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.
A few months ago, we let you know that General Motors Chairman and CEO, Dan Akerson, announced he would auction his personal 1958 Chevrolet Corvette. At that time, the official details were not revealed, but now GM is letting us in on everything now.
Akerson’s Corvette is one of the only 510 units painted in "Regal Turquoise". It is powered by a V-8 engine with an output of 254 horsepower, and was the first Corvette model to feature dual headlamps and twin chrome trunk spears. Additionally, it is a hardtop convertible, and features new instrument panels and new upholstery.
That’s certainly makes this a lot more than your run-of-the-mill `58 Vette. Then again, is there really any such things as a "run-of-the-mill" `58 Vette?
"I hope the new owner will feel like their money is going to a good place," Akerson said. "It will help families become more rooted in our community. At the same time, they’re going to have new memories and new fun of their own. It’s not often you can get all of it packaged into a great car, great fun, great memories and that you’re doing something good at the same time."
We’re hopping this particular Corvette will raise more than $1 million - Akerson’s personal donation made in last February for Habitat for Humanity Detroit. The sale will take place on January 18, 2013 at Barrett-Jackson’s auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Last year at the Los Angeles Auto Show Fiat unveiled the American version of the Fiat 500 Abarth and this year the company made a comeback with the cabrio version. On the European market the model already enjoys a great success, and Fiat is now hopping it will do the same good impression on the U.S. market.
The model features the same design language as the coupe version, except of course its power-operated cloth top that can be operated at speeds up to 60 mph just be pressing a button.
"The new Fiat 500c Abarth delivers the wicked attitude and track-proven capabilities of the hatchback model, now with the rush of open-air Italian performance," said Tim Kuniskis, Head of FIAT Brand for North America — Chrysler Group LLC. "And with the push of a button our new turbocharged cabrio can unleash that added sense of freedom, while offering one of the most respected soundtracks of all-time, the rasp from its signature Abarth-tuned dual exhausts."
The new Fiat 500C Abarth will go on sale in the first-quarter of 2013.
UPDATE 12/06/12: Hold on to you pants, gentlemen. Fiat recently released a new commercial promoting the Abarth 500 Cabriolet. Suffice to say, it features supermodel Catrinel Menghia, a naughty little scorpion, and the 500C. Oh, and did we mention that Menghia went "topless" in the ad? Yep, click on the photo above to check it out!
Volkswagen has just announced the addition of a new Exclusive lineup for the new Beetle and Beetle Cabriolet models. They will be offered in Exclusive Design and Exclusive Sport packages, and will be priced as follow: Beetle Exclusive Design from €22,650 ($28,900), Beetle Exclusive Sport from €26,550 ($33,800), Beetle Cabriolet Exclusive Design from €26,775 ($34,150), and Beetle Cabriolet Exclusive Sport from €30,500 ($38,900).
The new exclusive lineup will be distinguished by a new set of standard black 18-inch alloy wheels with a polished surface. As an option Volkswagen is also offering 19-inch alloy wheels in "Tornado" design and offered in either white or black.
Most of the changes, however, are in the interior. In here customers will have a choice of three different colored leather seating: Pepper Beige, Amber Brown and Black and a pretty long list of updates. These will include a new three-spoke steering wheel, handbrake lever, center armrest and gear shifter in leather. The package continues with sport front seats, center seat panels and seat lateral supports in Nappa Cool Leather, textile floor mats for the front and rear, and a "Volkswagen Exclusive" logo on the stainless-steel door sills.
Until now all we had on the next Mercedes S-Class Convertible were just rumors, but today the guys over AutoCar have officially caught the first test mule of the next luxury convertible and once with them they also have the first details on the upcoming model.
The model will be designed as a large luxury 2+2 soft-top targeting models like Bentley Continental GTC. Compared to the latest convertible model added to the Mercedes line-up - the E-Class Convertible - the S-Class will feature a roomier, higher-quality cabin with qualities similar to the Bentley model.
Mercedes will offer all the latest technologies, including a fully digital dashboard with a four-dial instrument pack and a widescreen sat-nav/multimedia system. All these technologies will be combined with wood trims in the highest quality and metal "eyeball" air vents.
Under the hood Mercedes will place all the engines to be featured in the next generation sedan, plus technical parts like "Magic Ride" suspension, first revealed on the company’s F700 concept. It is also being rumored that the model will also be equipped with a convertible rollover system and a new seat belt-mounted airbag.
The upcoming Mercedes S-Class Convertible is set to be unveiled sometime in 2014.
TV personality Guy Fieri first burst into mainstream consciousness when he won "The Next Food Network Star" reality show back in 2006. Since then, Fieri has become a successful restaurateur, author, television personality, and game show host.
Lost in all that though is the fact that Fieri is also a bonafide car nut with an affinity for Chevrolet convertibles. Well, the spiky-haired Fieri was put to the task by the fine folks at Chevy to design his very own Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition, which will be on hand at the 2012 SEMA Auto Show.
True to his flamboyant personality, Fieri’s influence can be easily seen on the limited edition Corvette sports car. The body color is dominantly black with custom yellow stripes, a reversal play on the company’s trademark yellow-and-black color scheme. In addition, the Fieri-designed 427 Corvette received embroidered seat headrests, as well as fender badges, which both prominently display the man’s personal charity, the Guy Fieri Foundation.
Adding the final touches to the limited run sports car are a new set of 19" black Cup wheels wrapped in Michelin PS2 tires.
