If there is one word I could use to describe this year’s Yorkville Exotic Car Show it would be “Lamborghini.” Indeed, the Italian automaker seemed to dominate the show. Perhaps the fact that the show was much smaller this year made the Lambos stand out even more.
Either way, both of my show favourites were Lambos, first of which was this STO. I have seen STOs before but never in this yellow and it looked spectacular!
My second favourite of the show, Murcielago.
LOTS of other Lambos from matte green to the brightest car I have ever seen
No Ruf this year though someone was wearing a tshirt with my favourite car of all time, the Yellowbird
Nicest Porsche at the show (love that interior)
And outside the show, in the Yorkville area
Back to the show
Audi R8
Old M6
Though once again the cars cruising around outside the show were just as nice
G-wagen modified by Abdi
They also did a Cybertruck
If you prefer a conventional Cybertruck…(looks so subtle in comparison)
The square answer to the Cybertruck’s angles, Land Rover Defenders
Ford GT
Lotus also had a strong showing thanks to local dealer Gentry Lane
Aston Martin
I wore my Magnum PI shirt in the hopes of seeing a 308. No luck but a few other Ferraris
Including a Testa Rossa parked in the area
Rolls appropriately showcased in front of Tiffany
As usual I took the opportunity to visit the watch stores in the area. I took another look at the Omega Ultra Deep at Royal de Versailles.
And the new 1000M Tudor, which I absolutely loved!
Rolex (I didn’t take any pics inside the store)’
I didn’t take pics inside L’Oro either. Standouts were the white ceramic IWCs and the Panerai Navy Seals.
Melanoma Canada had a mobile unit set up and I waited an hour to get myself checked for skin cancer…all good!
Finally, as per tradition, dessert at Carole’s Cheesecake! No apple taffee so I went with my second go to, pistachio.
So there you have it. A smaller show this year but still a great way to spend Father’s Day.
This year’s Yorkville Exotic Car Show was twice the size of previous shows, with the red carpet extending from Avenue to Yonge street.
I have a lot to cover so I will get right to it with my show favourites. I have seen TVRs in the past but I think this was the first time for the Sagaris and it was STUNNING! Also a lot smaller than I was expecting. The grey car in the foreground almost looks like an SUV in comparison…
…but it is actually a Nissan GTR!
The Sagaris looks like it could fit inside Godzilla
Notwithstanding the size, look at the amazing details on this car
And that incredible rear spoiler
vs. the GTR
and me for further size comparison
Another small car with freaky spoiler that I loved, the Maserati Shamal
the latest offering from McLaren
Back to my picks for most beautiful cars of the show, the Wiesmann MF4
Believe it or not, I have seen a BMW Z1 on the road back in the day. I think he was driving with the doors down as well lol
The M8 competition would certainly blow the Z1’s doors off
I saw the Rimac Nevera at the Toronto Autoshow, in fact I met Mate Rimac and his spokesperson, Richard Hammond! It was nice to see it again, this time in black.
Koenigsegg Agera
Pininfarina Battista
Bugatti Chiron
vs. the Veyron
Not all of my show favourites were small lol. Take for example the Gwagen 4×4
It makes the Defender look tiny
No Ruf this year but they did have a 1978 930 Turbo Slantnose
look at those old school BBS wheels!
and 40 years apart, a 2019 911 Turbo
977 C2S “Daffy Ducktail”
928 S4! I almost bought one of these back in the day
More Porsche
The Aston Martin corral
DBS showing off its engine
DB11 AMR Signature Halo Edition
Vantage V12 S roadster
DBX
And my favourite Aston Martin at the show
I did not stay for the unveiling of this one though
Aston Martin sponsored this area
Sticking with British cars, Lotus Exige
More Lotuses (Loti?)
Including the Eletre
The new Emira
and old Esprit
Evora
Bentley Continental GT Speed
Another Conti
Rolls Royce Wraith
Moving on to Italians, my favourite Lambo of the show, Murcielago
New Countach
Gallardo
Love the steering wheel on this racer
Ferrari 328
No Ferrari hypercars this year like the F40, F50, Enzo, LaFerrari etc. but still plenty of Prancing Horses to see
For those interested in electric cars that are cheaper than the Rimac and Pinninfarina, how about a Lucid
or Polestar
Tesla Model X Plaid
I’m not ready to give up on big gas engines 😊
Lots of old school at the show
Cool display!
That’s it for my coverage of cars but I am not quite done for the day.
The show’s location on Toronto’s premier shopping street provides ample opportunity to peruse luxury goods such as high end apparel, jewellery, and watches. And you better believe I will take advantage lol.
