A few weeks before the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Lotus announced they would "blow the top off" at the show. Back then, we all thought that we would see a Convertible version of the Evora, but we were so wrong. Lotus has decided to bring out the fastest roadster ever: the Exige S Roadster.
Based off the new Exige S, the roadster model will be powered by the same supercharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine that delivers a total of 345 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. This engine sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds and to 100 mph in 8.5 seconds. Being that this is a Roadster, safety precautions deem it necessary to lower the top speed to 233 km/h (145 mph).
The Exige S Roadster weighs just 1,166 kg (2,570 pounds) and features the same design elements as the coupe, except of course for its factory-fitted soft top roof that makes the car look even more muscular than the coupe.
Now for the bad news: the new Lotus Exige S Roadster won’t make it to the U.S. market, as it will only be offered in markets like Europe and Asia.
UPDATE 5/22/2013: Lotus has just unveiled the official pricing for the Exige S Roadster and is now available for order. See more after the jump
Hit the jump to read more about the Lotus Exige S Roadster.
When Porsche unveiled the 918 Spyder concept at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show we were all in amazement. Within that amazement was a sense of a sense of pessimism, as we were unsure exactly how this future successor to the Carrera GT would look and run in the real world. We all know that manufacturers have a habit of “overestimating” its cars at these shows, to put it nicely.
Here we are about two years later and the 918 Spyder is nearing the end of its testing phase and we have all gotten a good hard look at what we figure to be its final design. The 918 has also made many passes around the “Green Hell,” thrashing its predecessor’s time in the process. All of these laps around the famed Nürburgring and at Porsche’s test facilities have given the automaker enough details to allow it to piece together all of its specs.
Remarkably, there have also been a few leaky valves throughout the process that let us in on the 918 Spyder’s top-secret pricing.
So, is the 918 Spyder everything it has been hyped up to be?
Updated 05/16/2013: Porsche revealed today new images and details on the 918 Spyder - a supercar that combines pedigree motor racing technology with excellent everyday utility, and maximum performance with minimum consumption.
Click past the jump to read our review and find out.
After revealing the ILX Concept at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January, Acura has quickly followed it up with the production version at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. Carrying the same ILX name, the new sedan will be offered with a choice of two different engines, as well as a Hybrid version for those with a particular love for the environment.
The Acura ILX addresses the young buyers that are looking for their first luxury vehicle. Acura has promised the ILX will be a cheaper alternative to models like the Buick Verano and the Audi A3.
"First-time luxury buyers tend to place a high value on exterior styling, affordability and environmental issues, and that’s what we have created with the new Acura ILX," said Jon Ikeda, head of the Acura Design Studio. "The strategy behind this new model is to position ILX as the first opportunity for many young buyers to enter the luxury market."
UPDATE 05/13/2013: Acura has announced prices and some minor upgrades for the 2014 ILX. See more after the jump.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2013-2014 Acura ILX.
It was little more than logic that once Porsche dropped new-generation Boxster onto the market, the Cayman was the next one to be uncovered. Its world debut was made today at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show and sales on the American market will begin in the Spring of 2013 a starting price of $52,600 for the Cayman and $63,800 for the Cayman S. Prices do not include a destination charge of $950.
The problem is that the next-generation Cayman offers no surprises. The design language, interior and engine lineup, we have seen it all in the previously announced Boxster. When compared to the previous generation, the new Cayman is 66 lbs lighter and 15 percent more fuel efficient. Engine’s output has also been increased by 10 horsepower in the standard model and by 5 horsepower in the S version.
With all those updates is the new Cayman any better than the model it replaces?
Updated 04/08/2013: Porsche has unveiled a new video featuring Chief Driving Consultant, Gordon Robertson, exploring the "Power of Balance" in the all-new Porsche Cayman.
Updated 04/26/2013: Porsche has dropped a new commercial (above) for the latest Cayman sports coupe. Called "The world is a curve," the new commercial was produced in cooperation with Pixomondo. Enjoy!
When Steve Saleen officially regained his namesake brand, you knew it would only be a matter of time before his company would debut its first project car. That time, apparently, was at the LA Auto Show when Saleen introduced its return to the auto industry with the Saleen 351 Mustang.
“Since regaining the Saleen brand, I really want to bring it all together with the heritage that Saleen is known for,” Saleen said. “With the current Saleen [302] Mustang model it provides all the right features to bring back and update the S351 model.”
Based on the 2013 Ford Mustang, the car’s name comes from the engine used under the hood, which is a 351-cubic-inch V-8 engine that delivers a total of 700 horsepower and 655 pound-feet of torque when paired with the Saleen 296 supercharger system.
On the exterior, the 351 Mustang is slated to receive an aerodynamic kit entirely made from carbon fiber, including front and side splitters and a new rear diffuser that houses the F1-style taillight. The car will also be equipped with Saleen’s famous Butterfly Center Ram Air Induction system, which includes a Red Butterfly hood that allows cold air to flow through the butterfly scoop design as they open under throttle.
