City Slicker - New York International Auto Show Recap, Part 2 - What's Old

City Slicker - New York International Auto Show Recap, Part 2 - What's Old

Posted: April 24, 2019
Categories: Lifestyle

Auto shows, and specifically New York's edition, tend to focus on the big reveals. What's brand new? What haven't the media and public seen before that they want to feast their eyes on? True, as stated in our last post, this year's NYIAS did seem to lean more toward auto brands filling out their trim selections and special editions, but that didn't stop them from bringing 2019's earlier releases along for the ride.

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What auto show would be complete without aimlessly strolling through the displays and peeking in whatever catches your eye? I hope it's not just me. I do get easily distracted by shiny things and, well it's an auto show. Everything's shiny. To be fair, we had some specific destinations throughout the show, but between the few select press conferences I let the varying intricacies of manufacturer displays guide me through the spotlight of each group, and I think it's very much worth going through that experience.

Nissan came in strong, and it may have helped that it was the first display in the show. They might as well have brought their museum with them. 2019 marks the 50th birthday for the beloved GT-R and Z programs. The centerpiece of the display was the juxtaposed 50th Anniversary Edition 370Z and 1969 Datsun 240Z, but the real star was the GT-R.

Lining the wall is Nissan's Dream Garage, but more specifically a selection of track-based GT-R's from the Datsun Committee GT-R to the freshest face in the R35 generation. Members of the media crowded around the Z's and the R36 Concept for a presentation hosted by CarCast's Matt D'Andria, featuring Nissan's enthusiastic Chief Product Specialist for GT-R, Hiroshi Tamura, and Datsun racing legend Peter Brock. The three exchanged their favorite memories with different Nissan sports cars before breaking out the cake and ice cream.

Hiroshi Tamura, center, compared himself to an orchestra conductor when it came to the two different flavors of Nissan Sports Cars. The GT-R is the beast and the Z is the dance partner. Meanwhile, Peter Brock, right, reminisced on the first time he laid eyes on the 240Z.
Ok maybe not quite the cake and ice cream we expected but still a pleasant treat for the car lineup that's treated us so well over the years. Acura knew the right way to our hearts with a bourbon tasting though.

If the GT-Rs weren't eye catching enough, the timeless periwinkle on orange color combo on the latest Ford GT was the next shiny thing. Though it was encased on a pedestal, it was still quite impressive to see those flying buttresses keeping the rear wheels in place.

You would think those colors would clash. The GT somehow makes it work

Ford clearly did their best to outshine the Nissan display. From the walls of Ford blue shipping containers lining their lot to the life-sized Lego driver keeping watch over the GT500, there was plenty to keep you in Ford land for some time.

Ford did have the 2020 Explorer ST present for us to examine, however, they allowed us to get an even closer look via virtual reality. Basically, it was a new way to explore the Explorer. (Not one of the Ford Reps enjoyed that solid gold delivery. Tough crowd.)
With all the new cars, it was still nice to see some familiar faces.

Fords were the main objective. If there was one specific goal of the day, it was to make the pilgrimage to the most anticipated release of the year for Toyota. Yup. You guessed it, the TRD Camry.

In all seriousness, the Camry was already a sharp looking car, and even better with the TRD bling. Unfortunately, it's all show with no extra go. I'd jump at the chance for a 4-door version of the Supra.
The sound from this simulator resonated throughout the entire Jacob K. Javits Center's mezzanine. As if the Supra wasn't already enough of a draw, the chance to drive a virtual one will definitely reel you in. Toyota representative Billy Hsu grins while taking his turn on the digital track.

Though we've all already seen the promo videos, it was a necessity to see the A90 Supra in captivity. There was no way we were going to pass up the opportunity to scour over every curve, vent, and line in the new shell. Though, we weren't able to peek under the hood to get an in-person look at the B58 situation under the hood, so we'll just have to wait until one of these makes an appearance in our R&D facility.

 Where do we go from here? It was like meeting a celebrity, and I needed some fresh air to avoid being completely starstruck. I moved on to the one display that would rather play outside – Jeep. Jeep pulled out all the stops in order to fully demonstrate the off-road capabilities across the entire line. Trained drivers chauffeured intrigued showgoers on this obstacle course that pushed each vehicle to its limits.

This obstacle was only one of five to show off the Rubicon trim's utility. It was enough of a ride to get me, an opposer of Jeeps, to ride through twice and make my way straight to their showroom display.
The all new Gladiator, armored and ready for combat. While outward appearances might indicate that it's merely a Wrangler with a bed, the Gladiator is more like a Ram 1500. The rear suspension, uprated brakes, and wider front grille not only help this Jeep truck retain its off-roading status but increase payload and towing capacities so you can keep on truckin'.
With only 334,544 Lego bricks and 2000 hours, you too can be the proud owner of a 1:1 scale 2019 Silverado Trail Boss. For their real trucks, Chevy will now be offering a 3.2L turbo diesel option for the Silverado and Sierra 1500s.
Nissan is really driving the point home on this one. Why get a lifted truck when you could have a comfy sedan with treads?

Most everything with a tall ride height and high payload capacity was sequestered to the lower level of the Javits center—from the latest Ram Power Wagon to the increasingly popular Toyota trucks and all the way over to Chevy's life-sized Lego build of the Silverado Trail Boss. The main attraction, for us at least, came back to that blue oval, but this time on a small truck.

If you're behind the times, Ford is powering these with the same 2.3L EcoBoost that powered the Focus RS. Given our extensive knowledge with this engine, and all our other EcoBoost F-150 projects, the Ranger would be right at home here in the Mishi R&D Facility. Who knows, maybe you'll see one in the coming weeks.

Where auto shows tend to focus on the new, New York featured some of the old. Throughout the displays, we found a few old-timers that still turn heads to this day. Specifically, this 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta.

This car oozed a ‘60s aura. From the basket weaves to the wooden steering wheel, it was like being taken back in time. The smell of the air-cooled V12 still emanating from this machine sure completed that experience.

Even though this show is fairly condensed in physical size compared to others, there's a higher concentration. With so many different things to see, both new and old, it's almost hard to put completely into words. Since that's the case, make sure to visit our photo gallery to get a look at more from the show. Until the next show, we'll just keep pining for the new Supra.

Please visit our gallery for more photos from the New York International Auto Show

Thanks for Reading!

-Nick