Royal De Versailles has split their store into two, a dedicated Rolex boutique and a separate showroom for all their other brands. This new setup allows for a much larger selection to be on display.
Indeed, in addition to the 5 Daytonas in the window, they had at least 4-5 more on display inside!
Lots of GMTs and Submariners too including a Deepsea (inside)
What Rolex shortage? (these are just the window displays!)
The window displays for the second storefront, including JLC
Omega
Breguet
Hublot (they had TONS of Hublot inside)
Blancpain (sadly they sold one of my grail watches, the 500 Fathoms, that they had last time I visited)
Vacheron Constantin
Inside they also had lots of Franck Muller, Chopard, IWC etc.
I was super happy to see an Omega Ultradeep though they didn’t have it in Titanium. It was much SMALLER than I thought it would be! Seriously, the way people describe it online, I was expecting a frisbee on my wrist. This is totally wearable.
Both of these watches can go down to the Marianna’s Trench!
Now on to our newest watch store L’Oro for IWC, Panerai, Roger Dubuis, Grand Seiko etc.
It has been a while since I looked at a Doppelchrono. It was smaller than I remembered.
BTW the white ceramic you can see in the background looks stunning in person!
Incredible dial on this AMG G63 edition Big Pilot
This Roger Dubuis would match that bright yellow Lambo I showed earlier
Roger Dubuis uses the tires from F1 winning cars as strap material!
Ok last but not least, my food choice for the day. Someone always asks about and I have a treat for you today, the first Shake Shack in Canada!
Given the time I spent in line, I figured it would be good to try a few things such as the Shake Stack burger and High Heat Hotdog, with cheese fries of course.
I have been attending the Canadian International AutoShow for decades including several VIP nights. This year was my first time attending Media Preview Day and it was quite the experience.
I must admit that going in I just assumed we would roam around the show just taking pics in the absence of crowds but that was only a small portion of the day. Instead, we had a jam packed schedule (starting with breakfast at 7AM!) full of Canadian, North American, and even Global debuts!
As such, I will divide this review into two parts: 1) coverage per the Media Preview Day schedule 2) my “free” time roaming the show. BTW, don’t think that all the good stuff is in part 1, I assure you, there are quite a lot of exotics in part 2!
I was one of the first ones down to the lower level and on my way to the seating, I saw some commotion. Naturally I had to investigate and what did I find, this beauty!
Hmmm who is that gentleman in the beige jacket?
Risers set up
And the show is off with opening remarks from Black Book
Followed by words from the show organizer
Who then invited to the stage Mate Rimac, CEO of Rimac, and the President of Grand Touring Automobiles, celebrating its 50th year as a premier retailer of luxury automobiles
It was very interesting to hear about Mate’s history of how he went from living in a country with a poor background in cars to starting Rimac and buying Bugatti. Let me emphasize, he didn’t buy A Bugatti car, he bought the company! Rimac now has 2,500 employees and provides EV technology to key players.
Of course we were all eager to see the Rimac Nevera and here it is!
Who could the driver be?
None other than Richard Hammond!
Someone take this man’s key!
Richard joined the panel and the discussion turned to the astonishing performance of the Rimac and how it changes or warps your perception of how a car should perform. Indeed, with 4 electric motors, 1900+ HP, 0 to 100 km/h in 1.81 seconds and a top speed of 451 km/h it is quite unlike anything else.
Sadly the Rimac had to go
But I got to meet Richard! Thanks so much for stopping to take a pic with me. Too bad I didn’t get to tell you how I bought my C63 thanks to Top Gear’s review of it vs. the M3 and RS4. When Clarkson said “it is an axe murderer trying to kill you” I knew it was the right car for me lol.
Thanks also to this kind gentleman for taking the pic. Only fair that I reciprocate with a pic of you with Mate lol
Next, the Canadian Car of the Year Awards in four categories and presented in English and French
And the winner for 2024 Canadian Car of the Year, the Toyota Prius!
Accepting the award, Stephen Beatty, Vice President and Corporate Secretary of Toyota Canada Inc. I have worked with Stephen in the past and it was great to see his personal gratitude for this achievement of the Prius in his heartfelt acceptance speech. Congrats Stephen!
He didn’t have to sit down for long as Toyota also won 2024 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year with the Grand Highlander!
Meanwhile, 2024 Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year went to the Genesis Electrified GV70
With the head of Genesis Canada accepting the reward
As he did for 2024 Canadian Electric Car of the Year for the Genesis Electrified G80! So 2-2 Toyota-Genesis!
