A convertible is a car body style with a folding or retracting roof. The collapsible roof section is typically made from flexible canvas or vinyl, although plastic, aluminium and steel have occasionally been used in elaborate folding designs.
The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has just been unveiled and the first official images of the Convertible version have already leaked on the internet. As you can see the Z51 rear spoiler has been dropped, which likely means that this package won’t be offered for the convertible version. Also, the convertible version features smaller wheels than the coupe version. Everything else remains unchanged, except, of course, the car’s soft top.
No official details have been offered up to this point, but under the hood the convertible version will get the same engine as the coupe: an LT1 6.2-liter small-block V-8 engine, which produces an estimated 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. With the few extra pounds, you should expect the convertible model to be a little bit slower, but we’re pretty certain that the 0-to-60 mph sprint time will remain in the sub-4-second range.
We are not certain just how official these images are, but they look like the real deal to us. If so, you’ve gotta love that leaky faucet over at GM. We’ll keep you updated!
Citroen has unveiled a special edition Citroen DS3 Cabrio during Fashion Week in Milan. Dubbed the "L’Uomo Voque," this special-edition vehicle was specially designed by the Italian magazine L’Uomo Vogue and Citroen’s styling team. The new edition will be auctioned off and all of the proceeds will go to the Women Create Life project — an NGO that, through art and culture, supports and fosters initiatives to improve the health conditions of women and children.
The new DS3 Cabrio "L’Uomo Voque" special edition is painted in a stunning Stardust matte grey combined with a canvas roof covered in subtle motifs that reinterpret the monogram canvas. A special DS logo has been laser engraved on the mirror housings to further remind you that this is indeed a special-edition DS3.
For the interior, Citroen offers seats covered in BlackBrown watchstrap Club leather, the dashboard and front panels are trimmed with the same leather combined with a pearl-effect stitching.
Now that production of the Lexus LF-A has come to an end, the Japanese automaker is left without a sports car in its lineup. While it’s a hard to replace a “halo car” like the LF-A, Autocar is reporting that the LF-CC Concept, the same one that made its debut at the Paris Auto Show last September, could take the reins from the LF-A as the company’s next sports car.
According to the report, steps are already underway to begin development of a production LF-CC. This stems from a Lexus source saying that the objective this time around isn’t to showcase a limited-edition supercar the way they did with the LF-A, but to build a car that was “exciting and emotional,” and one that reflects Lexus’ intended future image as a “sporting” brand.
The new sports car will wear both coupe and convertible guise, and will carry styling cues from the concept LF-CC. A rear-drive platform is also likely to be used, similar to the setups Lexus used on the new IS and GS models. But most importantly, the production LF-CC is poised to carry a hybrid powertrain.
We have no illusions that the production LF-CC will eventually supplant the LF-A as Lexus’ fabled supercar, but we do understand the latter’s impact in giving Lexus some sports car chops, something it hasn’t had in a long time.
Here’s to hoping that the production LF-CC can carry that tradition when it makes its reported debut by 2015.
While waiting for the upcoming ForTwo, Smart has unveiled another special edition based on the current ForTwo called the CityFlame edition. This new special edition is in both coupe and cabrio styles, and draped in flame yellow paint. The model will be priced at €14,490 (about $19,000 at the current exchange rates). There will be only 2,400 units built, so its rareness alone should make it a pretty desired ForTwo.
This very cool yellow paint will be combined with black highlights on the tridion safety cell and a set of exclusive black 3-double-spoke alloy wheels and the black side-view-mirror caps.
For the interior, Smart added high-quality seats in black leather optic with yellow leather inserts and a black instrument panel with the same yellow stitching. The model also received a 3-spoke leather sports steering wheel with shift paddles and yellow stitching, and specially produced floor mats embroidered with the logo "cityflame".
UPDATE 04/17/13: Smart has released pricing for the special edition ForTwo City Flame Edition. The base price for the vehicle is £10,995, which is about $16,800 based on current exchange rates.
As previously reported, Maserati’s future looks quite promising and by 2015, the company hopes to raise its sales number to a total of 50,000 units a year. That’s quite a jump from the last year’s 6,159 units. For Maserati, those numbers aren’t just a pipedream and it has invested big in adding three new models to its lineup, plus all-new GranCabrio and GranTurismo models.
It’s still too early to have any details on the next GranCabrio, but rumors suggested it will be smaller than the current model and, of course, will feature an updated design language and a new engine lineup.
Our rendering for the next GranCabrio (above) reveals all-new headlamps, a redesigned front grille, a larger spoiler lip, larger air intakes and a sleeker profile.
Under the hood, we will most likely see the new V-8 engine developed by Ferrari at Maranello. This engine will allow the sports convertible to be more powerful and more fuel efficient.
Expect to see the next-generation GranCabrio unveiled in 2014 with sales to begin in 2015.
