The 2026 Detroit Auto Show runs through Sunday, Jan. 25, and long-time fans of a place to go on a cold day in Chicago or Detroit to kick tires indoors and dream of the next vehicular purchase have bemoaned the demise of auto shows as we remember them.

It was here that 120 head of longhorn cattle (some of them randy) were herded through downtown Detroit to mark the launch of the Dodge Ram pickup truck in 2008.


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It was here that Cirque du Soleil performed, where Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche served drinks from behind the bar, where Chrysler’s Bob Lutz and Detroit Mayor Coleman Young (purposely) crashed a Jeep Grand Cherokee through a huge glass window, where tethers and hydraulics allowed the Dodge Grand Caravan to literally leapfrog competitors mired in a fake pond in 1995, where Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller blurted out, “We are not a criminal brand,” under pointed media questioning following the 2015 Dieselgate scandal.

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It’s A Different Show These Days

Blue 2017 Ford GT
Blue 2017 Ford GT at 2015 North American International Auto Show
Wikimedia Commons

What used to be the North American International Auto Show, where the world’s automakers came to reveal product news and their executives spoke for the cameras and forged alliances, has evolved into a much smaller, regional event, reflected in the new name: the Detroit Auto Show.

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Chevrolet Corvette CX concept in silver next to Corvette Z06 at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

And that might be just fine for the intended audience of car shoppers who line up for rides in battery-electric vehicles and in Jeeps and Ford Broncos on undulating off-road courses that now take up much of the space inside Detroit’s Huntington Place that was surrendered even before COVID by Bugatti, Ferrari, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini, not to mention Volvo, Tesla, Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi, BMW, Porsche

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Ford Bronco descends from an off-road track inside Huntington Place at the 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

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The supercharged successor to the Shelby GT500 can be ogled at this month’s Detroit Auto Show — and in your driveway this summer.

Yes, you will see some of those cars on carpet today in Detroit (the show wraps up Sunday, Jan. 25), but only because show organizers called in favors with local dealers and car collectors (some of them from Chicago) to add some flair.

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Exotics and sports cars at 2026 Detroit auto show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

TopSpeed walked the floor and assembled four photo galleries looking at key vehicle segments represented. Today, we focus on exotics and sports cars, including the Ferrari Enzo below.

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Red Ferrari Enzo in Ferrari row at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

2025 Porsche GT3 RS

Directly next to the gallery of exotics was the large indoor test track where all-electric Hummers, Cadillacs, Fords, Dodges and Polestars could take shoppers for a spin, like the Jeep Wagoneer below, seen behind this 2025 Porsche GT3 RS.

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2025 Porsche GT3 RS at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

And there was a celebrity car too: the 1933 Ford “Tool Time” Roadster owned by Detroit’s Tim Allen, who starred in the sitcom Home Improvement.

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1933 Ford “Tool Time” Roadster owned by Detroit’s Tim Allen, who starred in the sitcom.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

Take a look through the gallery below to see more of the exotics and sports cars from the floor of the Detroit Auto Show.

2025 McLaren Artura

2025 McLaren Artura at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
2025 McLaren Artura at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

Ferrari La Ferrari

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LaFerrari on Ferrari row at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

2019 McLaren Senna

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2019 McLaren Senna at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

2024 Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato

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2024 Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

Dallara EXP

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Dallara EXP weighs in at 1,962 lbs. with 500 hp at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

Multiple Aston Martins

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Aston Martins at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

2021 Ford GT

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2021 Ford GT at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

Dodge Charger

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All-electric Dodge Daytona Charger EV parked next to red gasoline-powered Charger at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

Three Chevy Corvette Concepts

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Three Chevy Corvette concepts, from left to right: ZR1X Stars & Steel Limited Edition, Corvette CX concept and Corvette Z06 in Sebring Orange at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

Chevy Corvette ZR1X Stars & Steel Limited Edition

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Chevy Corvette ZR1X Stars & Steel Limited Edition at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

2026 Honda Prelude

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The reimagined 2026 Honda Prelude hybrid starts at $42,000.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

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The reimagined 2026 Honda Prelude hybrid starts at $42,000.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

2025 Ford Mustang GTD

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2025 Ford Mustang GTD rear at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

1991 Lamborghini Diablo

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1991 Lamborghini Diablo at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

2025 Lotus Emira

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2025 Lotus Emira at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

Pagani Huayra

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Pagani Huayra at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

1995 Porsche 911

1995 Porsche 911 next to a white 1991 911 at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
1995 Porsche 911 next to a white 1991 911 at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

2023 Maserati MC20

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2023 Maserati MC20 at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

Vintage Muscle Cars

Vintage muscle cars at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Vintage muscle cars at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed

2025 Morgan Plus Four

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2025 Morgan Plus Four at 2026 Detroit Auto Show.
Tom Murphy | TopSpeed



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