The car will sit on a set of 20-inch 5-spoke alloy wheels wrapped with high performance tires. You can order it in any existing Saleen color and can be updated with a complete treatment of Saleen 351 badging and graphics.
Updated 04/22/2013: After months of silence, Saleen has unveiled a first 351 prototype this weekend at the Fabulous Fords at Knott’s Berry Farm in California. The model should be ready for the 2014 model year, so if you plan to order one, you will have to wait a little bit more. The prototype revealed in California was painted Orange County Orange - a color specially developed for the car by Saleen. (MustangsDaily)
After first unveiling the concept version at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Volvo S60 Polestar has finally made it to production. However, before you get too excited, you have to know that the new S60 Polestar will initially only be offered in the Australian market. Depending on the Australian reaction to the new model, Volvo will decide if other market will also get it or not.
When it comes to the exterior look, the production version remains pretty faithful to the concept, but unfortunately the concept’s amazing output didn’t make it to production. So, if you were hopping to see the same turbocharged, in-line six-cylinder engine that delivers a total of 508 horsepower we have to tell you that you are going to be a little bit disappointed.
Even more bad news comes with the announcement that the S60 Polestar will be limited to only 100 units, so not even the Aussie market will get much of an opportunity to really enjoy it.
Updated 04/17/2013: The production version Volvo S60 Polestar has finally been unveiled, after a teaser video released the other days.
UPDATE 05/02/13: Polestar Racing has released a new video featuring racing and development driver Robert Dahlgren in a 4000 kilometer journey from Barcelona, Spain, to Jokkmokk, Sweden, in the final stages of the development of its first production Polestar model: the Volvo S60 Polestar.
Hit the jump to read more on the new Volvo S60 Polestar.
Jaguar certainly knew what it was doing when it presented the XKR-S at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, as it has stolen the hearts of many car enthusiasts and also proven to everyone that Jag is still capable of developing amazing sports cars. As everyone expected, this was just the beginning of a new series of high-performance sports car. This was confirmed at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, as that R-S lineup has been expanded with the incredible XFR-S.
After we have seen it in many times testing on and outside of Nurburgring, Jaguar has decided to use to finally unveil the new high-performance sports sedan. Unfortunately, supply to U.S. customers will be rather limited and the price will be astronomical.
The problem is that everyone knew what the new XFR-S will bring, especially after the firm’s global brand director Adrian Hallmark said in an interview: "’I can confirm there is a project to transfer the upgrades from the XKR-S to the XFR." The question remains: how this upgrades transformed the XFR-S’ performance figures?
Updated 03/20/2013: The XFR-S made its racing debut at Goodwood today,. It was driven by 1988 Le Mans 24 Hour Race winner, Andy Wallace. You can see the images of this Italian Racing Red XFR-S in the gallery.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 Jaguar XFR-S.
Back when Audi was planning the RS5, they promised us a convertible model. Now that the RS5 is alive, well, and leading the British cops on its fastest chase ever, we are anxiously awaiting the RS5 Cabriolet. While there is some time to wait, Audi is at least gracing us with all of the RS5 Cabriolet’s ins and outs.
As you can expect, the Cabriolet takes most of its queues from the hardtop model, but is does have its own little styling differences – besides the rag top, of course. With fierce competition coming from BMW and Mercedes, how well can this newcomer in the performance convertible realm really do? We’re going to into all of the specifications and features that Audi has graced us with and give you a full review of what to expect from this new model.
UPDATE 03/20/2013: Audi announced today that the new RS5 Convertible will be available in the U.S. starting this spring at a price of $77,900.
Click past the jump to read the full review and see how it stacks up to the competition.
Last month, Nissan unveiled the Japanese specifications for the 2013 Nissan GT-R and announced that the 2014 U.S. model year will be making its world debut at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show. As we expected, the 2014 U.S.-spec GT-R will be nearly identical to the 2013 JDM-spec GT-R, but American customers will enjoy a few more updates, thus avoiding completely disappointing us.
The updates are mostly limited to minor tweaks to the engine’s internals. Despite these minor adjustments, the 2014 GT-R will carry over the same output specifications as it had in 2013. AS we all know, horsepower is only a portion of the equation. You also need to reach the peak-output rpm in an efficient manner, and this is where Nissan made most of its changes – what most people simply refer to a “throttle response.”
So, are these improvements worthy of trading in your 2013 model year for?
Updated 01/24/2012: Nissan has just released the official prices for the 2014 GT-R, which is now on sale at the dealers nationwide. Bad news is that when compared last year’s model, the 2014 model year prices have been increased by $2,770. As a result, the 2014 GT-R Premium is priced at $99,590 and the GT-R Black Edition comes in at $109,300.
To find that out and more, hit the jump to read all about the 2014 Nissan GT-R.
