DETROIT -- After three years of teasing, Acura was finally ready to show off the production version of the $150,000, 550-hp NSX. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld smiled from the front row as photographers jammed the risers behind him.
It was in that carefully planned moment that the Ford GT, which had been revealed about two hours earlier, arrived at its home on the next stand over, drawing a sizable crowd of its own.
Whether that timing was coincidence or not, the GT managed to steal some of Acura's thunder for the second time that morning. With even more horsepower than the NSX and almost no one expecting it, the GT barreled into the Detroit auto show the way Kramer used to burst into Seinfeld's TV apartment.
The supercar showdown quickly became the talk of the show, epitomizing the optimism and exuberance that has blossomed after several years dominated by modesty and practicality.
"The business case is never why you do a vehicle like this," Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford told reporters moments after the GT first roared onto a stage in the Detroit Red Wings' arena.
"It's really a statement vehicle. It really does give a halo to the entire lineup that ultimately will drive more sales."
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