Alright on to Porsche! We were greeted by the Vision GT, a wild concept literally designed for a video game! Gran Turismo 7 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 to be precise.
My favourite Porsche of the day though was the world record setting 911 Carrera 4S that drove to the summit at 6,734 meters (22,093 feet) of a volcano while running on eFuel made from water and carbon dioxide using renewable energy.
Porsche had several more unveilings for us. Pretty big wing on this one
Always exciting to watch the wrap come off
A unique 911 GT3 RS to commemorate the opening of the 10th Porsche Experience Centre (PEC) right here in Toronto! Visitors to PEC Toronto will be able to experience vehicle dynamics, technology and emotion first-hand with expert guidance from Porsche instructors through various driving modules all year long. The PEC will feature a 2km track, vehicle exhibits, a Porsche shop, café etc. I cant wait to visit!
But wait there’s more! Two more in fact.
First…
The new Taycan! Apart from a new front- and rear-end styling with new headlights and taillights, the new Taycan Turbo S is the most powerful and quickest Porsche ever, with 938 hp and a 0 to 100 km/h of 2.4 seconds! It also recharges faster than previous generations even though it has a larger battery capacity.
Next up…the 2024 Panamera! It offers a crazy active suspension that leans like a motorcycle towards the inside of the bend and reduces the lateral forces for the occupants. It also raises or lowers the vehicle on the front and rear axles during acceleration and braking.
In addition to all the new releases, I was also happy to see the 911 Dakar
Check out those fender flares
Even bigger ones here though lol
Love the bag made from seat material
Porsche Design watch
Next on the agenda, VinFast
First
The VF3 electric city car
Next
The VF Wild, an electric pickup truck concept
On to Volvo
For the unveiling of their new …
EX90 7 passenger SUV. Believe it or not, the standard safety features on the EX90 are higher than any Volvo car before it. Apparently it gets “smarter and safer over time” as it learns from new data and receives updates.
In addition to the EX90, Volvo was showcasing several of its Recharge models as the brand makes moves to reach its goal to have its entire vehicle roster fully electric by 2030.
One would think that bringing Rimac and Richard Hammond to the show would be enough of an accomplishment for Grand Touring but no. They wanted to celebrate 50 years by bringing FIRE to the event with three cars and four brands that have never been seen at a Canadian auto show!
First up, The Little Car Company, a UK based manufacturer of scale versions of iconic cars
My favourite was the Bentley Blower Jnr. Astonishingly, there is a full-size Bentley Blower at the show for comparison purposes (as you will see in Part 2 of my review)
Ferrari TestaRossa J
Bugatti Baby II, a 75% scale, fully electric reincarnation of the iconic Bugatti Type 35, developed using a full 3D scan of an original 1924 French Grand Prix car! How cool is that!
Now three brands we have never seen here before
The Zagato…
Porsche 356 Coupe, inspired by lost drawings of an elegant coupe based on the 356 Carrera. Only nine of these vehicles were produced.
The Pininfarina …
Battista, an electric Italian hypercar with a top speed over 350 km/h and 0-100kph in 1.86 seconds
The two side by side
Finally, the Himalaya…
Mariner, a modern-era Land Rover Defender
In addition to these introductions, Grand Touring also brought several cars from their lineup. Another look at the Rimac
The last Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport ever made (It is marked as such inside the doorsill)
Lamborghini Revuelto, which pairs a 6.5L naturally aspirated V12 with a power-boosting electric motor to produce 1,001 horsepower.
The new Countach!
Stunning Bentley Continental GT Convertible “The Canadian Collection” edition, designed by Bentley’s Mulliner department exclusive to the Canadian market
Rolls Royce Spectre the brand’s first fully electric model. Funny, I was wearing my James Bond Danner Spectre boots, perhaps a sign?
Aston Martin DB12 Volante
Next, we visit INFINITI for two unveilings
My sister’s first car was a G20 back in the day and the brand has evolved quite a lot since then. It was interesting to hear the perspective of Alfonso Albaisa, Senior Vice President of Global Design for Nissan Motor Ltd., on how INIFINITI differentiates through design elements. He went through the intricate design details on the two show cars…things you might not even notice but impressive when you discover them.
Vision concept Vision Qe, a preview of INFINITI’s direction for its first all-electric model. A neat feature is the “full-width digital piano key” lighting.
The QX Monograph concept truck
At this point I needed a bit of a break so I didn’t attend the Genesis, Kia, and Mattel/Hot Wheels unveilings. I did snap a pic of the Barbie car though lol.
