2016 Detroit Auto Show

The 2016 Detroit Auto Show has wrapped up the press-week portion of its annual gathering, leaving industry insiders and car enthusiasts alike with much to be excited about. Here are three vehicles which made their debut in the Motor City this past week that you definitely need to read about:

 

VLF Automotive Force 1

VLF Automotive, whose name bears the posterior initials of the company’s top brass—Bob Lutz, Gilbert Villarreal, and Henrik Fisker—unveiled their second car at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show on Tuesday (their first was the Destino, which made its initial debut at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2013 and returned to the show in revised, production-ready form this year).

Called the Force 1, it appears to be based heavily on the current Dodge Viper but with more power, new aggressive styling courtesy of Henrik Fisker and a nicer interior.

The two-seat, all carbon-fiber bodied Force 1 is centered around an 8.4-liter V10 with 745-hp and 638-ft-lbs. of torque, vs. the 645-hp and 600 ft-lbs. in the Dodge Viper. VLF have stated that the Force 1 should do 0-60 in 3.0 seconds, run the 1/4 mile in under 11 seconds and be able to hit 218mph.

50 examples are planned for production at a price of $268,500 and will only be available through Ben Keating’s ViperExchange.com, the highest volume Viper dealership in the world.

 

BMW M2

Related: The BMW M2 is Finally Unleashed

BMW’s tribute to the legendary BMW 2002 turbo from the 1970s, the BMW M2, made its public debut this past Monday. BMW released photos and specs for the M2 a few months ago, but this was the first time we got to see the M2 in person.

At the heart of the M2 is a 3.0-liter M TwinPower Turbo inline-6 producing 370-hp and 343-ft lbs. of torque; the latter figure can grow to 369-ft-lbs. of torque between 1,350 and 4,500 rpm in short bursts using the Overboost function.

That makes the M2 good for a date with 60mph from a dead standstill in just 4.3 seconds (with the M DCT transmission and Launch Control) and a rendezvous with a notch just below the 170mph mark on the speedo (with the M Driver’s Package).

The official base price is $51,700. Customers will begin taking delivery in the tail end of the 2016.

 

Lexus LC 500

If you were a fan of the Lexus LF-LC concept which debuted back in 2012, you’ll be thrilled to know that it’s made it to the production stage as the 2017 Lexus LC 500.

A performance-oriented, luxury coupe is not normally what comes to mind when one thinks of the Lexus, and that’s exactly why the Japanese manufacturer is so high on its new flagship two-door.

The LC 500 takes the 467-hp, 5.0-liter V8 from the RC F and GS F and mates it to an all-new RWD platform internally designated as GA-L. It allows for a nearly 50/50 weight distribution and places emphasis on having a low center of gravity. Power is sent through a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Lexus plans to offer the LC 500 for sale some time in 2017.