Each year, car enthusiasts flock to the Monterey Peninsula for prestigious Monterey Car Week. Home to some of the most exclusive shows, awards, and events, the week of automotive celebrations has become a popular setting to showcase new cars and concepts. Here are some debates and concepts seen this year:

Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

Automobili Lamborghini reviled the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ at “The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering”, in addition to a special edition, named SVJ 63,  at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and  pays homage to Lamborghini’s founding year, 1963.

The Aventador SVJ was created to be a demanding driver’s perfect car in terms of design, aerodynamic technologies and efficiency, weight-to-power as well as performance. Every facet of its ‘form follows function’ design was a significant downforce improvement compared to the previous Aventador SV: +40-percent on both axles with an improved drag coefficient -1-percent.

From the front the car is wider: a new front bumper with integrated side fins features a new air intake and highlights the inclusion of Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA), Lamborghini’s patented active aerodynamics technologies. The disconnected front splitter continues the impression of a floating component, while providing a channel for airflow. A tri-dimensional air outlet on the hood directs airflow, improves both drag and downforce, and clearly alludes to the aerodynamic purpose of the SVJ’s design.

The upper body aerodynamic optimization has contributed 70-percent to the total downforce improvement in the SVJ over the SV. The bigger side air intakes and the new front side fins reduce drag and improve overall cooling. An improved underbody aero design with vortex generators works in conjunction with front diffusers and a new, extreme-design rear diffuser, together with divergent fins, contributes 30% to the total downforce improvement.

The rear wing of the SVJ has been designed for best aerodynamic efficiency, based on a new air foil; an optimized ALA 2.0 system; and side winglets to reduce turbulence while providing high downforce on the straight as well as in high speed corners.

The Aventador SVJ is a driver-focused car, developed to maximize the union between driver and car in the most extreme road and track conditions and ensure the most rewarding experience.

Bugatti Divo

Bugatti presented its latest model, Divo, at “The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering.” Divo is a supercar tuned for agility, nimbleness and optimum handling performance on winding roads. It was named after Albert Divo, a French racing driver who was a two-time winner of the famous Targa Florio race on the mountainous roads of Sicily with Bugatti in the late 1920s.

“To date, a modern Bugatti has represented a perfect balance between high performance, straight-line dynamics and luxurious comfort. Within our possibilities, we have shifted the balance in the case of the Divo further towards lateral acceleration, agility and cornering,” said Stephan Winkelmann, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. “The Divo is made for bends.“

As a result, the Divo needed to be sharper, more agile and more nimble. The camber was increased and the maximum speed was limited which ensures a different driving experience from the Chiron. The steering and suspension have been set for a more direct response and significantly sportier driving behavior.

“The Divo is a further example of our design philosophy ‘Form follows Performance.’ In this case, the engineers and designers aimed to create a vehicle focusing on cornering speeds and lateral dynamics,” said Achim Anscheidt, Director of Design of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S., describing the design language of the new Bugatti.

“Our task was to develop a vehicle which would look different from the Chiron but still be immediately recognizable as a Bugatti,” Anscheidt adds. “For us designers, this meant that the three key style elements of Bugatti had to remain in place: the horseshoe-shaped front grille, the typical Bugatti signature line along the sides of the vehicle and the characteristic fin that defines the longitudinal axis of the car when viewed from above, which was derived from the Type 57 Atlantic.”

The design team continued the evolution of the design elements for the Divo in line with the design brief and reinterpreted the design philosophy “Form follows Performance.”

2019 BMW Z4 M40i First Edition

BMW debut the latest generation of its roadster at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the same location and same event as it debuted the concept. The concept Z4 featured a central sitting position for the driver, a low center of gravity, and perfectly balanced 50:50 weight distribution that is reflected in the production version. The Z4 focus on the driving experience.

The BMW Z4 M40i First Edition has expressive body paintwork in Frozen Orange Metallic combined with an electrically operated textile soft top in anthracite with silver effect. Its complimented by an Individual High Gloss Shadow Line, black exterior mirror caps and 19-inch light alloy wheels boasting a two-tone, double spoke design.

