{"id":27999,"date":"2021-09-23T13:05:57","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T17:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=27999"},"modified":"2021-09-23T13:10:16","modified_gmt":"2021-09-23T17:10:16","slug":"payne-here-are-the-10-best-features-at-motor-bella","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/payne-here-are-the-10-best-features-at-motor-bella","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Here are the 10 best features at Motor Bella"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pontiac<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 A 1961 Amphicar 770, the\u00a0amphibious convertible that could drive in water as well as on land, would have been the perfect show car Wednesday when torrential rains shut down Motor Bella at M1 Concourse.<\/p>\n

The Amphicar would also\u00a0fit right in with the show\u2019s experiential theme.<\/p>\n

This is a different experience for Detroit Auto\u00a0Show goers. Static car displays play second fiddle around M1\u2019s 85-acre property containing on- and-off-road tracks. Like M1\u2019s Roadkill Nights before the Woodward Dream Cruise, if you aren\u2019t in a long line waiting for a ride then you\u2019re missing the full experience.<\/p>\n

\"Ram<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

With that in mind, this column recommends \u2014 not just the best cars in show \u2014 but the best Motor Bella features. Here\u2019s my Top Ten:<\/p>\n

Ride the ‘Rex:<\/strong>\u00a0What do you get when your cross a Hellcat with a Ram pickup? TRX \u2014 pronounced T-rex. With a 702-horsepower\u00a0supercharged\u00a06.2-liter V-8 in its belly, the Ram 1500 TRX\u00a0joins the Ford Raptor as segment-busting supertrucks. Ram wants you to experience TRX at full tilt. Jump in line at the 120-square-foot off-road experience and hang on: with a pro driver at the reins, you\u2019ll accelerate from 0-60, hurtle moguls, claw ’round a dirt banking and hit 50 mph before flying \u2014 yes, flying \u2014 over a jump. TRX\u00a0sticks the landing every time.<\/p>\n

\"2022<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

F-150 Lightning bolt:<\/strong>\u00a0At the opposite, northwest end of the M1 property from the TRX test is an on-track opportunity with the electric Ford F-150 Lightning. It\u2019s the stealth pickup. Armed with an absurd 775 pound-feet of torque from twin motors, Lightning will quietly rocket\u00a0to 60 mph as fast\u00a0as TRX.<\/p>\n

“This sucker’s quick!” exclaimed President Joe Biden when he drove it on a recent\u00a0Dearborn visit. Check out the pickup\u2019s gigantic frunk (front trunk) where the gas engine used to be. Lightning\u2019s batteries are stored low between the pickup\u2019s frame rails.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Toyota Tundra:<\/strong>\u00a0The all-new Tundra, big and\u00a0aggressive,\u00a0anchors Toyota’s exhibit overlooking Motor Bella\u2019s infield. Remade from the inside out, the Texas-made pickup\u00a0learns lessons from its Detroit peers and should be the most competitive full-size Toyota yet. The once conservative skin is replaced by a chiseled bod that looks like it drove out of a LEGO Technic box. Under the new sheet meal, innovations include coil springs in the rear\u00a0(like Ram), a big\u00a014-inch screen (like the Detroit Three)\u00a0and composite bed (Toyota’s answer to more corrosive steel and aluminum boxes).<\/p>\n

\"Jump<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Get dirty in a Wrangler:<\/strong>\u00a0Jeep Wranglers\u00a0are\u00a0everywhere, but have you\u00a0experienced their off-road capability? Saddle up a Wrangler Rubicon, 392, or 4xe, and you\u2019ll get a treat over Jeep\u2019s diabolical dirt course (next to\u00a0Ram’s course). Tilt 20 degrees through\u00a0The Spine, charge up an extreme\u00a0dirt hill, scamper over logs, chew rocks. The course has it all.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Bronco rodeo:<\/strong>\u00a0Ford has its sights set on Wrangler and its dirt-kicker has brought a course of its own to M1’s infield. There, a\u00a0fleet of Broncos take\u00a0you through water, sand, and up and over a 21-foot-tall roller-coaster hill (the best view in Motor Bella). The obstacles show off the ute\u2019s capabilities and tools, including\u00a0water-fording, articulated wheel crawling\u00a0and hill descent control. After the ride, immerse yourself in static displays that demonstrate Bronco’s removable doors, top\u00a0and fenders.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Mustang Mach-E e-Xperience:<\/strong>\u00a0Next to the Bronco rodeo is a ride\u00a0of a different sort. The Mustang Mach-E is Ford\u2019s first EV. Like Bronco vs.\u00a0Wrangler, Mach-E wants to go toe-to-battery\u00a0with class stud\u00a0Tesla Model Y. Big center screen, tight handling, instant torque. Say hello to your driver before he stomps on the throttle \u2014 behind those masks are some interesting folks. Mine was a National Hot Rod\u00a0Association\u00a0nitro-fuel drag racer.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

McLaren Senna:<\/strong>\u00a0For the first time, the exclusive Gallery exotic\u00a0car show (usually invitation-only) is open to the masses. Located behind the infield toward the road course, it contains some rare birds. My favorite is the Senna \u2014 named, appropriately, after the late Brazilian\u00a0Formula\u00a01 superstar. The McLaren\u00a0is a race car with a license plate. It owns Car and Driver\u2019s Lightning Lap record around epic Virginia\u00a0International Raceway in 2 minutes, 34.9 seconds. That\u2019s, ahem, three seconds faster than a Porsche 911 GT2 RS.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Bollinger B2:<\/strong>\u00a0Metro Detroit is home to two new pickup brands: Rivian and Bollinger. Bollinger makes its auto show debut at Motor Bella. The imposing, black\u00a0B1 SUV and \u00a0B2 pickup siblings loom just off the infield. They’re off-road ready with dual locking-differentials, gnarly tires, 15-inch ground-clearance, and 10-inch suspension travel. My favorite feature is the bumper-to-bumper pass-through channel so you can load longboards.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

‘Vettes galore:\u00a0<\/strong>Lots of eye candy here for fans of America\u2019s favorite supercar. A pair of delicious\u00a0mid-engine\u00a0C8 Stingrays \u2014 in IMSA GTLM Championship Edition trim \u2014 welcome you to GM’s infield tent. But wait, there\u2019s more. The\u00a0so-called \u201cLost Corvettes\u201d from artist Peter Max\u2019s historic\u00a0car collection are on the Woodward Avenue side of the infield. Restored to perfection, six will be given to military veterans Friday as part of\u00a0a charity auction. Call them ‘Vettes for\u00a0Vets.<\/p>\n

\"NASCAR<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Camaro NASCAR:<\/strong>\u00a0In addition to the race-inspired Corvettes, GM is showcasing the intersection between racing and production. Hot shoe\u00a0Austin Dillon dropped in to introduce the next-gen NASCAR Camaro Cup car. It features significant updates with an independent rear suspension, sequential\u00a0shifter, and wicked stance. It debuts\u00a0at next year\u2019s Daytona 500.<\/p>\n

Not a bad debut for Motor Bella either. Hopefully the first of more great shows.<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pontiac\u00a0\u2014 A 1961 Amphicar 770, the\u00a0amphibious convertible that could drive in water as well as on land, would have been the perfect show car Wednesday when torrential rains shut down Motor Bella at M1 Concourse. The Amphicar would also\u00a0fit right in with the show\u2019s experiential theme. This is a different experience for Detroit Auto\u00a0Show goers. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27999"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27999"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28000,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27999\/revisions\/28000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}