If the Ferrari F430 Spider doesn’t look sporty enough for you from the factory, the guys at Inden Design have come up with a customization program that improves both the vehicle’s performance as well as the sports car’s handling.
Inden’s target was to make the F430 hit 186 MPH. In order to do do this, the tuner has added a modified front-spoiler to push the front end down and keep air from going under the Italian super car. The side skirts seal off the lateral edges of the undercarriage while the carbon fiber diffusor and rear valance work together to channel whatever air did enter the underside and create a low pressure zone behind the back bumper to plant the rear axel as well as creating a vacuum underneath the Ferrari that sucks the entire vehicle onto the pavement. This allows the lightweight wheels to not only look good, but gain a little grip.
With an extra 35 HP thanks to a stainless steel sports exhaust system with sound control and test pipes replacing the catalytic converters, the Inden F430 is the perfect choice for any speed lover.
Nissan has just announced pricing for the 370Z Roadster. The drop top sports car will go on sale this September and start at $36,970 for the 370Z Roadster 6MT and move on up to $38,270 for the 370Z Roadster 7AT.
The Touring models, which add a 6CD Bose; audio system, XM; Satellite Radio, Bluetooth; Hands-free Phone System, HomeLink; Universal Transceiver, aluminum-trimmed pedals and power leather-appointed heated and cooled ventilated seats brings the cost up to $40,520 for the 6MT version and $41,820 for the 7AT version.
The Touring version is made up of two packages: the Sport Package, complete with 19 inch forged RAYS wheels wrapped with Bridgestone Potenza tires, Nissan Sport Brakes, SynchroRev Match for the 6 speed manual transmission only and Viscous Limited Slip Differential; and the Navigation Package, which is made up of the Hard Drive-based Nissan Navigation System, 9.3GB Music Box Hard Drive and USB connectivity.
The Italian sports car builder Maserati is planning to unveil a drop top version of the Granturismo sports coupe this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The open air GT car will feature the same exterior characteristics as the hardtop, not that the significantly camouflaged GT spyder test mule is any indication of that. The Maserati Granturismo Spyder will go on sale sometime early in 2010 and is expected to be priced at around $130,000.
One of the questions that remains to be asked is whether or not the next GT will have a hard roof structure or if it will be of the cloth variety, thanks to the thick black covering, it looks like we won’t know until Frankfurt. What we do know is that like most Italian works of automotive art, the new Spyder’s body was designed by the fashionistas at Pininfarina and will use the same basic architecture as the fixed roof Granturismo and Quattroporte sports saloon from Maserati. The Granturismo Spyder will also use the same series of high revving 4.3 Liter V8 engines that make 405 HP just like the standard model.
Mercedes Benz is about to unveil a hardtop version of the gull-winged SLS AMG supercar by the end of this year, so it is only fitting that they get started on a roadster version of the new speed machine that has just been spied testing for the first time ever. The roadster version of the SLS is expected to be unveiled late in 2011 as a 2012 model.
The SLS Roadster will be powered by the same 563 HP 6.3L V8 engine as found in the coupe version. The drop top Benz will be able to sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in around 4 second and reach a top speed around 200 MPH.
The SLS AMG Roadster should go on sale for a price of around $200,000.
Touring car driver turned Fifth Gear host, Jason Plato had a chance to compare two lightweight convertibles that you wouldn’t normally put in the same category. He admits to liking the Mini Cooper S Convertible but he says that the Mazda MX-5 is much more fun. So which is quicker around their test circuit the Japanese roadster or the BMW owned Brits?
The Italian super car manufacturer who relies on Mercedes Benz for their power plants, Pagani, has just unleashed an all new roadster version of the stunning Zonda R. The new Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster, as it is known, will be a very valuable commodity, limited to only 5 units priced at 1.3 million Euro each.
