Early Start Lets Show Join the Circus

Posted on 3/15/05 11:30 a.m. CST

NEW YORK — March Madness takes on a new meaning this year in New York City. In the heat of the annual collegiate basketball tournament bedlam, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus brings its clowns and elephants to Madison Square Garden on the same day the New York International Auto Show opens at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

The show is relatively early this year, as its timing is tied to Easter. The early start, coupled with the circus, will be a good test of traffic management on Manhattan's west side, just as the ongoing debate over whether to build a giant football stadium remains front-page news.

Here are some of the vehicles never before seen in America that will be on display at the show:

The 325i and 330i keep their traditional inline-six-cylinder design, but the 3.0-liter engine now is 30 percent lighter thanks to the widespread use of magnesium in the crankcase, bearings and cylinder headcover. It's more powerful, too — the 330i cranks out 225 horsepower at 6,600 rpm — 30 hp more than its predecessor — and the 325i is rated at 215 hp at 6,250 rpm.

Nissan will show the Sport Concept, its second small, youth-aimed concept on this year's auto show circuit. The four-seat hatchback is designed to appeal to buyers who might otherwise look for a car to customize. The Sport Concept follows the Azeal shown in Detroit; both come on the heels of the funky Actic hatchback from last year's shows.

The fastest four-door on the market, the Bentley Continental GT Flying Spur, is about to arrive in the United States. It's a modern incarnation inspired by the 1952 R-Type Continental and the equally legendary 1957 Bentley Flying Spur. The venerable British automaker claims the 522-hp twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12 can reach 60 mph in a blink under 5 seconds and has a top speed in excess of 190 mph.

Like its Continental GT sibling, the Flying Spur is all-wheel drive — a first for Bentley — with a six-speed automatic. And, the 120-inch wheelbase produces a cabin spacious enough to allow for airline-style reclining rear passenger seats, as in the Maybach line.

Suzuki aims to sell 200,000 vehicles in the United States by 2007 with an expanded lineup. The Japanese automaker's sales last year went up 26.5 percent, to 73,946 units. The increase was generated in part by last year's introductions of the premium Forenza sedan and wagon, midsize Verona sedan and five-door Reno sport utility vehicle.

This year, Suzuki is introducing two concept SUVs that show its design and technology direction. The midsize Concept-X SUV unveiled in Detroit in January is sculptured and sleek — from some angles it looks like the Nissan Murano. The Concept-X2 being unveiled in New York is a compact, expected to have similar design cues.