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Monterey 2024 Preview: Everything to Expect at the World's Biggest Car Event

Monterey Car Week has become the go-to car event for manufacturers to reveal their latest models. The mid-August collection of car shows, parties, and concours happening on the California coast is no different for 2024, where we expect some of the biggest debuts of the year from the likes of Lamborghini, Pagani, BMW, Rimac, and more. 

We've put together a rundown of all of the important debuts and reveals you can expect from Monterey Car Week, happening August 12 through 18. No matter what you're into, we bet there's something cool coming out for you. 

BMW M5 Touring

BMW confirmed back in April it would sell the upcoming M5 Touring in the United States, and it plans to show the car to the world for the first time in Monterey. This will be the first M-badged wagon sold in America, giving Stateside buyers a taste of the usually forbidden fruit.

We expect the M5 Touring to share its mechanicals with the M5 sedan revealed back in June. That means 717 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque from a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 and an electric motor, sending thrust to all four wheels. Because of the extra bodywork, the M5 Touring should also be even heavier than the 5,390-pound sedan. Pricing should start somewhere around $130,000, with deliveries beginning by 2025.

Cadillac Sollei Concept

The Cadillac Sollei concept is a stunner. The name is a combination of the words SOL, for the sun, and LEIsure—and this is Cadillac's first new hand-built car in more than 50 years. The open-top, four-seat luxury vehicle was inspired by the equally stunning Ciel concept from 2011, but it uses the Celestiq's Ultium electric platform underneath. The exterior and interior wear an Aurora Yellow paint job inspired by the vehicle's name, while meticulously hand-cut wood veneers line the interior.

Will Cadillac produce this beautiful droptop? Your guess is as good as ours. But the company did say that this vehicle would preview the near-limitless possibilities of bespoke commissions in the future.

355 By Evoluto

Evoluto Automobili announced in July its plans to create a limited run of sports cars based on the Ferrari F355. Called the 355 by Evoluto, it will make its global debut at Monterey. Each of the 55 examples will use new carbon fiber body panels designed by Ian Callum, along with new exterior lighting, modern aerodynamics, and a redesigned interior.

Powering the 355 by Evoluto is a naturally aspirated flat-plane crank V-8 making 420 horsepower (45 more horses than the original car). Thankfully power is still sent to the rear wheels via a gated six-speed manual transmission. There’s also upgraded Brembo brakes and a 23-percent stiffer chassis thanks to a process the firm calls “carbon fusing.” There’s no word on price, though it’s safe to assume this car will cost much more than a standard F355.

Honda HP-X Concept

Honda is bringing something special to Monterey Car Week. At this year's Concours d'Elegance, the Japanese Automaker will roll out its first sports car concept: The HP-X. Built in 1984 for the Turin Motor Show, the 40-year-old concept car will compete on the main lawn during Sunday's Concours event. The concept underwent a full ground-up restoration, and it will be the first Japanese car on the main event field in over 50 years.

Lamborghini Huracán Successor

The biggest reveal of Monterey Car Week 2024 will be Lamborghini’s Huracán successor. Trademark filings suggest the car will be called Temerario, the Italian word for reckless. Expected to go on sale in 2025, the Temerario should have a starting price somewhere around $300,000. 

Purists will have to get to grips with the Temerario’s new engine. Gone is the widely championed 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V-10, replaced with a twin-turbo V-8 making 789 horsepower. Combined with standard hybrid assistance, the car will make over 887 hp, per CEO Stephan Winkelmann. The engine should also be able to rev to 10,000 rpm, suggesting a uniquely exciting exhaust note.

Maserati MC20-Based 'Super Sports Car'

Maserati announced last week it plans to reveal a new “super sports car” at Monterey, based on its mid-engine MC20. The company says the new car will “inherit the racing spirit of the Maserati GT2,” its factory race car. The reveal itself will happen at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering on Friday, August 16.

We expect to see an MC20 with more aero and a bit more power from its 621-horsepower twin-turbo V-6 engine, akin to something like Porsche’s 911 GT3 RS. There’s no word on pricing, availability, or delivery start dates, though at least some of that info should be available once the car is revealed.

NILU Hypercar

Nilu27 is a new brand from renowned designer Sasha Selipanov. Its first car, the NILU Hypercar, is aimed directly at purists' hearts. It comes complete with a naturally aspirated V-12 from Hartley Engines, rated at over 1,000 horsepower. The only transmission choice is a seven-speed gated manual from CIMA, sending power to the rear wheels.

The NILU is all about the analog experience. There are no buttons on the steering wheel, and all of the interior adjustments, like the pedal box, the headrest, and the door mirrors, are done manually. The only screen is mounted in the rear-view mirror to help with reversing. Nilu27 plans to build 15 track-only models before moving to 54 additional street-legal units.

Pagani Utopia Roadster 

As if the Pagani Utopia weren’t pretty enough, the Italian supercar maker is debuting a drop-top version of its latest hypercar in Monterey. The Pagani Utopia Roadster loses its roof but weighs exactly the same as the coupe: 2,822 pounds dry. It also has the same twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12 engine as the coupe, making 852 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque, paired to either a seven-speed manual or a seven-speed automated manual with paddle shifters. The Utopia Roadster has a top speed of 217 miles per hour.

Want one? Pagani is asking €3.1 million each (or about $3.4 million USD) for a Utopia Roadster. The company only plans to build 130 examples worldwide.

Pininfarina

The $2.5-million, 1,827-horsepower Pininfarina Battista is already an exclusive hypercar. But at Car Week, Pininfarina will debut a special vehicle that promises to be even more exclusive. Pininfarina describes its latest one-off as an “entirely new vehicle.” We still don't know what it is, and the lone teaser image doesn't give us any hints, but we expect it to be plenty powerful and extremely pricey.

Rimac

Rimac hasn't officially confirmed anything for Monterey, so your guess is as good as ours. But the electric supercar maker did release a teaser video recently that suggests, “a new storm has swept through.” The Nevera's name means a “sudden storm” in Croatian, so does that mean we could see a more powerful version of the Nevera in Monterey? Or a new supercar entirely? We'll have to wait and see what the company has planned when Car Week kicks off.

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