Behind the driver’s head in the Pagani Cinque Roadster is a hand built twin turbocharged AMG V12 engine that makes 678 HP. That tremendous amount of power lets the rocket ship inspired vehicle to sprint to 60 MPH from a standstill in just 3.4 seconds and hit 200 km/h in under ten seconds and it won’t stop until it reaches a top speed of 217 MPH.
As the coupe version, the roadster features a ceramic-coated titanium exhaust system, the same magnesium/aluminum rims and the same magnesium/titanium suspension.
In an attempt to downsize the fun in their lineup, the automaker from Hiroshima is preparing a smaller version of their popular MX-5, the MX-2, a model set to be unveiled in 2012. Anyone who has ever found himself or herself behind the wheel of Mazda’s current lightweight rear wheel drive drop top will tell you that this reinvention of the classic English roadster is the best new car on the market, for the money. So a smaller MX-5 should also be lighter and less expensive.
The MX-2’s front end has swooping lines that that were strongly inspired by the Mazda Furai concept with some Ferrari California inspired headlamps, while the rest of the body reminds us of the newly redesigned BMW Z4 roadster. The smaller Miata will compete with upcoming models like the Mini Speedster and possible Nissan Urge.
You would think that while Mazda’s engineers were scaling down the roadster that they might have skimped on the output, but not from the Zoom-Zoom family. In an attempt at downsizing and turbo charging the top of the line model will have a 1.6 Liter four, boosted to make 160 HP. With a power package like that, Mazda’s MX-2 could become even more of a hit than the Miata. If enough of these turbocharged sports cars actually move off of dealer’s lots, it could inspire the Japanese automaker to resurrect another great sports car, the RX-7.
This is not the first time that Top Speed has told you about a spider version of the fabulous front engine Ferrari 599 before, but these are the clearest spy shots yet. Ferrari is keeping tight lipped about when exactly the drop top V12 powered GT car will make its auto show debut, but if it doesn’t happen by the end of this year, expect to see it sometime in early 2010.
You may be saying to yourself, don’t those taillights and impression down the side of the car look like a California. Although that may be true, that is exactly what the Ferrari design team wants you to think. Look carefully at the front fenders, right underneath where the impression comes to an end. On a California, there is a small vented area right below this point, but on this spy shot, none. Aside from folding convertible top, the 599 Spider will be identical to the coupe version; best of all is the high revving 6.0 Liter V12 that makes well over 600 HP. That should make for a pretty exciting open air driving experience.
The new Porsche Spyder will be based on the Volkswagen Bluesport Concept, as well as the future Audi R2. The roadster will measure in at 3.99 meters long and feature the same folding canvas roof.
Under the hood Porsche will use a 200 HP 2.0 Liter TFSI power plant borrowed from the VW Golf GTI, that will be mounted behind the driver and in front of the rear axle. An S version should be good for 280 HP. The new model will be inspired by the original Porsche 550 Spyder, unveiled at the Paris Motor Show back in 1953. The smallest member of the Porsche family will be priced starting at around £28,000 ($46,000) when it hits showrooms a couple of years from now.
The only thing that makes sense for any automaker to do when they have a best selling vehicle on their hands, is to come up with a fun to drive variant of that very vehicle. So after the German arm of General Motors, Opel, revealed the first details on the 2010 Opel Astra hatchback version; it only made sense that the automaker announced plans for a drop-top two-seater version of the best sold Opel ever.
The new Astra Roadster will replace the current TwinTop and will compete with other lightweight open air sports cars like future Scirocco CC, Audi TT Roadster and Mercedes SLK.
The top of the line version of the new Astra Roadster will get a turbocharged 2.0 Liter engine that will deliver 270 HP and make this particular Astra able to sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in just 6 seconds before reaching a top speed of 150 MPH. Opel is also planning on releasing another version will get a downsized and turbocharged 1.4 Liter petrol burning unit for economy making 150 HP as well as an alternatively fueled 170bhp 2.0 Liter CDTI turbodiesel engine.
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