to premiere concepts year after year.
The Mint Concept - probably the best looking car this year’s show in my opinion - is perfectly suited to New York. It’s not confirmed for production but Genesis says it doesn’t create concepts without having an interest in making it a fully fledged car. We can but hope.
Merc-AMG B-Class, anyone?
The Mercedes-AMG range now spans an incredible number of models, but boss Tobias Moers can namecheck one Merc model that doesn’t have an AMG version - the B-Class!
Meanwhile, he confirmed that the new GLS luxury seven-seater will get an AMG model in time.
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