Jalopnik's Favorite Cars From the 2023 New York International Auto Show

The very first M3 is still probably the best, aesthetically speaking, an opinion which will be controversial to no one except the contrarians among us. This example, simply, does everything right, in terms of classy upkeep of an aging machine. There is nothing too outlandish going on here, just a car that remains timeless, if also, like almost every old car, more fun to look at than drive. I salute the custodian of this M3 for their service to the public.

There’s just something slick about lowriders. Maybe it’s because they’re not something I ever saw growing up in the UK; maybe it’s just because they’re freaking awesome. But this incredible pastel blue Impala was a real highlight for me. It was surrounded by mammoth overlanding trucks, but all that did was make the car’s gleaming chrome and luscious interior pop even more. Great car.

This is the best car on sale today. Somehow it looks even more badass in person, and I’m not really sure how that is possible. I would be begging Dodge to let me have a go in one if I had any less of a sense of self-preservation

Fiat brought its special one-off 500e made in collaboration with Kartell, an Italian plastic furniture manufacturer. The special project electric hatchback was created to celebrate the launch of the new all-electric 500 in 2020. The overall design of the collaboration was intended to match Kartell’s Kabuki floor lamp. The striking Kartell blue finish and the evocative rims certainly draw eyes across the show floor to the car.

This was my first time seeing the Mustang Dark Horse in person, and let me tell you, this thing has presence. The black accents on the front end help take some of the heft out of the new Mustang’s bulky nose, and that bass-boat metalflake paint really works with the dark accents. Great wheels, great lights — the 2024 Mustang may be a heavy refresh of the last car (versus a total redesign), but the visual changes really work. I can’t wait to drive this thing.

Check out the color combo on this thing! The paint color is called Earl — presumably, after Earl Grey tea — but it’s more of a blue than a grey in person. With the lipstick-red leather interior available on the Rubicon 392, it’s a high-impact color combination. I love how Jeep just keeps adding outrageous paint and interior colors to the Wrangler. The whole Stellantis lineup has more fun with color than just about any other automaker, and that’s to be applauded.

Sure, we all like to play it cool and act like we’re too sophisticated for bonkers hypercars. But sometimes, you’ve just got to spend some time ogling over an automotive marvel. This Koenigsegg Regera is one such marvel thanks to its dramatic looks, crazy aerodynamic trickery, and a wonderful deep red finish that retains the carbon fiber details of the car’s bodywork. Lovely stuff.

The Stratos is one of the most famous rally cars of all time, and rightfully so, winning championships in the 1970s before the fast and dangerous Group B cars took over in the 1980s. The Stratos, in person, is pure car, and very much not a tourer of any sort, just hardcore this-is-going-to-hurt driving. It’s a beauty to look at, but I don’t envy any of the drivers who had to push it to the limit.

Lamborghini is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. For the New York Auto Show, the Italian sports car manufacturer brought two of its new all-terrain vehicles, the Huracan Sterrato and the Urus Performante. The Sterrato is the most extreme-looking of the pair, but the SUV actually has performance credentials. Last year, a Urus Performante broke the production SUV record up the Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

Did anyone expect staid Lexus to show up with the best colors of the auto show? I hadn’t seen this rose gold in person before, and it truly pops — even under harsh auto-show lighting. Lexus’s Nori Green Pearl, seen here on the GX, always draws my eye too. I have stopped dead in a road to gawk at this color. It would be a problem, if the green wasn’t so deeply worth being hit by a car to see.

Auto shows are the perfect stage for manufacturers to flaunt their exploits in motorsport, but they rarely bring the actual cars raced in competition. From blacked-out windows to missing or incorrect components, show cars are easy to spot if you know what to look for. Lexus brought a replica of the RC F GT3 used by Vasser Sullivan Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It is probably the best show car in New York because of how close GT3 racing cars are to their road-going counterparts. Vasser Sullivan ended its 2022 season with its No. 14 RC F GT3 taking a class victory at Petit Le Mans.

I just loved how unassuming this car was. At the New York International Auto Show, the basement is always reserved for heavily-modded cars (and, oddly, a display from the New York State Police and/or NYPD). Aside from a matte black paintjob (or wrap), this RX-8 was about as stock as can be. Just a little guy hanging out with all the chromed-out, slammed, big-wheeled, flare-fendered show-offs, having a great time.

This auto show marked two special occasions for me. First, it was my closest run-in with a Midnight Purple R34 Skyline GT-R. Second, it was (somehow) my first time sitting in an R35 GT-R. As it turns out, that newer car has a beautiful gauge cluster — it reminds me of a sim racing setup, it genuinely feels like a race car. Getting to see the latest two generations of GT-R together, in one spot, is a truly neat experience.

Porsche has made a lot of 911s over the years, and we can argue all day about which particular model is or isn’t our favorite. But, when it comes to the 911s on display at the NYIAS, this restomodded 993 is my favorite 911 at the show. Built by Redline Restorations, this widebody Porsche has been LS-swapped so that it now produces more than 500 hp. It’s also finished in a deep teal color that looks magical.

HAHAHA I was right about what this truck was, and Steve was wrong! Idiot!

Normally, when you see a fast A80 Supra, it follows a standard formula: Take the factory engine, swap the twin turbos for a big single, and call it a day. But when Top Secret wanted to hit 300 km/h, wildcard Smokey Nagata took a different approach. He ripped the 2JZ out, slapped in a four-cylinder 3S-GTE stroked out to 2.2 liters, and made 700 horsepower to the wheels. This is that very same car — the GT300 stands for that 300 km/h goal — and it’a incredible to see in real life.

This is a 1971 example wrapped in gold, which is a delightful thing to do, and if you don’t believe me go to the show yourself and see how many people are drawn to it on the Javits Center’s bottom floor, stuffed with tuners of all sorts. The owner told me that the shop where this VW was parked had been broken into last year, and on video he caught the would-be thieves trying and failing to start it and move it, because they apparently did not know how to drive a manual transmission. Still, they left a couple gashes in the rear, though with the wrap this Type 1 still gleams.

Look how Chevy hid the Camaro all the way at the back end of their stand, up against the wall, as far away from the crowd as possible.

Tucked away in the corner of Chevy’s stand was this little blue Camaro. Take it in, because it’s probably the last sixth-gen we’ll see at the New York Auto Show. It’s a bit of a sad thing, but alas.