Last but most certainly not least of the scheduled events, Richard Hammond in Conversation at Pfaff! Check out Pfaff’s incredible lineup
Richard shares his thoughts on Pagani, starting with the Huayra Roadster
You will see why in a moment he is looking so closely at the interior
Next the Zonda R
Before moving to the other side
And being joined by Pfafff Motorsports driver James Hinchcliffe, Pfafff Motorsports GM Steve Bortolotti and Pfaff CEO Chris Pfaf for a discussion on motorsports and the auto industry
After the discussion I had a chance to take a closer look at Pfaff’s amazing lineup, starting with the Zonda R
Huayra Roadster in a fantastic purple carbon fiber
I have to admit I haven’t always been a fan of Pagani interiors but this black and gold spec is one of the nicest interiors I have ever seen. Just stunning!
Or if you prefer something “more subtle” how about a black carbon fiber Huayra Coupe
McLaren-Mercedes SLR HDK — one of only 12 in the world
Pfaff McLaren 720S GT3 EVO
I am a huge fan of tuner cars and in the world of Porsche, Techart is legendary. Typically they are associated with 911s though so it was quite special to see a Techart Taycan
That covers the scheduled media events. It was certainly a great way to experience the Autoshow. I will add some closing thoughts and a recap of highlights in Part 2. Stay tuned.
It was great to see the Yorkville Exotic Car Show back on Bloor Street after two years of Covid induced virtual shows. A key part of the experience is walking the red carpet on this premier shopping area to see exotic classic and modern cars in the steel. Reportedly over 100,000 people attend the show and the proceeds go to fighting Cancer.
Rather than covering all the cars in the show, I will share some of my personal highlights, beginning with my favourite car of the show, the Jaguar XJ220. I have seen XJ220s before, including this exact one but I never get tired of them.
I can say the same about the Porsche 918 and amazingly there were TWO on display
Perhaps two 918s made up for the lack of a McLaren P1 but in terms of the holy trifecta of hypercars, there was a LaFerrari on display
While the Laferrari is an incredible car, I would actually prefer this Brabus G-wagen
Parked next to the G-wagen was this Lucid Air…my first time ever seeing a Lucid in person (I was familiar with the brand) and I have to say it is gorgeous! Way better looking than the Tesla P series in my opinion.
In terms of electric cars, the Polestar wasn’t bad either
In case you think I am only interested in ultra-exotics, I can tell you that another one of my show favourites was this 1967 BMW Izetta! I remember it from Depeche Mode’s Never Let Me Down Again music video lol
I am not sure which Aston was in front of the Izetta but it was a beauty
Among the modern Astons, this was my favourite
And there were lots of Astons on display
So many cool cars…Factory Five track car
And check out this Scout III Rallye drop-top pick-up truck!
For Miami Vice fans, a white Testarossa (and a red one too for purists)
Sinister Ferrari 812 Superfast
And an even more sinister 911 GT2RS
Or if you prefer not to go incognito
Audi RS6
Quite a few lambos (I only captured a couple of them)
AMG GT-R next to a McLaren 765LT and McLaren 570S
Corvette C8-R, which even in bright yellow…
looked subtle compared to this Corvette C8 Pandem Widebody
1977 Pontiac Trans Am Bandit
1979 Pontiac Trans Am
2020 Ford Mustang Bullitt
2018 Ford Mustang Venom
Some of the incredible shops…Hermes
Cartier
And Royal De Versailles…I didn’t take pics inside but I can say that I saw quite a few that I liked from Breguet, Blancpain, and Franck Muller. I enjoy watches just as much as cars and it is great to be able to do both at the same event. I also have to say that service at Royal de Versailles is always great…no matter how you are dressed they are perfectly fine to let you try on $100,000 watches lol.
As per tradition, I finished the day with Carole’s Cheesecake (they used to claim to be the best in the Universe lol)…sadly no apple taffee but they did have my second choice, Pistachio (my nephew had the Banana Chocolate Chip).
That was enough as just before the show we had breakfast poutines at Prohibition Social House
The Yorkville Exotic Car Show has been running since 2010 and if you have never attended, I strongly recommend you make it part of your Father’s Day plans next year. The red carpet feel, luxury shops, and exotic cars is a hard combination to beat.
Well if you like Porsche, especially super rare ones, as well as ultra exclusive modern and vintage exotics, this was the car show for you!
Let’s start with my absolute favourite car of the show, the super limited edition factory re-release Porsche 935…in all carbon fiber! You heard that right, a factor re-release 935! I will restrain myself from posting ALL of the pictures I took of this beauty.
