14
•
Seattle Auto Show Official Guide
P
ut the pedal to the
metal. At one point
in our lives, we’ve all
done it — many of us more
than once.
Whether it’s merging onto
the interstate or being the
first off the line, there’s no
better vehicle than a high-
performance sports car.
These days there’s some-
thing in every price range,
from the new Scion FR-S
and Subaru BRZ, starting
at around $25,000, to the
Cadillac CTS-V, Porsche
Carrera 911 and Audi R8,
starting at ... well, a little
more than that.
While it’s hard to put
sports cars in groups, a gen-
eral classification would be:
•
Totally cool. Think small
and swift, like the Mazda
RX8 and Nissan 370Z.
•
Muscle and “pony” cars.
Your Mustangs, Camaros
and Challengers.
•
Supercars. Names like
Lamborghini, Maserati,
Ferrari, Jaguar, Lexus, Aston
Martin, BMW, McLaren,
Mercedes-Benz and Lotus.
A few powerhouses are in
the spotlight this year: the
2013
Corvette ZR1 (with
the special 60th-anniversary
package), the 405-hp Volvo
C30 Polestar speedster and,
arguably the world’s great-
est sports car, the Bugatti
Veyron.
Sports cars: Powerful performers turn heads
It’s always fun to take a break
from new-car sampling to ex-
perience some unique vehicles
you’re not likely to see on the
streets.
This year, you’ll see some one-
of-a-kinds from Seattle’s own
Cosmopolitan Motors LLC, in-
cluding an 1899 steam car, a 1956
BMW 600 four-seat micro-car,
and the Guinness record-holder
for the highest miles-per-gallon
rating ever documented — the
376-
mpg 1959 Opel.
From Great Britain comes
the Caterham, the classic Brit-
ish lightweight sports car that
evokes memories of 1950s road
racing, and the Morgan 3 Wheel-
er from Liberty Motors (right),
maybe the most fun you can
have on three wheels.
UNIQUE AUTOS ARE FUN, FAR OUT
Above: Nissan 370Z. Below: Chevrolet Camaro.
