With a uniquely styled rear wing and tail light treatment that hearkens back to the infamous Skyline cars that never made it these shores, the GTR is a worthy successor. The bold and brash quad exhausts are accentuated by the cutouts in the rear bumper cover while the front fender vents hint at what a serious performance machine this really is, a true Japanese exotic.

Each year on the Easter weekend we make the trek north to New England where my wife's family holds an annual gathering. How lucky for me when I married into this clan that the week after Easter just happens to be the week when the New York International Auto Show is held. So each year on the way home from New England we stop off in Manhattan and I step out of reality into the gearhead's proverbial candy store called the Jacob Javits Center. Within these walls of glass and concrete are roughly 1.5 million square feet of automotive dreams and fantasies, all dangled before you on the other side of velvet ropes and "stay off the exhibit" signs. While there are many cars and trucks that you are allowed to have a tactile experience with, all of the ones that effect hormone inbalance and the groping for words to find the mechanical equivalent for sexual arousal are kept neatly just out of your reach. For the examples I just cited its probably for very good reason. Even though I ask myself each spring "Do you really need to go every year?" to which I will reply, "I could miss it one year without a fuss"...the draw on Monday morning as I drive southward towards home is beyond magnetic, indeed it could be described as visceral and haunting but as you look forward through the pictures you may understand why. This is the place where I come face to face with all those things I would otherwise only see in a magazine. To see them gleaming under bright lights a few mere feet away is a kind of confirmation that they really do exist. While most will never be an attainable dream, its probably the gearhead's equivalent of meeting a celebrity.

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thunderbat > The rectangular exhaust tips and the signature pop-up fuel cap really capture the details of the legendary ponycar. Actually wider and longer than the original, the new Challenger offers generous interior room both front and back as well as a spacious trunk.

thunderbat > The carbon fiber stripes on the scooped hood lend serious look to the car even in black. This SRT8 model also rides on 20in wheels and massive brakes, giving this newer version handling capabilites far beyond those of the 70s models.

thunderbat > The new Mercedes McLaren roadster is an extreme machine in almost every regard. With over 620hp generated from its supercharged 5.4L V8, this lightweight carbon fiber beast is every inch a supercar. Its front fascia inspired by the F1 racers,this topless cruise missle has a maximum speed of over 200mph. That should be sufficent to straighten any passengers hairdo. The roadster retains the signature gullwing doors of the coupe but uses a soft top instead of retracting hardtop design. While Mercedes claims you can hold a conversation with the top down at speeds up to 124mph, I dont know how much casual conversation I'd be having at that kind of speed.

thunderbat > Here you can see the retracting spoiler/airbrake as well as the oversized 19in wheels of the 722 version. Without a doubt one of the more rakish and shapely body designs to come from Mercedes in recent years.

thunderbat > Those are the functional side exit exhausts that are unique to the McLarens. I still scratch my head in amazement at how this car passes inspection in some states. That puzzling thought aside, I would imagine the proximity of the exhaust to the cockpit make the sound of this car undeniable.

thunderbat > Nissans' 370 Z- car still retains the sleek looks of its predecessor. The "arrowhead" tail lights and headlights take a bit of getting used to but overall a very attractive machine. The huge flares of the fenders over the massive wheels almost give the car a custom tuner appearance.

thunderbat > Also from Nissan and adored by many at the show was the new GTR supercar. Cranking out an impressive 480hp from its twin turbo V6, the AWD GTR has as much grip as it has go power. I really like the more angular and edgey styling of the GTR over the 370Z.

thunderbat > With a uniquely styled rear wing and tail light treatment that hearkens back to the infamous Skyline cars that never made it these shores, the GTR is a worthy successor. The bold and brash quad exhausts are accentuated by the cutouts in the rear bumper cover while the front fender vents hint at what a serious performance machine this really is, a true Japanese exotic.

With a uniquely styled rear wing and tail light treatment that hearkens back to the infamous Skyline cars that never made it these shores, the GTR is a worthy successor. The bold and brash quad exhausts are accentuated by the cutouts in the rear bumper cover while the front fender vents hint at what a serious performance machine this really is, a true Japanese exotic.