Manufacturer Brands not opting to participate in auto shows have left organizers with empty floorspace to fill. The past few editions of the New York Auto Show have done a decent job at presenting transportation culture-related collections. Radwood participated one year and there was also an attempt to create a dedicated section for electric scooters and e-bikes complete with a test track.

What seems to have stuck is local rare and exotic dealer Manhattan Motorcars exhibiting a selection of vehicles from their portfolio of brands. Downstairs is custom and tuner heaven with a extensive exhibition of vintage and contemporary mostly Japanese vehicles from R2XPO. Both add the much needed spice to the show largely dedicated to bland and sensible SUVs.

A couple highlights include The 2025 Karma Kaveya EV hypercar looked quite nice especially shown in silver paint making the forms easy to read. It’s not the most daring of exteriors but I appreciate the cleanliness of surfaces and the restraint against gimmicky detailing like fake intakes and vents still in rampant use around the rest of contemporary automotive design.

With a similar luxury and performance vibe was the vintage 90s Jaguar XJ220 downstairs also coated in a nice form rendering shade of silver. The photos do justice to how big this car is in person. It was a treat to take it all in up close before it was parked behind distracting ropes.

Photos and Text: Dave Pinter