911 Turbo

Make
Porsche
Segment
Coupe

We've already dealt with the sports cars that we know will be showcased at this year's Detroit Auto Show, but they won't be the fastest offerings at the event. On the contrary, there are quite a few cars that will blow the BMW M2 and Mercedes-Benz SLC we detailed in the previous preview piece out of the water. That will certainly be the case with the new Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG Cabriolet. As expected from a car that packs the punch of a twin-turbocharged, 621-horsepower V12 engine, the S65 Cabrio is quick.

A run from 0-62 mph happens in 4.1 seconds and its maximum speed is 186 mph. Both are impressive, especially for a four-seater luxury convertible that weighs over two tons. If this $230,000+ luxury drop top had been the only high performance car announced for Detroit this year, then the S65 Cabrio would probably be our biggest pre-show highlight. However, Porsche is in with a big shot of upstaging Mercedes-Benz, courtesy of its facelifted 911 Turbo line-up. While most of the tweaks to the "new" Turbo are to keep the car's looks in line with the rest of the 911 range, the big news for us are the power upgrades. There's an increase of 18 hp for the Turbo and 20 hp for the Turbo S, good for 532 hp and 572 hp respectively.

Unsurprisingly, such grunt endows the flagship forced-induction porkers with serious speed. The Turbo S models, for instance, can comfortably crack the 200 mph barrier, with the regular Turbo models only just missing out on reaching that marker. They're also incredibly brisk from point to point. Even the standard 911 Turbo can crack the 0-62 mph sprint in three seconds, with the pokier Turbo S completing the same run with a tenth of a second to spare. Make no mistake, then, the facelifted Porsche 911 Turbo variants are quick. But there's a pretty good chance that Henrik Fisker might upstage them all, with his awkwardly-christened "The Force 1" sports car project.

The name may be silly, but the rest of Fisker's latest venture seems quite promising. Not only does the sole teaser sketch hint at something truly stunning, The Force 1 has some pretty impressive tech under the skin. There's a "high output naturally-aspirated engine," super-sticky tires and active suspension developed by a "an acclaimed American racing driver."

That's all we really know so far, though there's plenty we can speculatively infer. Given Fisker's more recent projects involve redesigned Ford Mustangs, for instance, we wouldn't be surprised if the engine is related to the flat-plane crank V8 found in the Shelby GT350 'Stangs. You also heard it here first if The Force 1's adaptive dampers end up using tech developed by DSC Sport, a company founded by racing driver Mike Levitas who also runs his own Porsche USA Cup team. Those dampers probably make up a good chunk of The Force 1's $300,000 asking price. If they result in a terrific track-ready sports car, though, it'll be money well spent in our eyes.