The new 718 Cayman GT4 is so tame in comparison
Even more tame but almost as exclusive as the 935 in its own right, the retro styled Singer 911
Another rare Porsche that is one of my favourite cars of all time, the 959, one of the 14 cars on display courtesy of Lucas Scarfone and his Autostrada Magazine
Oh but wait, there’s more! Hypercar Porsche 918
And Porsche Speedster!
Again, compared to Porsche’s latest design, the new electric Taycan
I wonder if the Autostrada booth comes to life after hours like Night at the Museum..i can just picture the rekindled rivalry between Lamborghini and Ferrari…legend has it that Lamborghini made tractors…
…And then decided to make a sportscar out of dissatisfaction (and some verbal back and forth) with Ferrari. The Miura was one of his earliest designs and what are the chances there would be two at the show!
Meanwhile, from Ferrari…the Enzo!
And 488 Pista, capable of 0-60 in 2.8 seconds!
More classic supercars courtesy of Autostrada, the Jaguar XJ220
Compared to the new Jaguar Project 8…available for sale starting at $208,000!
Lancia Stratos, for us rally fans.
Back to modern hypercars like the Pagani Huayra in purple carbon fiber, which as someone pointed out, would make a great beater car if….
…you didn’t want to get your $16,000,000 Bugatti Voiture Noir dirty lol
Last year’s show featured a rare McLaren Senna in all carbon fiber. Too common for you? How about the new, even more exclusive Can-Am version?
Speaking of McLaren, some of their historic race cars. I love the digital display on the exterior of the last one
Another British car with racing heritage, the Bentley Continental GT Convertible Number 1 Edition by Mulliner with a 6L W12 Twin Turbo and does 0-60 in 3.7 seconds
One of several Ford GTs (again, new and old) at the show
The new Shelby GT500 (I was just at the Shelby Museum / Factory in Vegas a month ago)
Ford Mustang Bullitt
The new “electric Mustang” the Mach-e
So great that the Audi RS6 is finally making it to our shores…with ceramic brakes even.
The latest Audi S8
The new BMW M8
BMW M2CS
And a future glimpse of BMW, the Next Vision
In case the purple BMW was too discreet for you, how about this Alfa?
Also available in black
Not as brightly coloured but equally likely to make a grand entrance, the Doge Charger Hellcat widebody Daytona
Dodge Challenger Scat Pack
The new mid-engine Corvette…again seems so tame compared to all of the wild options coming out. At least I really liked the interior
The venerable Nissan GT-R
Nissan Micra Cup
Subaru WRX STI with subtle spoiler
Honda Civic Type R
I prefer the old school Acura Integra Type R…another of my all time favourites
Toyota Supra
I much preferred this version
Even better, the full blown race car
Great new colour for the Highlander
Though when it came to SUVs, my favourite of the show was the re-released Land Rover Defender…which I much preferred in 2-door configuration
I was going to make a “back to the Future” joke with all of these classic cars and re-releases but that would have been too lame 😉 Oh look….
More movie cars…
You don’t want this in your rearview mirror.
So all in all it was a very interesting show. I am not sure that it was the best CIAS ever but I certainly cant recall such a good mix of new and classic cars with re-releases mixed in at past autoshows.
I know that the $150 deposit I put on the Tesla Cybertruck is refundable…perhaps I can put that toward the Porsche 935…
Well it has been a long time since I have done a review of something not gun related but I think the 2019 Toronto Autoshow is worth it.
I did have one major gripe with the show though, and that was the poor lighting. I don’t know why it was so much darker than previous years and it made taking pics very challenging. I don’t think I did full justice to some of the truly spectacular cars.
Speaking of, let’s start with Toronto rapper Drake’s new Devel! It is just as over the top in real life and the super short front overhang with the long rear (supposedly housing 5,000HP) reminds me of the Batmobile. It certainly made everything else look ordinary.
Next the incredible carbon fiber bodied McLaren Senna
Note the gold exhaust
Some interior shots
That door though
Lucas Scarfone is like Canada’s Shmee150 or Chris Harris lol…he started out as a photographer and recently launched AutoStrada magazine, which can now be found in bookstores alongside Road&Track and other big publications! He had a booth again this year with some great cars from his customers, including a Ferrari F50 and the actual Jaguar XJ220 that Angelina Jolie drove in Gone in 60 Seconds.
Other cars at his booth included a Maserati MC12, Bugatti Veyron, Porsche Carrera GT, McLaren SLR, and Lexus LFA
Other exotics on display included some old and new Aston Martins
And the ginormous new Rolls Royce SUV
On my way back to the main show floor I ran into John Wick’s car, a 69 Mustang..seems like I was wearing the right shirt.
