Awesomeness Announced at Monterey Car Week
The 2024 Monterey Car Week, which included the 73rd Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the Quail Motorsports Gathering and the Rolex Motorsports Reunion cargasmic celebrations, was located on the picturesque Monterey Peninsula. This year’s event, August 9-18, entertained and wowed attendees with several world new car debuts, but also classics, including a stunning 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports that came all the way from Zug, Switzerland, to take the overall honors (our featured image).
Many of the new cars were making their North American debuts as concepts that will never make it to market in their current form, but some are near production-ready. This mash-up of dream and realistic cars is what makes Monterey Car Week so much fun. Here are a few, alphabetically, to whet your automotive taste buds!
Acura Performance EV Concept
Acura revealed the Performance EV Concept. With a teardrop cabin, this SUV gives a hint at the styling direction for what Acura calls its “electrified future.”
This isn’t the first EV from Acura, the premium division at Honda. With 500 horsepower (hp) and 544 pound-feet (lb.-ft.) of torque driving all four wheels, that’s the 2024 ZDX Type S.
The Performance EV Concept (or whatever it will be called then) is scheduled to go into production in Marysville, Ohio, in late 2025, and to be at dealers in early 2026.
Bentley Continental GT Speed Coupe and Convertible
The fourth generation Continental GT Speed pairs a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and an electric motor for 771 hp and 738 lb.-ft. of torque, producing the “most powerful Bentley yet.” This hybrid performance powertrain zips 0-60 in 3.1 seconds with a top speed of 208 mph, all while being able to travel an estimated 50 miles on electric power.
Bespoke production has begun with an estimated base price of $300,000.
Bugatti Bolide
The Bugatti Bolide (le bolide means “the racing car” in French) is a track-only sports car, the last to be made with the company’s 8.0-liter W16 engine with four turbochargers. A whopping 1,825 hp and 1,364 lb.-ft. of torque drives all four wheels through a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. This 2,733-pound exotic covers 0-60 in 2.2 seconds with an electronically controlled top speed of 236 mph. Only 40 will be produced at an estimated $4 million each.
So what’s the big deal? Bugatti rolled-out a 1 of 1, 100th Anniversary model to commemorate the iconic Bugatti Type 35, both of which took to the world famous WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca during the Monterey Car Week.
Cadillac Opulent Velocity EV Concept
The next step for Cadillac’s V-Series of performance gasoline-propelled cars, the Opulent Velocity is a designer’s dream. With minimal ground clearance and a very low roof height, the steeply raked front and rear convey the velocity in the name. The butterfly doors lead to a cocoon of a cabin festooned with artistic brushed metal finishes, torched painting and 3D-printed linear two-toned embroidery that Cadillac says “demonstrates the evolution of Cadillac’s revered sense of opulence, while envisioning a zero-emission expression of performance and modern luxury.”
No production plans were announced, but the possibilities for where the premium division of General Motors is going with the Opulent Velocity are intriguing.
Hennessey Venom F5
Hennessey Special Vehicles showed its trio of Stealth Series Venom F5 hypercars. Just three of the carbon fiber body and chassis 6.6-liter twin-turbo, 1,817-hp cars will be built as part of a 99-car total Venom F5 production run. All three models were sold before being shown at the Quail during Monterey Car Week.
Each Venom F5 is bespoke with customer specifications pushing the final build price to exceed $3 million.
Karma Kaveya EV Coupe
The Kaveya coupe will be the halo EV from Karma. With 1,000 hp and 1,270 lb.-ft. of torque, it is said to go 0-60 in under 3 seconds. If Karma wants to claim impressive speed the Kaveya will need to go in the mid-2 seconds to top the Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Sapphire. Karma estimates the all-electric range at 250+ miles, which may be conservative.
The carbon fiber body sits on an aluminum spaceframe, sports butterfly doors and seats four. It will be sold alongside the 3rd generation Revero (a range extender model), the upcoming Ivara GT-UV (Grand Touring Utility Vehicle) and the Gyesera “electrified” SUV.
The Kaveya on-sale date and pricing were not announced, though it is speculated to arrive in 2026 at a price of around $300,000.
Lamborghini Temerario PHEV
The Temerario replaces the Huracán that debuted in 2014 and went on to be the best-selling Lamborghini car. The Temerario is powered by a mid-engine 4.0-liter biturbo V8 with a plug-in hybrid system that adds three electric motors driving all four wheels. Rated at 907 hp, the electric torque vectoring increases the car’s agility in narrow cornering as well as its stability in high-speed cornering, distributing torque optimally to each wheel. It can reach a 10,000 rpm, has a top speed of 210 mph with 0-60 in 2.7 seconds.
