Artega GT will also get a convertible version?

The Artega GT will be a serious competitor for the Porsche Cayman when it will go on sale early next year. Karl-Heinz Kalbfell said the Artega GT will be limited to only 1000 units a year and admitted an open-top version is also planned.

The Artega, designed by ex-Aston Martin design chief Henrik Fisker, was revealed at the 2007 Geneva Show as a coupé, but it will eventually be available as a convertible too. The chassis is an aluminium spaceframe with a supplementary frame made of high-strength steel to support the carbonfibre body.

The transverse, mid-mounted engine is a 3.6-litre V6 unit from the VW family, with 300bhp driving through a six-speed, twin-clutch, paddle-shift gearbox.

The car has several eye-catching properties that will prevent it being seen as “just another sports car”, Kalbfell claims. The first is a target weight of 1100kg, undercutting rivals by at least 250kg to the benefit of agility and performance (170mph, 0-62mph below 5.0sec).