I have to say that I am not an especially big fan of the Acura NSX but the GT3 version is one of the nicest cars I have ever seen! Once again, my pics don’t do its carbon fiber skin justice.
I love racecars in general and the Audi lemans cars were also among my favourites of the show.
Sadly no GT2, RSR or racer at Porsche this year but they did have a GT3RS and GT4
Elsewhere in the show, Steve McQueen’s Porsche
Thankfully BMW had my favourite of their lineup, the M5 Competition on display in a beautiful matte blue
M4 CS
In keeping with blue super sedans, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio has a Ferrari designed engine that puts out 505HP from a 2.9L V6!
Still more blue super sedans…Lexus GS IS
Subari WRX STI
Not a sedan but equally blue and equally super, the Dodge Hellcat Redeye, replacing the limited run Demon
However 700-800HP American cars are not so rare these days…Corvette ZR1
The new Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
Closeups of its engine and transmission
And if you really wonder what a Mustang looks like underneath, here is one on its side
Compared to the GT500, the milder Bullitt
My friend had an older generation Supra and I remember it being a bigger car than the new one, or at least this was a lot smaller than I expected….closer to the FRS I guess.
It is interesting that they had a display of military vehicles at the show, including a Sherman Tank!
APC
and the military version of the G-wagen
Meanwhile at the Mercedes booth, no crazy G-wagen this year, just a black G63
2 and 4 door AMG GTs
E63S
I will close off with perhaps the most spectacular car of them all, or perhaps non-car, the Lego Bugatti Chiron! I cannot imagine the time it took to put this together…and I believe it runs too! The detail was mind-boggling.
Well what can I say, this year’s autoshow has left me speechless. As such, I wont write a lot of comments, rather mainly post pictures and see if you agree that this was one of if not the best Toronto Autoshow ever!
AMG Project One
The first AMG on my shirt, the latest AMG in front of me
To save weight the star is airbrushed!
Fastest car in the world, Koenigsegg Agera RS
Pagani Huayra
Bugatti Chiron
BAC Solo
McLaren P1
McLaren 720S…wow this was nice in real life!
Porsche 918
Porsche Carrera GT
Porsche 911 GT2RS
Lamborghini Uris
Rolls Royce Phantom
My favourite car of the show, the Dodge Demon
Very likely my next car, the Dodge Charger Hellcat
The Challenger Hellcat
The new Jeep Trackhawk with the Hellcat engine!
AMG E63S Wagon
AMG GT in hard and soft top
AMG CLS53
AMG GLE63
New G550
BMW M5, now with 600HP, AWD, and 0-60 of 2.9 seconds!
BMW M4CS
Callaway modified corvettes
Including the fastback Aerowagen
Corvette ZR1
Camaro ZL1
Cadillac CTS-V, with essentially the same engine as the Corvette Z06
This one had the carbon fiber package including a carbon hood
And spoiler
Smaller brother, ATS-V
Cadillac racer
Audi R8
Audi RS3
Ford GT
GT350
Ford Focus RS
Ford Mustang Bullitt
Lego Ford racecar driver
Perhaps he should have hung out with this lonely looking crash test dummy
Jaguar 575 Type-R
F-Type SV-R
Subaru WRX Sti RA
Honda Civic Type-R
Acura NSX
Life size Darth Vader Hotwheels
Jet car
So what did you think of the show? That one will be hard to beat!
I arrived early in the hopes of catching some cars arriving and I was NOT disappointed as these three Lamborghinis came roaring in.
Followed by 5 Porsches, including the Ruf, which has been my favourite car in past Yorkville shows..it was great to hear it running although the older Turbos were louder
Speaking of loud, this Aston Martin arrived shortly after with booming exhaust.
This being Yorkville, you can always see exotics running around, such as this T-Rex..last time I saw this one it was all black (no green trim)
Now on to the show! I wasn’t sure they would have the red carpet this year given the rain as they did not roll it out in past shows where it rained…but fortunately the rain stopped by show time.
My first stop was one of the “open” corrals where I took my favourite photgraph of the day of this slammed 1969 Camaro
Right next to it, a 1997 Trans Am Bandit
Other cars in this corral included a Miata with Corvette engine
BMW 840
Fisker Karma
Next stop, one of the two Porsche corrals to get some more shots of the Ruf
And some great vintage turbos
The second Porsche corral had more modern variations including a Speedster and multiple GT3s
This GT3 was on its own…I like how the Harry Rosen livery matches the store…again, a great thing about the Yorkville show is the luxury feel..think of having an exotic car show in the middle of Rodeo Drive.