Rouven Mohr, chief technical officer at Lamborghini says: “Combining a high-revving V8 biturbo with three electric motors will impress Lamborghini fans all over the world.”
The Temerario is the third full hybrid in the Lamborghini line, joining the flagship Revuelto and Urus SUV. The Revuelto features a mid-engine 6.5-liter V12 with 1,000 hp and a top speed of 217 mph. The Urus SUV features a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine, which delivers a total output of 789 hp, reaching a top speed of 194 mph.
Production plans and pricing were reported to be a Q3 2025 launch starting at around $350,000.
Lexus LF-ZC and LF-ZL Concepts
The LF-ZC (Lexus Future Zero-emission Catalyst) and the LF-ZL (Lexus Future Zero-emission Luxury) are concepts “emphasizing Lexus’ vision of the future as the brand strives to make luxury personal through next-generation battery electric vehicles.” Both will have the next-generation fully digital intelligent cockpit for intuitive, quick access to essential controls. The concepts also provide a peek at the new Arene Operating System that will learn and anticipate a driver’s needs.
Production plans and pricing were not announced.
Maserati GT2 Stradale
Maserati has combined its racing prowess with mass production, introducing “the GT2 Stradale…(as)…the most incredible track cars there is, with the opportunity to make the best of it on roads all over the world.” The 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 fire-breathes 620 hp with 531 lb.-ft. torque for 0-60 times of 2.8 seconds, driving the rear wheels through an 8-speed dual clutch transmission.
The on-sale date and price will be announced sometime in 2025.
Mercedes-Maybach SL Monogram Series
How about a drop-top Maybach? Daniel Lescow, head of Mercedes-Maybach AG, says: “Our customers love something special. The Mercedes-Maybach SL Monogram Series adds a sporty two-seater for the ultimate open-air pleasure.”
This luxury convertible sports a 4.0-liter biturbo V8 that pumps out 577 hp and 590 lb.-ft. of torque, with the 9-speed automatic driving the 4Matic variable all-wheel drive. Estimated 0-60 is around 4.0 seconds. Agility is helped by the rear axle steering making for a 40.5-foot turning circle.
The Mercedes-Maybach SL Monogram Series on-sale date is slated for the second half of 2025. Pricing was not announced.
Polestar Concept BST
Thomas Ingenlath, until recently Polestar CEO, said “The aim with Concept BST is to demonstrate just how far we can push our performance brand, while also exploring how this might look on other Polestar models.”
Production plans and pricing were not announced.
Rimac Nevera R
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Sveta Nedlja, Croatia, Rimac showed the Nevera R, a single-seater developed to be the fastest car in the world. The 2,107 hp electric hypercar hits 0-60 in 1.74 seconds, is claimed to hit 300 km/h (256 mph), and was designed for cornering. With a carbon fiber low and sleek body, the large fixed rear wing and a large diffuser, Rimac says the “Nevera R is ready to bend physics like never before. Every element, crafted through a performance-driven design philosophy, has been rethought for agility and handling.”
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There will be a production run of 40 worldwide at a starting price of $2.3 million euros ($2.56M USD).
Wrapping-up Another Great Monterey Car Week
Whew, the auto manufacturers outdid themselves this year in Monterey. They should all take a collective bow and a victory lap. The assortment of concepts and production-ready cars was the best it has been in years. Of course, don’t forget about the classics residing on the fairways of the Pebble Beach Golf Course.
The auctions (RM Sotheby’s, Broad Arrow and Gooding & Company) sold a minimum of $392 million collectively. See Top 10 sales below. These cars carry a hefty price tag, but owning, or even driving one, would be on many a bucket list. Heck, what’s wrong with dreaming!
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Story by John Faulkner. Photos by the manufacturers.
1. 1960 Ferrari 250 California SWB (Short Wheel Base) Spider: $17,055,000 (RM Sotheby’s)
2. 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider: $14,030,000 (Gooding & Company)
3. 1955 Ferrari 410 S Spider: $12,985,000 (RM Sotheby’s)
4. 1969 Ford GT40 Mk I Coupe: $7,865,000 (Mecum Auctions)
5. 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Rennversion Coupe – $7,045,000 (Broad Arrow Auctions)
6. 1959 Ferrari 250 California LWB (Long Wheel Base) Spider: $5,615,000 (RM Sotheby’s)
7. 1995 Ferrari F50 Coupe – $5,505,000 (RM Sotheby’s)
8. 1955 Ferrari 857 S Spider – $5,350,000 (Gooding & Company)
9. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Alloy Coupe: $5,285,000 (RM Sotheby’s)
10. 1958 Ferrari 250 GT TdF Coupe: $5,200,000 (Gooding & Company)
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