The AutoRAI 2015 is ongoing in Amsterdam. GTspirit was at the press day of the Netherlands’ biggest car exhibition and display. Staged at the RAI convention and exhibition centre, the show is expecting thousands of visitors to pass through the doors until it closes on 26th April.
AutoRAI used to be held every two years, regularly featuring several scoops and unveilings. However, with strong competition from other international car shows, AutoRAI’s popularity and standing declined and so this is the first AutoRAI since 2011. After keeping the Dutch car fans hungry for four years, much is expected from this year’s edition. GTspirit.com presents you a brief overview of some of the highlights.
After the grand unveiling at the New York International Auto Show 2015, the European unveiling of the McLaren 570S took place at the AutoRAI in Amsterdam; without a doubt this was the highlight of the show. The two-door coupe gets a top speed of 328 km/h (204 mph) and weighs just 1,313 kilograms. It has the 3.8 litre twin-turbo V8 with 570 hp making it capable of a 100 km/h sprint in just 3.2 seconds.
The car was only on display until April 19, but is already a great success. Before the show had even began, nine McLaren 570S’ had already been ordered in the Netherlands. The official dealer Louwman Exclusive informed us that they were only able to secure four units, so will have to disappoint the remaining buyers.
Another stand that received plenty of attention was the Porsche display. It had a very colourful show of some of their latest models. First, the Porsche Boxter GTS grabbed our attention – featuring 330 hp and a top speed of 281 km/h, it is among the most powerful convertibles Porsche have to offer at this moment.
Next to it, we found a bright yellow Porsche Cayman GT4. It looks absolutely fantastic in this colour and would be quite the eye-catcher on the road with these features. To the right of the Cayman GT4, we find the Porsche 911 Targa 4S. This is not ‘just’ a 911 Targa 4S. This is the exclusive 50th anniversary edition of which only 15 will be produced, all of which had been sold after the first day of its official debut at the AutoRAI.
Following the recent unveiling of the Lamborghini Aventador LP750-4 SV in Geneva last month, it was natural that it would be present at AutoRAI. This beast of a machine is the most powerful Aventador to date and delivers a stunning 750 horsepower. It has a top speed of 350 km/h and reaches the first 100 in just 2.8 seconds. Definitely one of the highlights, it was also ‘officially’ unveiled by Dutch DJ Afrojack, who subsequently signed a purchase contract for the Aventador Superveloce. Another real eye-catcher is the yellow Lamborghini Huracán, positioned next to the Aventador SV.
Continuing to the Bentley stand, we find a rather special car that many of us do not get to see so often – the Bentley Continental GT3, which features a 600 bhp 4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine.
Ferrari, Rolls Royce and Aston Martin also made quite the impression among visitors. As a result of a joint operation between two high-end Dutch car dealers and importers, there were plenty of jewels for the public to admire.
Arriving at the Mercedes-Benz stand we find a Mercedes-AMG GT S in a fantastic red paint finish. Together with the all-new Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 which grabbed the most attention of the public. The Mercedes stand also featured a matte white S 63 AMG Coupé and a AMG C63 S. Other cars that made a visit to the AutoRAI 2015 include the all-new Audi RS3 Sportback, Jaguar F-Type, Ford Mustang, Corvette C7 Stingray, Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Centenaire Jean-Pierre Wimille, McLaren 650S and the Volkswagen XL1 concept.
Last but not least we visited the Autovisie supercar paddock, which features some rather nice cars including the Porsche 918 Spyder, Lamborghini Aventador Roadster, Ferrari F40, Lexus LFA and a BMW i8 by JD Customs.
It was a memorable visit to the AutoRAI 2015, finally back after four long years. We are hoping for the AutoRAI 2015 to be a great success, so we can be back for a full report in hopefully not more than a year or two. Stay tuned for the latest here on GTspirit.com and keep an eye out for the news from Shanghai this week!
