What I like about New York Auto Show the most is that this event is not a presentation of some foppish concepts, but a display of the honest-to-goodness or de-facto production models. Sure, it doesn’t get the billing of Detroit or LA shows, but the event we’re covering in this post is one of car enthusiasts’ fave happening. From numerous premiers, I’ve chosen the most notable ones. It wasn’t that difficult and once you take a look at these models, you’ll understand why. Now you may eat the ginger, check out top 10 debuts of the 2012 New York Auto Show.

2013 Viper SRT: Big Bad Snake Is Back

The 2013 SRT Viper is prob the most anticipated car which was presented at the 2012 New York Auto Show and it didn’t disappoint anyone. While it has a similar 8.4-liter V10 engine delivering 640 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque, the rest of the 2013 Dodge Viper parts are redesigned. The snake weighs 100 lbs less due to carbon fiber roof, trunk, and the hood, as well as carbon fiber racing seats. Wow! The automaker did a really good job!

BMW i8 Spyder. Born Electric

The all-new BMW i8 Spyder is a plug-in hybrid motivated by a 170-hp electric motor driving the front wheels and the 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine making 223-hp and 295 lb-ft of torque at the rear. The sports car reaches 62 mph in less than five seconds and boasts the top speed of 155 mph. The unique i8 is actually BMW’s product engineered in the effort to build the most advanced car ever brought from the Bavarian automaker. Seems like the automaker has put the soul and added flare to each of BMW i8 Spyder parts to achieve this task.

2013 SRT Viper GTS-R to Hit the American Le Mans Series

While the Viper is back to the street, it’s back to the rack track, too. The Chrysler Group decided to bring the Viper to the racing world back with the Viper GTS-R. It is to compete with Corvettes and Ferraris in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).

2013 RAM 1500: New Engine, Less Weight

The 2013 RAM 1500 was unveiled at the 2012 NY Auto Show and it was packed with the 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission. The 5.7L HEMI V8 is offered as an optional unit. The new engine delivers 42 percent more horsepower, 13 percent more torque and approximately 20 percent better fuel economy than the 3.7L V6 found in the RAM before.

2012 Mercedes SL65 AMG Is about Power and Style

The 45-unit limited-production roadster boasts the improved engine what resulted in the additional 17 hp, making a total of 621 hp. What Mercedes engineers did is they added new manifolds, an optimized catalytic converter, and waste gate channels. The SL65 AMG reaches 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds thanks to an all-aluminum frame that lead to weight reduction.

The original 1962 Shelby Cobra CSX2000

In order to mark Shelby’s 50th anniversary this year, the company rolled out the very first Cobra ever built. Can you believe the first in a long line of snakes was constructed 50 years ago? The CSX2000 actually looks great! The Cobra’s well-worn shifter, the flawed paint, and the gentle tears on its seats speak of its perfectly unmolested condition. The roadster was assembled by Carol Shelby himself and it’s no wonder he isn’t planning to sell the CSX2000. BTW, the price of this memorable snake is around $20 million.

The All-New Porsche 911 Proclaimed as the 2012 World Performance Car

This newest Porsche 911 was recognized as the World Performance Car of the year for 2012. While the 911 was engaged in the competition with 18 other vehicles, it was selected by a panel of 64 automotive journalists from 25 different countries. The seventh generation Porsche 911 comes equipped with the all-new performance features.

2012 Shelby 1000, Most Powerful Production Car by Shelby

Seems like the 800 hp GT500 Super Snake wasn’t enough for Shelby, ’cause this year it presented Shelby 1000, its most powerful production car. The muscle coupe is also one of the most exclusive since the company didn’t take orders before the car debuted. The 2012 Shelby 1000 is available in two versions: the street Shelby making 950 hp and the the track-only with an output of 1100 hp.

Fisker Atlantik: First Look

The newest model of the Fisker Automotive was presented at the 2012 New York Auto Show. Named the Atlantic, it is likely to be a production car. For starters, there are still no details known about the model and its powertrain. Fisker doesn’t reveal when the car rolls out either. The only thing we know is that it looks good. What do you think, hu?

2012 Dodge Challenger Rallye Redline

The new Challenger Rallye Redline was earlier introduced to those who attended the Spring Festival held in Southern California for Mopar LX fans and owners, but the 2012 New York Auto Show is the car’s first public showing. Carrying the same 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine (305 hp) under its hood, it still gets the performance boost thanks to the upgraded suspension package called the Super Sport Group. Among exterior tweaks are: the big red stripe down the center, the body-color rear spoiler, and red-striped 20-inch wheels with a Pitch Black treatment. You can already order the Challenger Rallye Redline this month priced at $28,745.

The 2012 NY Auto Show featured numerous world premiers, but in this post I’d like to showcase that heavy artillery we’ve been waiting for. Check out the videos of the 2012 NY Auto Show’s big debuts, that is the  all-new Viper, launched under the newly-founded SRT brand and BMW i8 Spyder, conceivably the world’s first plug-in hybrid electric convertible to go into production. Enjoy!

Image Credit: Autoblog, AutoGuide.