Next the Lamborghini corral…the Aventadors were great but it was also a real treat to see a Countach..i had a poster of one of these in my room as a child…hard to believe my C63 is faster!
Likewise at Aston Martin, the modern Vanquish are cool but the 1974 V8 Saloon was something special
Maybe my tastes are changing as I get older because again my favourite at the second open class corral was the 1994 TVR Griffith
Other cars in this corral included Lotus Exige
And these Sabras…made in Israel
Ok back to modern supercars…nice to see the MacLaren P1 again
Along with its smaller brothers, the Mp4 12c
Loved the Viper ACR Extreme
AMG GT
BMW I8
Nice of the Rolls Royce owner to leave it open for us to see inside
We were so tempted to touch it lol
Bentley
Look at that, a T-rex..what are the chances I would see two today??
Japanese cars sponsored by Importfest (another show in August)
Acura NSX
Corvette corral
Featuring this beautiful 50th anniversary edition
Last but certainly not least, Ferrari!
But the most beautiful Ferrari was at the Autostrada Forum magazine booth…I have seen F40s before but never in black and I gotta say it was STUNNING! The magazine’s founder, Lucas Scarfone, is not only a phenomenal photographer, he truly lives the “Top Gear” lifestyle, traveling the world to drive / test cars.
I love this shot with my buddy’s reflection
Other cool things at the show…furniture made out of car parts
Proceeds from the show go to curing Prostate Cancer…the Screw Cancer booth with a g-wagen
Following tradition, I closed the show with a visit to Carole’s Cheesecakes, this time for apple taffy
Then my buddy and I hopped in a cab and headed down to Duff’s Famous Wings…not the ideal way to do it but logistically it made more sense
Battered zucchini
Super Hot and Armageddon wings with extra Armageddon sauce on the side (for the fries)
So this year I did not attend VIP night and truthfully I am quite glad I did not spend the $200 as this year’s show was not as strong as past shows. In fact, I attended the Motorcycle show earlier in the day and I rather enjoyed that one more. That having been said, I did see a few noteworthy cars.
Once again, my favourite of the show was at the Mercedes / AMG booth The G550 4×4 X2 (squared) was incredible! You can either look at it as a scaled down version of their insane 6×6 or a beefed up version of the “regular” gwagen…either way, I want it! Now where to find a spare $300,000?
When I first saw the Pagani Huayra at previous shows I thought it was just “ok”…maybe I was too distracted by the other supercars around it at the time, I don’t know, because this time it was definitely a “wow”. Perhaps it was the blue??
Of all the cars I have ever driven on either road or track, 911s and AMGs consistently come out as my favourites. A track focused 911 GT3 Cup should be at the top of my list.
And a Turbo S not far behind
I admit the Bugatti Chiron was probably the car I was anticipating to see the most. Indeed the specs are impressive with just under 1500 HP, a top speed of 420 km/hr and a price of $3.9 million! Yet, as with the Veyron, I just didn’t “feel it”.
Another one high on my anticipation list was the AMG GTR although I only found out that it was going to be at the show a few days in advance. I have driven the AMG GT on the track (thanks Mercedes Canada!) and have been lusting after the GTR in its Green Monster trim ever since I saw it online. I love the colour and the grille.
But I would be just as happy with an E63S edition 1…especially with its “drift mode”
More AMG greatness…GLE63 coupe
CLS63
GLE63 SUV
I should have bought another hat
The Nissan GTR is still high on my list
Imho one of the best looking cars out there, Dodge Viper ACR…and of course it has the performance to back up those looks
Last year they had both the Challenger and Charger Hellcats, this year just two Challengers…I was hoping to see the Demon but no luck
My favourite of the McLarens on display
Bentley Bentayga SUV
Aston Martin DB11
And the AM Red Bull 001…yours for $3 million
Quite a dramatic change over old Astons
A few Ferraris
My favourites were the BB512
And F40
488
250
Daytona
Only two Lamborghinis this year, including this vintage Espada
Lotus
Like the look but think I would have to sit on top instead of inside this one
Rolls Royce
Jaguar
Alfa Romeo..love the clover
Corvette
NSX
Ford GT
Camaro ZL1
BMW X6M
M3…I think they dipped into the AMG GTR’s paint bucket
Sadly I missed the Audi RS3 as I did not know about it till after the show…at least I saw the Audi RS7
S8
Cool R8 display showing the differences between street and racing versions
Cadillac
WRX STi
Civic Type R
For John Wick fans, not quite a 69 but still a Mustang boss
HUGE thanks to Mercedes Benz Canada for helping me to secure tickets to VIP night, much appreciated.
