The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé is slowly and elegantly revealed to a crowd of journalists at the 2007 NAIAS. The Drophead Coupé styled after and remained remarkably true to the 2004 100EX Concept. Its list of features is a mile long, but some of the notables include a stainless steel hood, grille, and A-pillar, rearward opening coach doors and a teak deck to cover the convertible top when it’s stowed. Underhood is a 6.75L V12 featuring direct injection. With 453-hp and 531 lb-ft of torque on tap the Drophead Coupé is capable of hitting 60 mph in under 6 seconds.
The 2007 Audi S6 had the grace and svelte of a German sports luxury sedan, and the heart of an Italian bull. The team from Ingolstadt shoe-horned a 5.2L FSI V10 from the Lamborghini Gallardo into the engine bay of an A6, threw in some fancy wheels, and lit up the front end with some rather handsome LED running lamps. In S6 duty the hoof-stomping nostril-snorting Gallardo V10 is detuned to 435-hp and 398 lb-ft of torque and routes its power to the ground via a 6-speed automatic and quattro all-wheel drive. A canyon carver the S6 is not, as nearly the entirety of that V10 hangs out ahead of the front axle. It will, however, pull away from a stop with authority! Click through for a more extensive photo gallery. Read more…
This might just be the date your parents wished that you didn’t bring home, and we found it at the 2007 NAIAS. The appropriately named HCD10 Hellion is Hyundai’s concept of crossover meets adventurous lifestlye. The body design inspired by hard shell backpacks is organic in nature with sheetmetal apparently stretched taught over the three ultra-lightweight structural ribs. The camouflage fabric roof is removable and the seats have built in removable/refillable fluid reservoirs, eliminating the need for cupholders. Under the hood is a 3.0L common-rail diesel V6 with 236-hp and 332 lb-ft of torque coupled to a 6-speed auto and 4wd.
The 2007 Saturn Sky was nothing short of brilliant. Not only was this Kappa platform roadster drop jaw gorgeous, the Sky and its Pontiac Solstice twin could carve corners with the best of them. Yet the base vehicle with the 2.4L Ecotec and its automatic gearbox left us wanting. Enter the Redline you see pictured above. Under the hood is a 2.0L turbocharged and direct injected four-cylinder with 260-hp and 260 lb-ft of torque on tap, coupled to a proper manual gearbox feeding the rear wheels. But alas the glory would be short lived as the economic crisis of swapped partial derivatives and the like would force these cars onto the pages of history just as things were getting exciting.
Few automakers know how to dress up an engine bay nowadays. Too many times a gorgeous engine is covered up with flimsy plastic covers to hide the “dirty” engine or muffle noises coming from under the hood. As automotive enthusiasts we appreciate hearing a good engine note from behind the wheel and especially like to be able to show off what is under the hood. Nothing says “I hate the feel of grease under my finger nails” more to fellow car guys than popping open the hood to reveal an acre of black plastic. Note how the 4.2L V8 Audi RS 4 engine pictured above is devoid of such atrocities save for the clever carbon fiber name plate adorning the throttle body.
General Motors took an impressive step forward designing and building the GMT900 based 2007 GMC Yukon. The Yukon and Tahoe had some of the best craftsmanship we had seen in a fullsize SUV yet. The body panel gaps were tight and the interiors were exquisitely trimmed. Under the hood of the Yukon was a 5.3L V8 producing 320-hp and 340 lb-ft of torque. This engine featured the Active Fuel Management system that could cut power to 4-cylinders while under light load to reduce fuel consumption. This V8-V4 mode earned this fullsize SUV an impressive 21-mpg EPA highway rating.
The 2007 Dodge Avenger Stormtrooper is more than just a car for Star Wars nerds (like yours truly). Along with the George Lucas spec exterior cosmetic upgrades the interior features two mobile PC’s. The PC up front features ETAS INCA software for engine tuning while the one in the back seat is loaded with mobile entertainment software for video, gaming, music and internet connectivity. On loan from the Empire this Stormtrooper was found on display at the 2007 NAIAS.
We took the 2007 Jaguar XK for a road trip to Warsaw, Indiana of all places and found that Coventry’s two-door kitten is a pleasant cruiser for two. Even with only 300-hp under the bonnet this aluminum bodied touring car will do naught to 60 in 5.9 seconds.
The 2007 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 tries to bend the laws of physics just a little with its seatback crushing 505-hp V8 cranking out 3.7 second sprints to 60mph and its face deforming 14″ front brake rotors bringing you back to steady state in 111-feet!
Jaguar finally gives us a 4-door cat with some claws! The Jaguar C-XF sport sedan concept debuted at the 2007 NAIAS. All in attendance immediately forgot about the S-Type.