Image Note: The above image is a TopSpeed rendering of the new GranCabrio and is not an official image.
Just like the rest of the Mercedes E-Class lineup — sedan, wagon and coupe - the convertible version has also received an updated version for the 2014 model year and today, Mercedes has unveiled the first official details. The model will be making its world debut next week and the Detroit Auto Show and sales will begin in the summer of 2013.
Just like with the sedan and the coupe, the convertible will receive new one-piece headlights, new front and rear bumpers, and new graphics on the rear lights. The grille will be bolder and more upright, and the hood will receive a slightly more stylized appearance. The convertible version will also get an acoustic cabriolet soft top and fully retractable side windows.
On the exterior market the E-Class Convertible will be offered just in E350 and E550 versions, but in Europe customers will have a choice of ten different engines.
Updated 01/04/2012: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs. Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Mercedes E-Class Convertible.
We pretty much know all that there is to know about the upcoming Audi RS5 Cabrio. We already know that it’s debuting in Germany in early-2013 and coming to the U.S. sometime later in the same year. However, we still have yet to see the actual car. Sure, renderings are great, but we want to see, feel and sniff this beauty for a few minutes.
Well, we’ll all get our chance at the 2013 North American International Auto Show this month, as the RS5 Cabrio will make its debut there. We also were not 100-percent certain if the RS5 Cabrio would be a 2013 model or a 2014 model here in The States, but from what we’re hearing, it will be a 2014 model year. Of course, it will remain a 2013 model year in the European market, as it is well before the cutoff.
In case you need a refresher course, the 2014 RS5 Cabrio will carry a 4,163 cc V-8 engine that wallops the concrete with 450 horsepower and 317.15 pound-feet of torque. This is enough power to launch the RS5 Cabrio to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.9 seconds. Audi will limit its top speed at 155.34 mph, but you can request to have the limiter removed if you prefer 173.98 mph winds blowing through your hair.
We’ll update you with all of the real-life images of the RS5 Cabrio once Audi unveils it.
Back in 2012, we saw tons of upgrade packages for the Audi R8 V10 and it looks like 2013 has started in just as impressive fashion as the past year. The first Audi R8 tuning package of the New Year has been announced by the German tuner B&B and it is a good one.
The tuner offers two different upgrade levels for the V-10 engine. In stage 2, the standard power has been increased to an impressive 610 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. In stage 3, the output goes up to an even more impressive 628 horsepower and 431 pound-feet of torque. As a result the R8 V-10 will go from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in just 3.5 seconds, from 0 to 200 km/h (0 to 124 mph) in 10.8 seconds and hits a top speed of 203 mph.
The package also includes a new sport suspension system that lowers the car’s ride by 20 mm (0.7 inches) up front and 25 mm (0.98 inches) at the rear. The tuner is also offering a set of 19-inch or 20-inch wheels combined and a set of ceramic brakes.
Ferrari brought the California onto the market in 2008 and it shortly became one of the best-selling models in the automaker’s lineup, thanks to its relatively low price of $192,000. On the other hand, there are people who consider the California a little bit too soft to wear the prancing-horse badge, so Ferrari has already started to tweak the next-generation in an attempt to make it a little bit more worthy of the brand.
The latest prototypes caught testing around the Fiorano test circuit reveal that one of the most impressive changes will be made under the hood. It appears that the current 4.3-liter V-8 engine will be replaced by a turbocharged version of the company’s new V-8 family that also sees use in the Maserati Quattroporte.
A clear indication of the new engine is the raised bonnet and the extra cooling vents, but of course Ferrari insiders have denied such a possibility. Still, you have to consider that on previous statements, Ferrari confirmed that the company is working on downsizing engines — a must, considering the new emission regulations. On the other hand it is unlikely for Ferrari to invest £40 million (about $65 million) in a facility that will develop a V-8 engine exclusively for Maserati.
Rumors suggest that the next California will be powered by a new 3.8-liter V-8 engine with an output of at least 450 horsepower — a number that will match the California’s current output, but will deliver improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.
Expect to see the new Ferrari California launched sometime in late 2014 with sales to begin in 2015.
After Bentley unveiled the Continental GT Speed at the 2012 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, it promised to debut the convertible version at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. While the show is still a few days away, Bentley decided to offer us the first details on the new drop-top. In fact, this is not such a big surprise, considering the first official images leaked on the Internet right before Christmas.
The GT Speed Convertible will be offered with the same technology as its coupe sibling and will be able to hit a top speed of 202 mph — 3 mph less than the coupe version – which is good enough to make it the fastest the fastest four-seat convertible in the world.
Next to being very fast, Bentley has also promised that the new GT Speed Convertible can be driven in any weather conditions, ranging from -30°C to +50°C or more. This impressive performance can be achieved thanks to the car’s four-layer hood and the neck warmer.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible.
