Gallery: ten years of cars from the Detroit Motor Show

The Detroit Motor Show has been awash with new releases and big reveals already this year, with Lexus’s 467bhp LC 500 arguably the pick of the bunch so far.

It doesn’t finish for another week and a bit so there’s plenty more to come, but it got us wondering about which cars had stolen the show over the past few years.

After a quick look back through the TopGear.com archives, we came up with the following list. Let the disagreement commence...

Twelve months ago Ford hogged the limelight at Detroit by unveiling their new GT, which customers are due to receive later this year.

The third iteration of the iconic car will be fitted with a twin-turbo, 3.5-litre EcoBoost engine as opposed to the V8 of the previous model, and will churn out more than 600bhp. Which according to Ford is more overall power than the racing version set to feature at Le Mans this year. Cripes.

The bodywork has been painstakingly designed to maximise downforce with active aero applied to the rear wing, while push-rod suspension and adjustable ride height should make it a performance car with potential for everyday use.

So plenty to suggest that the GT will give the Ferrari 488 a run for its money. Twin test, anyone?

Toyota wowed Detroit’s audience in 2014 with its stunning FT-1 concept, which at the time was rumoured to be the starting point for a new Supra at some point in the future.

“It’s a sexy halo sports car,” said Toyota’s California Studio President Kevin Hunter at the time.

Another car built to harvest downforce at high speed, the rear-drive machine posted the best time around Fuji Speedway at the hands of Toyota’s global boss Akio Toyoda. In a simulator, that is.

Sadly though, the trail has since gone cold. Rumours about an impending Supra are scarce, with some reports suggesting that if it is on its way, it will look nothing like the FT-1. Shame.

Chevrolet claimed the biggest headlines in 2013 when it revealed the new Corvette, a 450bhp V8 with 450lb ft of torque and a thumping 0-60mph time of just under four seconds.

In fact, Chevy was so proud of it they christened their new car with a Stingray badge traditionally used on only their best innovations.

And not only did the numbers impress, but so too did the looks. The bonnet and roof were spared plasticification and forged with carbon fiber, while the interior was styled thoroughly to tempt potential 911 customers away from Porsche. Sneaky.

The return of the Honda NSX was the main talking point at Detroit four years ago, with engineers vague on details but confident that the concept model would be an accurate depiction of the finished product.

Honda promised that the production car would be on sale within three years, and despite showing off an updated version with ‘over 550bhp’ at DMS 2015, we’re still waiting for the NSX to hit the showrooms. Boo.

Reports say that it will finally be delivered this Spring, selling for approximately $150,000 in the US and roughly the same figure in pounds in the UK. Worth the mark-up?

In 2011, Porsche decided that the 918 Spyder – today a rival to the LaFerrari and the McLaren P1 – was nowhere near scary enough. So it added some racing pedigree. And a stripe.

Combined with the tech of the 911 GT3 R hybrid the German carmaker created the 918 RSR, tuned to expel 563bhp at a scarcely believable 10,300rpm.

It was also finished with the number 22, a tribute to the 917K which won Le Mans in 1970 and 1971 with an average speed of 138mph, with its total race distance of 5335km in the latter of those years only bettered once each in 2010 and 2015.

Equipped with a six-speed paddleshift transmission, the V8 was capable of 767bhp with the help of electric motors.

According to Ford boss Alan Mulally, this was their most important product for a quarter of a century.

The third generation Focus was revealed to the world with a 1.6-litre EcoBoost turbo petrol engine which – thanks to some clever engineering – delivered more power than the existing 2.0-litre petrol at the time. In addition, the emissions were cut as fuel economy improved too. Neat.

Crucially though, the Focus continued to stake its claim as one of the best handling hot hatches on the market, with redesigned suspension and variable power steering making it that little bit sharper than before.

Fisker pulled the covers off a brand new Karma in Detroit in 2009, but also dipped its toe in the water with this two-door convertible concept S version.

Based on the standard four-door, the Karma S was designed to share the 260bhp 2.0-litre GM engine, with a stated range of 50 miles in electric mode and an economy figure of 100mpg using its hybrid setup.

Eventually Fisker put the S into production – adding ‘Sunset’ to the name – creating the world’s first plug-in hybrid cabriolet.

Ah, the Furai. Fondly thought of in the TG office, not least because we, er, accidentally torched it.

The concept monster was launched in 2008 with 450bhp and a top speed of 180mph, accompanied by the looks to match.

Mazda never planned to sell or race the concept car, intending instead to use it as a guinea pig for aerodynamic tests, although thanks to us they never got the chance.

At its one and only magazine drive at Bentwaters Parks in August 2008, the engine caught fire and the car was quickly engulfed by flames. The smoldering remains were the last anyone saw of the Furai. Sorry.

One of the motoring industry’s worst-kept secrets in 2007, the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe was launched with a price tag of £260,000. Chicken feed, frankly.

This two-door coupe was based on the Phantom saloon, although it came with its own identity having been fitted with 1,300 new parts.

Some of those were inspired by the 100EX concept convertible that preceded the Drophead, namely the brushed steel bonnet and the teak decking at the rear. Perfect for that country house garden look.

Lamborghini produced this concept a decade ago, updating the Miura for the present day with every detail receiving a facelift whilst maintaining its classic appearance.

At the time Lambo kept quiet about whether or not they would put the Miura into production, although they eventually decided that the company should be focussed on the future and not the past, so the idea was shelved.