Power for the  Z4 M40i First Edition Roadster is provided by an updated version of BMW’s iconic 3.0 liter inline 6-cylinder engine producing enough horsepower and torque to propel the BMW Z4 M40i from 0-60mph in under 4.4 seconds. A BMW M tuned sports suspension with electronically controlled dampers, M Sport braking system and an electronically controlled M Sport rear differential ensure that this latest M Performance Model can carve through the twists of the Laureles Grade as effortlessly as cruising along the Pacific Coast Highway to Big Sur.

Full Z4 model details and specifications to be announced in September while the 2019 BMW Z4 30i will arrive in U.S. BMW Centers in Spring 2019 with the BMW Z4 M40i (including the First Edition) arriving in the Second Quarter.

Concept: Audi PB 18 e-tron 

Shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Audi presented the all-electric Audi PB 18 e-tron concept. It’s creators designed it to be a radical driving machine for the racetrack and road. Dynamics and emotion top its list of specifications.

“We want to offer the driver an experience that is otherwise available only in a racing car like the Audi R18,” said Gael Buzyn is Head of the Audi Design Loft in Malibu. ”That’s why we developed the interior around the ideal driver’s position in the center. Nevertheless, our aim was to also give the PB 18 e-tron a high degree of everyday usability, not just for the driver, but also for a potential passenger.”

The Audi PB 18 e-tron package follows the traditional architecture of a mid-engine sports car with a cab that is positioned far forward. The car’s center of gravity is located behind the seats and in front of the rear axle – which benefits the driving dynamics. This does not involve the engine-transmission unit, as in a car with a conventional drive system, but rather the battery pack.

The concept uses three powerful electric motors – one up front and two in the rear. The latter are centrally located between the steering knuckles, each directly driving one wheel via half-shafts.

Concept: Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow 

Mercedes-Benz reveiled the EQ Silver Arrow show car during Monterey Car Week. The one-seater EQ Silver Arrow is an homage to the successful record-breaking W 125 car from 1937.

The Alubeam Silver paintwork is reminiscent of the historic Silver Arrows which, for weight reasons, did not have a white paint layer. The interior is adorned with traditional, high-quality materials such as genuine leather, brushed aluminum and solid walnut.

The highly-futuristic digital cockpit includes a curved panoramic screen that projects from behind and a touchscreen integrated into the steering wheel.

“Over 80 years ago, the historic Silver Arrows demonstrated that Mercedes-Benz was a pioneer when it came to speed, thanks, among other things, to their streamlined shape,” says Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer at Daimler AG.

The role model for the EQ Silver Arrow is the W 125 twelve-cylinder, record-breaking car built by Mercedes-Benz in 1937 as a Grand Prix racing car. For the W 125’s new body in 1937, Mercedes-Benz was greatly inspired by the aviation industry. Examples include the recommendation from the development departments of the aircraft factories of Ernst Heinkel and Willy Messerschmitt to shorten the front overhang and to make the front rounderd.

The front was also extended further down and the tip veered off at a steeper angle. As desired, this reduced lift on the front axle. A longer and more robustly raised rear reduced lift on the rear axle. One striking feature and inspiration for the designers of the EQ Silver Arrow was the round cockpit glazing, which was modeled on a drop of water for its outline and cross-section.

The driver of the EQ Silver Arrow is encompassed by a large panoramic screen on which a 3D image of the surroundings is projected from behind. As an indicator of future possible charging technologies, the lane of the roadway on which inductive charging is possible is superimposed onto the screen.

With the help of artificial intelligence, it is possible to engage in a virtual race against historic or present Silver Arrow racing cars. A virtual racetrack is superimposed onto the real roadway via the panoramic screen and the driver sees their opponent either ahead of them or behind them as a “ghost.” The Virtual Race Coach assistance function helps one improve driving skills by giving instructions during the race.

The driver can use the touchscreen on the steering wheel to select programs such as Comfort, Sport and Sport+, which offer different driving characteristics. Sound settings can also be configured here: choices include the sound of a current Formula 1 Silver Arrow or a Mercedes-AMG V8 engine.