Old-School Automotive Events Are Never Going to Be the Same, That's Crystal Clear

Until 2020, winter meant we could check out the goodies at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, while spring was for Swiss chocolate and cool automaker neutrality at the Geneva International Motor Show. Today, the start of the year means CES in Las Vegas, the 2023 GIMS was canceled and moved to Qatar (just like the first winter World Cup), and the Detroit automotive show is kicking off the autumn proceeds, instead.

And these are but a few examples of the scrambled auto show calendar (IAA now takes place in Munich, not Frankfurt, remember?). Sure, some staples like the Los Angeles Auto Show have remained, but more and more alternative ideas are gaining traction. Not necessarily the novel ones, as demonstrated by traditional outings such as Europe’s Goodwood Festival of Speed or America’s Monterey Car Week.

One of the most anticipated automobile events in Monterey County, California, has grown every year and today is one of the best venues for big or small automakers, and on a truly global level. And there is no need to take my word for granted that old-school automotive events are never going to be the same anymore. Just look at our 2022 Monterey Car Week coverage and the high infusion of novelties, on and around it.

Yeah, Stellantis wanted to steal the spotlight back to Michigan, and it certainly had the right arguments to do so – including the 2023 model year ICE Challenger and Charger teasers, the 2023 Durango SRT Hellcat and Hornet SUVs, or the major EV nuke dressed up as the stunning neo-retro Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept. Then, Ford quickly obliged and announced its “The Drive Home” and “The Stampede” events connected with the upcoming introduction of the S650 Mustang.

But, frankly, at least until we know for sure the next-generation Charger or Challenger will be Tesla Model S Plaid-beating EVs, we are going to count stuff like supercars and hypercars above the cool, popular, and feisty pony/muscle car niche. After all, the Monterey Car Week debuts – either at the Quail, Pebble Beach or anywhere in between – easily substantiate my opinion.

Let us discuss them lightly, in order of importance and/or horsepower count. The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS arrived in green spec at the Quail (as opposed to the initial red-detail version) to showcase itself as the most hardcore GT3 RS variant of all time. But Lamborghini trumped it quickly with the Urus Performante that set a Pikes Peak record and can be hooned around in a new Rally mode. Oh, and it’s also more expensive, lowered, more powerful, and lighter than a standard Urus.

The rivalry between Tesla and Lucid seems to open up an all-new chapter for American motorists, much like the Big Detroit Three duked it out on the ICE field for decades on end. Thus, no one should be surprised the Model S Plaid has a new rival in the form of the Air Sapphire, complete with 1,200 ponies, a massive price tag, and a fabled 60 mph (96 kph) sprint time under the bonkers two-second threshold.

Allegedly, as we will believe it when we see it duking it out at the dragstrip. Anyway, the Americans were also proudly represented by the Czinger 21C V Max (a human and AI-designed, 3D-printed hypercar) and Hyper GT concept, or the DeLorean Alpha5 Plasmatail and Omega prototypes.

Naturally, that was counterbalanced by the storm of Euro apparitions. And the Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster, Bentley Batur, McLaren Solus GT, Koenigsegg CC850, or Bugatti Mistral were chief among them, for sure! What a mind-bending event this MCW proved to be...