Every August, the well-to-do Californian seaside towns of Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea overflow with supercars, ultra-rare classics and vintage racers, as the communities celebrate Monterey Car Week.
The event’s taking place between 9 and 18 August (slightly more than a week, you’ll note), and is a collection of various automotive celebrations. It’s anchored around the Motorsport Reunion at the nearby Laguna Seca circuit and the Pebble Beach Concours, where some of the most exclusive, valuable metal in existence goes on display.
In recent years, it’s also become a favoured destination for more upmarket manufacturers to launch their latest models in front of a well-heeled audience, and 2024’s no different, with a couple of very big debuts planned. Here’s a rundown of everything that’s getting the covers pulled off, or making its public debut.
Lamborghini Huracan successor
The Lamborghini Huracan successor’s V10 engine
By far the most significant launch this year is the new ‘junior’ supercar from Lamborghini – and we really do use that word in the vaguest possible sense. Replacing the now 10-year-old Huracan, and widely rumoured to be called Temerario, it’s powered by a new 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 with 789bhp and an astonishing 10,000rpm redline.
That’s not all, though – it’ll be a plug-in hybrid, with three electric motors likely to take peak power somewhere north of 900bhp. We’ve still had no official hint at what it might look like, but various spy shots show something that shouldn’t stray far from the Lambo styling we know and love. All will become clear on 16 August, but there’s more on what we know about the car here.
BMW M5 Touring
BMW M5 Touring teaser
We’ve already seen the new BMW M5 in saloon form – a 717bhp plug-in hybrid with plenty of tech (and plenty of weight to go with it). Perhaps the biggest story with this generation, though, is the return of the beloved M5 Touring estate, something we’ve only seen in small numbers with the E34 and E61 generations in the past.
The new M5 Touring – expected to carry the G99 chassis code – will be the first to be officially offered in North America, so it’s appropriate that BMW has chosen a US event to pull the covers off it. We’ll see it on 15 August.
Hardcore Maserati MC20
Maserati MC20 teaser
Maserati is lining up what looks to be a more hardcore version of the MC20 supercar. All we have so far is one shadowy teaser that shows a series of strakes on the front wing, above the wheel, but the company has confirmed it’s going to be road-legal, unlike the MCXtrema track car.
Our bet is on a track-focused road car to take on the likes of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, but we’ll know for sure on 16 August. Read more here.
Nilu27 hypercar
Nilu27 hypercar
Barely a year goes by at Monterey without some previously unheard of company pitching up with a brand new hypercar that makes a big splash, only for it to later slip into obscurity. The oddly-named Nilu27, though, could be different, because the company’s been founded by someone with plenty of experience in the hypercar sphere – ex-Bugatti and Koenigsegg designer, Sasha Selipanov.
The company’s first, currently unnamed car promises to deliver a highly analogue experience, and what we’ve seen so far is promising – a brand-new naturally aspirated V12 with a scintillating 11,000rpm redline, and a seven-speed open-gated manual. The car’s getting unveiled in full on 15 August, but in the meantime, you can read more here.
Pininfarina one-off
Pininfarina one-off teaser
Pininfarina Automobili – the producer of the electric Battista hypercar, technically a separate company to the famed Italian design house – has announced the debut of a new one-off for a wealthy client. That’s about all the information we have for now beyond a sole image of what appears to be a slatted engine cover. Are we looking at something electric based on the Battista, or something else entirely? We’ll find out soon.
Something from Rimac (maybe)
Okay, this is just rumour, but Rimac – the Croatian EV hypercar maker (and supplier of powertrains to Pininfarina, incidentally) – has just archived all its social media posts, and changed its bio. It now simply reads: “A new storm has swept through. Stay tuned.”
Obviously, this is confirmation of nothing, but it feels like more than pure coincidence that it’s started teasing something a couple of weeks out from one of the most significant events on the annual hypercar calendar. We’ll be watching this one closely.
Honda HP-X
Honda HP-X
Very much not new, but appearing in North America for the first time, is the 1984 Honda HP-X. This Pininfarina-designed concept car, powered by a mid-mounted 2.0-litre V6, previewed what Honda was planning for the original NSX. Given all the recent rumours about that name’s revival, is Honda hinting at something here?
Probably not. It seems that Honda enjoys teasing us at Pebble Beach – at the same event last year, its North American luxury wing, Acura, released some teaser images of a shadowy EV hypercar concept. A year on, we’ve not even seen a full version of that concept, let alone anything approaching a new NSX.
The rest
Pagani Utopia Roadster
There are plenty of other cars making their public debuts at Monterey, which we’ve already seen in the run-up to the event. Pagani will be showing off the Utopia Roadster, and Cadillac will be displaying the Sollei concept, a majestic luxury convertible designed to showcase the work of its bespoke creations division. There’s also the Arcade Sojourn, a delightful restomod Mercedes G-Class.
