Our favorite picks from the 2014 NY Auto Show

We took a spin down from Boston to check out the New York International Auto Show press days. Here’s a peek at some of our favorite wheels. …
Just when you thought the Swedes were neutral, check out this sinister looking Koenigsegg.

Here’s to ignoring unwelcome advice!
Ferruccio Lamborghini went into business building tractors from surplus WWII military hardware, growing his business into a big, successful one. He once complained to Enzo Ferrari that he should put a better clutch in his cars, and Ferrari curtly advised Lamborghini to stick to making tractors. In 1963, Lamborghini founded Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A, and the rest is history.

When you’re done checking out this Lotus, look at the logo behind it (not Volvo’s), and here’s a little trivia: The four letters in the middle of the logo stand for the initials of company founder, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman. Don’t believe us? Wiki it!

A Bugatti ranges in price from $1-2 million, and if you’re lucky enough to ever own one, please, please, please don’t do this. If you ever want to hear and see these cars driving in the wild, head out to Monterey, CA around the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance sometime, and you’ll see them (and their owners), along with loads of other glorious new and classic cars, in abundance.

Check out this Caddy Elmiraj concept. We love the name, love the look, and it reminds us of the meanacing Rolls Royce Wraith. If Cadillac chooses to bring it to market, it’ll certainly be a more affordable set of wheels.

Here’s the BMW M4. It looked smaller than expected in person, but we wouldn’t kick this 431hp beast out of our garage.

Here are a couple of Mercedes’ AMGs – the new CLA 45 (red) has the most powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine in series production anywhere in the world. The CLS 63 has a naturally aspirated V8 with an unmistakably gutteral exhaust note. Both of these cars, like all AMGs, have engines hand-built by a single person (who then affixes a plaque with his signature on it) in Affelterbach, Germany.

We find Range Rovers irresistible, with all the luxurious, industrial qualities of a Wolf stove. But much faster. Faced with a choice, we’d pick the Range (Rover).

Alfa Romeo is back, and while the 4C’s 237hp, 258 lb-ft of torque may not be the biggest numbers, this car has the critical weight-to-power ratio in spades: only 10lbs/hp. Let’s go, or shall we say: Andiamo!

Across the aisle from the 4C, an even more enticing Italian: the Maserati GranTurismo C MC. The name isn’t very catchy, so they’ve got this badge on the dash, comfortably nestled between carbon fiber, leather and blue contrast stitching to match the stunning blue exterior. We gave this car a lot of love, and it might have been the first one we’d driven off the stand, if given the chance. Hope you enjoy it, too.

And now for something completely different: Toyota’s i-Road, an electric “personal mobility vehicle.”

Over at Porsche, they displayed the 918 Spyder. Sorry Prius, but hybrid never looked so good.

Where to put your targa top? Pop it in front, of course!

Clearly we’re partial – here’s more Porsche love:

This Jaguar F Type coupe is looking pretty fierce, and the yellow brake calipers look great with the red paint color.

Over to Bentley and its orange GT Speed Convertible. Did you know Bentley is the world’s largest manufacturer of 12-cylinder engines? Now you do.

In its press conference, Bentley announced it will return to racing, in the Pirelli World Challenge, with its GT3 race car, shown here:

Across the aisle, another brilliant English brand, Aston Martin. This Vantage GT made headlines for having a sub-$100,000 price tag. So you’re all going to head out and get one now, right?

We think the yellow trim around the grill looks like a smile.

… As Annie once sang, “You’re Never Fully Dressed without a Smile,” and now driving this Aston may count.
With that, we send you off to have a great weekend.
The NY Auto Show opens to the public today through April 27.