Tag Archives: Monterey Car Week

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Tony Stark’s NSX Is Back — and It’s Ready to Save Monterey Car Week

It’s been over a decade since we last saw Tony Stark’s most understated accessory — no, not the Iron Man suit — the Acura NSX Roadster from The Avengers. And now, like every good Marvel character, it’s getting a dramatic comeback. This August, at Monterey Car Week, the one-off superhero supercar will roll into The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, looking exactly as it did when it first stole scenes back in 2012 — complete with its “Stark 33” plates and Hollywood swagger.

Acura’s bringing it out as part of the 35th anniversary celebration of the first-gen NSX, which is a bit like having a birthday party and inviting Robert Downey Jr. to bring cake. And in true Tony Stark fashion, it’s not just for show — the roadster will be auctioned next year, with all proceeds going to charity. If you’re interested, Acura’s accepting “hand raisers” at Monterey. Think of it as RSVP-ing for the chance to outbid other rich petrolheads.

Now, for the petrolhead gossip: this roadster wasn’t some digital movie magic. Built by Trans FX in Oxnard, California, it started life as a very real, very tired 1991 NSX with 252,000 miles on the clock. Yes — that’s enough mileage to lap the planet ten times, but Marek and his crew decided nothing could be more reliable for filming than an OG NSX. They slapped on a hand-crafted resin and fiberglass body, dropped the suspension two inches, bolted on 18-inch wheels, fitted aftermarket seats, and — voila — Stark’s superhero cruiser was born.

The styling came straight from Acura’s LA Design Studio, drawing inspiration from the second-gen NSX Concept shown at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Unlike most movie props, this one isn’t a hollow shell — it’s fully driveable and, frankly, cooler than half the stuff that came after in the Marvel garage.

And because Acura knows how to party, the NSX Roadster won’t be alone. Sitting alongside it at The Quail will be a 1995 NSX-R, a 1999 Zanardi Edition, and the brand-new RSX Prototype — Acura’s all-electric premium performance SUV of the future.

So, if you happen to be at Monterey Car Week on August 15, brace yourself. You might not see Iron Man, but you will see the car that proved Tony Stark didn’t just have good taste in tech — he had impeccable taste in wheels.

Source: Acura

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Pagani Unleashes Its Track-Only Titans at Monterey Car Week

Pagani Automobili is set to make history at this year’s Monterey Car Week with a spectacle the brand has never attempted before. For the first time, over two decades of the marque’s most ferocious track-only Hypercars will unite in a single event — a celebration not just of speed, but of relentless engineering, radical design, and a singular philosophy: the racetrack is sacred ground.

At the center of this tribute is the Huayra R Evo Roadster, the latest — and arguably wildest — chapter in Pagani’s Arte in Pista program. Sculptural yet savage, this open-top marvel blends classical racing allure with cutting-edge aerodynamic and mechanical mastery. When it debuts at The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering on August 15, it’s not just expected to draw crowds — it’s expected to stop them in their tracks.

The Evolution of Extremes

The Huayra R Evo Roadster isn’t just a topless variant of its hardtop sibling. It’s the most extreme Pagani ever made — full stop. Inspired by the raw spirit of 1960s Le Mans icons, it pairs a naturally aspirated 6.0-liter V12-R Evo engine with a peak output of 900 horsepower and a stratospheric 9,200 rpm redline. Downforce is up 45% from the previous model, and a new set of heave dampers keeps the chassis razor-sharp through the corners. It’s a car designed not for numbers, but for sensations: the rush of wind, the primal howl of twelve cylinders, the blissful violence of total immersion.

That emotional impact will come to life at noon sharp during The Quail, when the Huayra R Evo Roadster’s engine roars to life at the Pagani stand. Immediately following, none other than Horacio Pagani himself will appear for a fan meet-and-greet and autograph session — a rare opportunity to connect with one of the most revered figures in modern automotive design.

A Legacy on Display

But the Huayra R Evo Roadster won’t stand alone. It will be flanked by a lineage of track-only Paganis that shaped its DNA — each one a milestone in Pagani’s evolution as a performance purist.

  • Zonda Monza (2004): The car that started it all — Pagani’s first true track machine. Commissioned by a client who demanded more than road-going excellence, it featured bespoke racing hardware and a 7.0-liter AMG V12. An uncompromising one-off that set the tone for everything that followed.
  • Zonda R (2009): A car born from the question: What if we removed every constraint of road legality? The answer? A 750 HP missile with a Carbo-Titanium monocoque and Nürburgring lap record of 6:47. Brutally fast and terrifyingly beautiful.
  • Zonda Revolución (2013): A technological crescendo. With 800 HP, DRS-equipped aerodynamics, and F1-grade magnesium sequential gearbox, the Revolución blurred the line between hypercar and prototype.
  • Huayra R (2021): A spiritual successor to the Zonda R, bringing with it a new V12, 850 HP, 8,250 rpm of fury, and downforce exceeding 1,000 kg at speed. BBC Top Gear dubbed its roar the “Best Noise of the Year” — and rightly so.

Laguna Seca: Where Legends Breathe

The celebration continues on Saturday, August 16, at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion — one of the world’s most prestigious tributes to historic racing. There, on the sinuous tarmac of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the Huayra R Evo Roadster will do what it was born to do: run flat-out.

In a special hot lap session honoring the 75th anniversary of Formula 1, Pagani’s latest masterpiece will echo through the hills, a living bridge between motorsport’s golden past and its electrifying future.

In an era of quiet EVs and algorithm-driven design, Pagani remains defiantly analog — and thrillingly human. Their presence at Monterey Car Week isn’t just an exhibition of machinery; it’s a bold declaration that emotion, craftsmanship, and mechanical purity still matter.

And if you’re lucky enough to be there when that V12 screams to life, you won’t just hear it — you’ll feel it in your bones.

Source: Pagani