Five must-see performance vehicles
Those rumours of horsepower’s demise seem to be greatly exaggerated; here’s the proof
As much as the auto show embraces a ‘Green’ philosophy, many show goers come for the muscle, and as usual there will lots of it flexing on the convention centre floor. Here’s our top-five must-see performance vehicles (and rest easy, enviro-nauts, one is electric):
BMW i8 Roadster
The i8 Roadster takes the BMW i8’s combination of emission-free mobility and performance and adds a top-down driving experience. The i8 Roadster features a retractable, all-season fabric softtop that can open and close in less than 16 seconds, even when the car is in motion at up to 50 km/h. The two-seater stows its soft-top in the perpendicular position in the rear when opened and takes up very little space, maximizing storage capacity. Using BMW eDrive technology, and with hybrid-specific all-wheel drive, a gas engine driving the rear wheels and the electric motor driving the front wheels, the i8 Roadster achieves 369 horsepower, a peak torque of 184 pound-feet, and accelerates to 100 km/h in less than 4.5 seconds. The Roadster will be available this spring.
Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
Raise you hand if you’ve ever wanted a production car that you can drive to a dragstrip and run with the big boys? Dodge answers that call with the new 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, the world’s first production car to lift the front wheels at launch and set the Guinness world record for longest wheelie from a standing start by a production car (at .89 metres). Not surprisingly, it boast the world’s most powerful factory-production V8, a supercharged 6.2-litre HEMI Demon producing a teeth-chattering 840 ponies. The Challenger SRT Demon also registers the highest g-force (1.8 g) ever recorded at launch in a production car.
Ford Mustang Bullitt
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of iconic movie “Bullitt” and its fan-favourite San Francisco car chase, Ford introduces the cool and powerful 2019 Mustang Bullitt. The Bullitt comes with an upgraded 5.0-litre V8 that deliver “at least” 475 horsepower and 420 pound feet of torque, pushing
the new Mustang to a top speed of 262 km/h, a 13 km/h increase versus the latest Mustang GT. As a special-edition model, the new Mustang Bullitt is equipped with a manual transmission, and the gear shifter features a white cue ball shift knob as a nod to the original. The vehicle packages all Mustang GT Premium and Performance Package content into a vehicle that maintains the original Bullitt’s understated persona.
Hyundai Veloster N
Hyundai’s Veloster N — the company’s first Canadian market N model — adds to the new-for-2019 Veloster platform, while showcasing an even higher level of performance. The N offers a comprehensive degree of exterior, interior and mechanical differentiation even beyond the Veloster Turbo, notably an exclusive N-design front fascia and grille with dedicated front air ducts for enhanced brake cooling. Mechanically, the
Veloster N offers a larger 2.0-litre, direct-injected turbocharged power plant, boasting 275 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. The high-performance engine is backed up by a close-ratio, shortthrow six-speed manual transmission with downshift rev-matching capability. The transmission uses carbon-coated synchro rings and gear material reinforcement for smoother operation and lower overall shift force.
Subaru WRX STI Type RA
The WRX STI Type RA is a tracktuned model based on the WRX STI that recently broke the outright lap record for sedans at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The same engineers behind that effort have worked their magic to create a more powerful, higher-performing and more exclusive version of the road-going WRX STI. Named the Type RA (for Record Attempt), the good news is that it’s very fast. The bad news is that it’s a limited edition. The 2.0-litre turbocharged boxer engine sees a modest power bump to 310 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque. Other specific features to the RA include an exclusive engine control unit, reinforced STI pistons, specially designed air intake duct and air cleaner, exclusive Bilstein dampers and coil springs, and an STI shortthrow shifter.