SLINKY ROADSTERS AND TRACK WEAPONS
Here are a few of the seriously sporty supercars on display in L.A.
There were some serious high-octane fumes in the air at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. Makers of some seriously sporty supercars — Porsche, BMW and Lamborghini — somehow deemed them not quite super enough and so went about turbocharging, roll-caging and just generally radicalizing them into veritable track weapons.
Oh, and Fiat took the wraps off its new 124 Spider — sporting “just” 160 horsepower — and literally stole the show. Might there be a lesson in there somewhere?
2017 FIAT 124 SPIDER
What is it? We always knew that the Mazda MX-5 Miata would end up cloned in Fiat Chrysler’s lineup — it’s just that we thought it would be an Alfa Romeo. Instead, the Los Angeles Auto Show treated us to the Fiat 124 Spider, and it should come as no surprise that there’s a lot of commonality between the two.
Other than distinct front and rear grilles and a slightly less curved front hood line, the MX-5 and 124 are remarkably similar, the sharing of design extending even to the interior where steering wheels, touch screens and instrument panels are all but identical.
The engines, thankfully, are a different story. The first Spiders to reach our shores will be powered by a turbocharged, 160-hp version of Fiat’s 1.4-litre engine. Six-speed manual and automatics will be available, and even more interesting is that the blogosphere is already awash with rumours of a 200-hp Abarth version.
When is it coming? Fiat is officially announcing that it will get here sometime in the summer of 2016. But, as the recent Alfa Romeo delays have reinforced, Italian automakers treat production deadlines the same way Russian athletes do steroid bans. So, let’s just say the 124 will arrive sometime in 2016. Maybe.
Should you buy it? Um, yes. A little bit of Italian pedigree and a dash of Latin engine music mixed in with Japanese reliability (especially in the electronics department) sounds like a pretty irresistible combination to me. It depends on the price, which, despite many pundits comparing the Fiat to Mazda’s MX-5 pricing, could be anything from positively reasonable to you-want-how-much? outlandish. Italian pricing promises are only slightly more reliable than their production deadlines.
2016 PORSCHE CAYMAN GT4 CLUBSPORT
What is it? A “turn the key” race car based on arguably the sportiest — or at least, the most manageable — car in Porsche’s lineup. Basically, Porsche takes the already super-ish GT4 version of the Cayman, strips out the passenger seating, straps in a six-point safety harness, welds in a roll cage and slips in the front suspension GT3 Cup race car and proclaims this available-to-thepublic Cayman track-worthy. It is also, Porsche claims, 45 kilograms lighter than a road-going Cayman.
When is it coming? Clubsports should be available starting in early spring 2016, but because it is strictly a race car, you need to order it directly from Porsche Motorsport North America, in California.
Should you buy it? The typical buyer for a Cayman as narrowly focused as the GT4 Clubsport likely has another Porsche — or multiple Porsches — in the garage. Money, therefore, is not an issue. That’s a good thing, because the Clubsport is rumoured to cost US$165,000, or more than 200,000 of our loonies. Throw in the spares kit, which includes spare front and rear bumpers for the inevitable dings and dents, and you’ll get precious change from $240,000. I’ll leave it to you to judge whether you should buy it.
2017 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-CLASS
What is it? Even Stuttgart got in on the high-performance act with Mercedes-Benz unveiling a duo of sportsters that, if not quite destined for the track, were still plenty fast. The first, the SL 63 AMG, boasts 585 hp from its turbocharged 5.5-L V8, big numbers even when compared with the Lamborghini Huracán LP580-2. But its onstage partner, the SL 65 and its 6.0-L twin-turbocharged V12, was even more generously endowed with 630 hp.
Even crazier is that the big V12 claims 737 lb.-ft. of torque, only slightly less than your average longhaul diesel locomotive. Mercedes’ claim that it accelerates the luxurious roadster from a standstill to 100 km/h in four seconds flat is just the beginning of the SL 65’s impressive performance. Unlike others — even of the supercar variety — the SL 65’s ferocious acceleration doesn’t taper off as speeds increase.
When is it coming? Expect it in the spring of next year.
Should you buy it? Like every other car in this category, you absolutely should buy it if you just happen to have more than $200,000 you feel comfortable spending on a two-seater sports car. The SL is among the most sophisticated of the breed, and the SL 63 and most especially the SL 65 add a soupçon of supercar to the mix.