Some of the most exciting sports cars unveiled at Monterey Car Week 2025
A Lamborghini, a Bugatti, two Corvette, three Aston Martin and – surprise, surprise – a Lexus were among the best in show at this year’s edition.
Monterey Car Wee is one of the biggest events on the global car calendar held in California each August. (Photos: Courtesy of respective brands)
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Lamborghini launched its most powerful V12 ever. Corvette showed us what it would look like if an alien spaceship and a fighter jet had a baby with two “aggressively futuristic” new concept cars that you can drive in the Gran Turismo 7 video game. Bugatti levelled up to further seduce the world's top one per cent with the launch of Programme Solitaire for truly bespoke, one-of-one coachbuilt hypercar commissions.
Aston Martin arrived with expected elegance in the form of a limited edition, thrill-seeking trio of convertibles: A Vantage Roadster, a DB12 Volante, and a Vanquish Volante in a perfect coastal palette for that iconic Californian road trip adventure. And Lexus dropped the biggest surprise with a hyper cool, futuristic-looking concept car clueing us in to what its next-generation sports car might look like.
Read more on five of the most exciting debuts unveiled at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering during Monterey Car Week, one of the biggest events on the global car calendar held in California every August.
LAMBORGHINI FENOMENO
Named after a brave and famous bull (as with Lamborghini tradition) that fought in Mexico in the early aughts, Fenomeno also means “phenomenal” in both Italian and Spanish and what a phenomenon it was indeed the minute Lamborghini pulled back the covers of its most powerful V12 yet.
Its unique design, striking at every turn, proved a big hit with enthusiasts with a new design language that takes the brand’s most representative stylistic elements to the extreme.
The Fenomeno also unleashes the most power ever produced in a Lamborghini: A total of 1,080 CV comprised of a record 835 CV by the naturally aspirated V12 engine plus 245 CV from the three electric motors. To harness its full power, there’s custom aerodynamics and technical solutions incorporated for the first time on a Lamborghini, such as the 6D sensor and CCM-R Plus carbon-ceramic brakes.
Only 29 units of the limited-edition model will be produced, developed to celebrate the 20th anniversary since Lamborghini established Centro Stile, its dedicated design department, within the Sant’Agata Bolognese headquarters.
CORVETTE CX AND CX.R VISION GRAN TURISMO
If an alien spaceship and a fighter jet had a baby is how we’d describe Corvette’s two new concept cars. Sculpted in supple, flowing lines that convey power and precision, the Corvette CX is the sleeker sibling to the sportier Corvette CX.R Vision Gran Turismo designed exclusively for the track.
“Aggressively futuristic, yet unquestionably a Corvette,” according to manufacturer Chevrolet, both concepts feature advanced aerodynamics, integrated driver-focused cockpits, and a forward-opening aircraft-inspired canopy that automatically raises as you approach.
The fully-electric Corvette CX is equipped with four motors – one powering each wheel – that together generate more than 2,000 horsepower, with four-wheel torque vectoring for maximum grip and cornering performance.
As for the CX.R Vision Gran Turismo, designers took the CX’s athletic exterior and ramped up the aggression with even more prominent active aero features and a lower ride height for racetrack-dominating downforce and grip.
It also builds on the propulsion template set by the CX concept, combining electrified performance with the thrill of a high-revving, 2.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that makes up to 900 hp. Now add three electric motors and the high-performance hybrid, powered by renewable e-fuel, discharges a whopping 2,000 hp for jaw-dropping acceleration on track.
While both concept cars are not intended for production, they will serve as design inspiration for future Corvette models for years to come. In the meantime, you can now drive them virtually in the Gran Turismo 7 video game.
BUGATTI BROUILLARD
How else do you top yourself when you’re already Bugatti? By introducing the art of coachbuilding, of course. The hypercar maker debuted the Programme Solitaire, an ultra-exclusive new offering dedicated to creating truly bespoke, one-of-one commissions.
The new programme offers an unprecedented level of personalisation that goes even beyond the highly bespoke world of Bugatti Sur Mesure, with only two such singular masterpieces of automotive artistry and rarity created each year, built on Bugatti's W16-powered architecture.
The Bugatti Brouillard is the first edition to be released as part of the programme, a meticulously curated collaboration between the brand and its future owner.
Designed from the ground up, the exceptional coupe pays homage to Ettore Bugatti’s passion for equestrianism and is named after his beloved horse, a companion who could open his own stable door through a special mechanism designed by Ettore himself.
The Bugatti Brouillard therefore exudes power (1,600 PS courtesy of Bugatti’s W16-powered legendary quad-turbocharged engine) and complexity, expressed through aesthetic principles that eschew sharp lines in favour of a sculpted bodywork reminiscent of athletic muscle, much like those found on a competition stallion.
The iconic horseshoe grille has been redesigned at the front, and at the rear, a fixed ducktail wing, stacked twin tailpipes and a newly designed diffuser bewitch the eye with remarkable visual symmetry. From above, the glass roof creates an airy, cathedral-like experience, while the centre spine flows seamlessly from exterior to interior, visible through the transparent panel.
Inside, Bugatti’s artisanal craftsmanship shines in fine detailing such as the embroidered horse motifs adorning the door panels and seat back rests. Another highlight: The gear shifter machined from a single block of aluminium featuring a glass housing in which a miniature hand-crafted sculpture of the car’s namesake takes centrestage.
ASTON MARTIN THRILLSEEKER COLLECTION
Then, there was the Thrillseeker Collection – a trio of Aston Martin convertibles specially designed by the brand’s bespoke service, Q by Aston Martin, to commemorate Aston Martin’s 75 years in the Americas.
Limited to only nine units worldwide, the collection captures the visceral joy of open-air driving in the coastal palette where the esteemed event is staged annually in California’s Monterey County. The trio comprises a Vantage Roadster in Mako Blue, a DB12 Volante in Seychelles Blue, and a Vanquish Volante in Ultramarine Black, each featuring bronze wheels, bronze side strakes and a signature bronze rotary centre dial, evoking the amber sun of the Pacific Coast. Plus, a bespoke luggage set to complete the perfect Californian road trip adventure.
LEXUS SPORT CONCEPT
The biggest surprise, perhaps, came from Lexus. No one expected the Japanese carmaker to drop its futuristic-looking Lexus Sport Concept. Sure, it’s just a concept car at this stage, but Lexus is certainly signalling exciting times afoot with the wide, low-slung two-door sportster offering a clue as to the vision for Lexus’ next-generation sports car. No details on powertrain and other specs yet, but it’s a compelling proposition to keep the brand on our radar for now.