The 427 Corvette also boasts of power never before seen in a convertible in the Corvette’s history. It carries a 7.0-liter LS7 engine from the Z06 that produces 505 horsepower and 470 lb/ft of torque, making it the most powerful engine ever put into a production Corvette convertible.
From a man who knows a thing or two about grabbing attention, Guy Fieri’s 427 Corvette Convertible will likely do the same when it debuts at the 2012 SEMA Auto Show.
With the new generation Golf already on the market, Volkswagen is undoubtedly finishing up the execution of the rest of the model’s variants. We’ve already seen the GTI version get previewed by the concept car at the 2012 Paris Auto Show, so now it’s time to check out what the new convertible will look like.
The Volkswagen Golf Convertible will be among the latest variants to be added to the new generation Golf line-up. It will feature the same design elements launched with the standard Golf VII, but will retain the usual soft top seen in the previous generation Golf Cabriolet.
Under the hood, the convertible version will keep the same engine line-up as the hatchback version. This means customers will have the possibility to choose between four engines: two petrol - a 85 HP 1.2-liter TSI and a 140 HP 1.4-liter TSI - and two diesel - a 105 HP 1.6-liter unit and a 150 HP 2.0-liter unit.
Expect the seventh generation Volkswagen Golf Cabrio to be launched sometime in 2014.
If the name "Seven-11" sounds familiar, it’s only because the guys over at Wheelsandmore had another tuning kit bearing the same name, but it was based on a Mercedes CLS63 AMG. The second package announced is even more impressive and it is based on the SL63 AMG.
Wheelsandmore’s new SL63 AMG Seven-11 is painted in "Armageddon-Matte-Gray" then combined with traditional Wheelsandmore race-stripes. There is also a new set of 20" 6Sporz forged wheels offered as standard, or an optional set of 20/21 inch staggered combination.
The most impressive modification done for the SL63 AMG can be found under the hood. The standard SL63 AMG delivers a total of 537 HP, but the guys at Wheelsandmore added new sport catalysts, a flap-controlled exhaust system, an optimized air induction, and remapped software to the twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 engine. As a result, the V8 engine now delivers an impressive 700 HP and 811 lbs-ft of torque.
The Mercedes was also equipped with a newly developed LowMaXX electronic lowering module which automatically switches off at 43 mph in order to provide comfort and safety reserves.
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG has been the apex of the luxury automaker’s sports car lineup since 2011. In 2012, Mercedes released the GT variant of the SLS AMG as the official safety car in the Belgian Grand Prix. The GT variant was a highly desired car, but Mercedes did not offer it up to retail customers.
That was until now, as Mercedes announced it will offer up this model to the public for the first time. What’s more is that Mercedes has also released the official details on this all-new variant of the famed SLS AMG. Being the official F1 safety car, the 571 ponies that the standard SLS AMG’s 6.3-liter V-8 pumps out just won’t cut it, so we will see a nice boost in this variant’s powerplant.
Also included are minor aesthetic and functional additions to the interior. The real test is how this supercar stacks up to its competition, though there is not much out there that can compete with it.
Click past the jump to read all about the SLS AMG GT and to see how it stacks up to its competitors.
Want to soak up the sunshine while catching baddies on the run? Well, that’s a privilege that the Dutch Police might soon enjoy.
What we have got here is a 4.2L Ferrari V8 powered Maserati GranCabrio wrapped in a local Dutch Police livery that is bound to be one of the few show-stoppers at the annual 112 open day. This is an event organized by the local Police Force, Fire Department, and the Municipal Health near The Hague, Netherlands.
The idea was brought to the table by Maserati dealers, Louwman Exclusive in collaboration with the local Netherlands Police Force. It’s basically a white 2012 Maserati GranCabrio with the Police livery and black rims that give the whole car a bad-cop stance. But what’s a police car without the eye-piercing emergency lights on the roof? Maybe they thought the livery and the V8 noise alone could intimidate the law breakers on the streets.
Unfortunately, this is just a one-off for now. Don’t think that the Dutch Police have exchanged their trusty fleet of VW Golfs for high-maintenance and fuel- chugging Maseratis!
Modifying sports cars for police isn’t something new in the automobile industry. In Dubai, a small fleet of Nissan GT-Rs wrapped in local Police livery are currently on active duty and dispatched in the event of an high-speed pursuit. Then, there’s the famous 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP-560-4 Polizia, that is enough to intimidate even Al Capone, when sighted in the rear view mirror.
The Chevrolet Camaro just made its way to the European market for the first time ever in its existence, but GeigerCars has been tuning Camaros left and right for awhile now, getting slammed with shipping fees, taxes, and registration. Their latest Camaro tuning package brings out the beast in the Camaro lineup: Camaro ZL1 Convertible.
Usually we bring out the details of the tuning package before going into how much it is going to cost, but we’re doing things a little different this time around. The Camaro ZL1 Convertible by GeigerCars gets a price sticker slapped on that says 88,900 Euro (about $116K at the current exchange rates). That’s a $60,000 increase when compared to the ZL1 Convertible’s price tag in the States, but the ZL1 Convertible hasn’t made its way across the pond, so GeigerCars may just be capitalizing on offering the ZL1 in Europe where anyone would be hard-pressed to find a 580 HP Convertible.
That extra $60K is going to add very little to the ZL1 Convertible, as GeigerCars only put in a flap-controlled exhaust system, ZR1 dampers, and a new set of 20" wheels. Guess most of that increase in its price is going towards those fees for jumping the pond.