In keeping with tradition, I was one of the first in line
Also in line with tradition, I saw the Pfaff Porsche outside while I was waiting lol.
High Performance Sedans
Although I looked at the exotics first, I will start my review with my favourite genre of cars, high performance sedans
As sad as I am about the AMG C63 moving to a smaller turbocharged engine, I have to admit that I liked the new interior A LOT! I also can’t ignore the fact that the engine develops 516 ft. lbs of torque!! I can’t wait to test drive one!
I drove the E63 wagon at a recent AMG event and it was great. I have always loved the concept of an ultra performance wagon.
Another one of my AMG favourites, the CLS63
Some of the most powerful 4 cylinders in the world, the CLA45 and GLA45
Nice to see Maybach again…though I think they should use the Maybach hood ornament…not used to seeing the Mercedes star
Audi had an impressive lineup at the show. I didn’t like the styling of the A7 when it first hit the market but it has grown on me. The RS7 variant has helped with that. The interior was fantastic as well.
A friend of mine recently traded in his V10 S8 for the new V8 version (I have ridden in both)…again, I am sad to see the move toward turbos..still a nice car though.
I saw an S3 sedan on the road the other day..i didn’t know about it before then so I was glad to see it at the show…while it is small, I do think it looks great.
The S6 also looks great.
The BMW M5 was one of the nicest looking cars at the show. This paintjob looks FANTASTIC in real life…actually this is the second year in a row where BMW had the best paint colour. Oh and the interior was great too.
Arch enemy to my AMG C63, the M3 sedan lol
German car makers no longer have a monopoly on supersedans, as evidenced by the wicked new Dodge Charger Hellcat…too bad we were not allowed to sit inside.
Ditto on the new Cadillac CTS-V
Jaguar XF-RS
Aston Martin Rapide
Rolls Royce Ghost
Sadly no more Evo but least we still have the Subaru WRX STi
SUVS
Moving on to SUVS, once again I am drawn to high performance variants, the pinnacle of which is the AMG G63. I know they did this green wrap for the show, but I much prefer the gold special from previous shows.
If the Gwagen is too small, how about a 4×4 commercial van? Lol…should be the A-team’s next vehicle.
I like the new Porsche Macaan, and its 400HP
Porsche Cayenne
I have always liked the styling of the BMW X6M…and its super wide tires
Hyper/Super/Sports cars
Now the moment most people have probably been waiting for, supercars. I don’t know if it is because of my age, but honestly these cars don’t excite me as much as they used to. Oh sure they are beautiful to look at and are fun to drive, but really I’d just rather have a 911 GT2 RS and be done with it.
Now that I have seen the three hypercars in person, LaFerrari, 918, and P1, I can say that I like the styling of the 918 the best.
The carbon fiber on the Pagani looks stunning.
This was my favourite looking car at last year’s show, Lambo Super Trofeo
I was at the Huracan unveiling party a few months ago, great event. However the Huracan is too small for me.
Still on my “list” the Nissan GT-R
One of my most anticipated cars of the show, the new AMG GT. Like most sports cars, I found it a bit snug. I have driven a few SLS over the years so I am very curious as to how this one compares to drive.
I have always thought Corvettes are the best sounding cars on the road. Based on the numbers, this Corvette Z06 should be a monster.
I love the ultra-aggressive look of the Camaro ZL1
By comparison, the Dodge Viper looks tame lol
Nice to see the resurgence of real muscle cars…so many options in the 500+ HP club, like the GT350
To me the Ford GT is too much of a departure from the original and I feel it should not wear the GT moniker. That issue aside, it does look great.
Though not quite as dramatic but impressive in its own right, Ford Focus ST
There were huge crowds around the Acura NSX but I was quite disappointed. It was wayyy smaller than I expected. And like the Ford GT, did not remind me of its namesake.
Nice throwback to see a Lotus Esprit
Compared to the more modern Evora
I do prefer the coupe to the convertible Jaguar Ftype RS
Same for the Audi R8
Bentley GTC
McLaren
Ferraris
Maserati
Detomaso Pantera
Alfa Romeo
Concept Cars
A glimpse of the future…Toyota
Lexus
.
Maserati
Some general show pics
I didn’t get the concerts this year..but how about a Scionstyle haircut?
So all in all, a bit smaller than last year but still plenty of cool cars. Here’s to another great VIP night.
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rlauferblog 