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.
Check out the link below to see all the images.
First Porsche denied any rumors regarding a new entry-level model, but then confirmed it shortly after. The new model, a two-seater open air sports coupe will be placed just under the Boxster and should arrive by 2013.
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.
You may already know that Jaguar is preparing for the launch of the XE in 2012. Next to the V6 and V8 engines, the XE chassis will also be offered with a gas sipping 3 cylinder gas/electric hybrid version, set up similarly to Chevrolet’s upcoming Volt EV. The first concept version of this forward thinking hybrid sports car should make its Auto Show debut sometime in 2010; with this model Tata aims to compete directly with other electric roadsters builders like Tesla and Fisker.
Expect the 2011 XE Hybrid to be powered by a lithium ion battery pack, as opposed to today’s nickel based energy storage devices. The small displacement motor will act mainly to recharge the batteries which they will run off of most of the time, just like General Motors’ car of tomorrow. Good news for the petrol heads in the audience, the traditionally powered modern day E Type is expected to have Jaguar’s new 5.0 Litre V8 engine, making 385 HP, while a 510 HP supercharged version is expected to make an appearance under the range topping sport model.
This electrifying news comes after a report back in April that said Jaguar had an electric Jaguar XJ in the works for 2010, in which the now Indian owned company could benefit from a sizable sack of cash from the British Government.
Even though you won’t be able to enjoy the Ferrari F-450 Spider for at least another 24 months, Audi’s drop top super car may just have to hold you over until then. The Audi R8 Spyder has been spotted in the final stages of testing, and spy photographers were at the right place at the right time to catch it before the vehicle makes its official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, ahead of even the hardtop Ferrari.
Like the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, the Audi R8 Spyder will feature a fancy electrically operated folding soft-top convertible roof. The German automaker has chosen to leave out the R8’s signature side blades made from carbon fiber, further distinguishing it from the coupe. However the Audi design team didn’t forget to add a powerfully sculpted side scoop to feed enough fresh air into the mid-mounted engine bay.
Fans of the fabulous 4.2 Liter FSI V8 that makes 100 horsepower per liter will be able to enjoy the sound of that motor behind them with the wind in their face by September, but if you really want to go Ferrari hunting, V10 powered Spyder will debut just six months later.
For all of the hot water GM has been embroiled in these days, the company can take comfort in knowing that its Corvette franchise is doing pretty well. It comes as no surprise then that GM is taking advantage of this situation by increasing the price of the 2010 Corvette ZR1 to $109,530 – a price hike of over $2,910 from the 2009 version.
While GM understands that the price hike might turn off some people from purchasing the 2010 ZR1, a price hike of a little less than $3K isn’t that much considering you’ll be spending over $100K anyway. Besides, we’ve heard from a number of people – most specifically, Corvette Blogger – that dealers have already pre-empted Corvette’s move in jacking up the price of the 2009 Corvette by over $10,000. So it’s not like GM is doing anything out of the ordinary and when you’re a manufacturer that was this close to dropping your production curtains, you’ll take any form of added income any way you can get it.
Continued after the jump.
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After Volkswagen revealed their BlueSport concept at the Detroit Auto Show, there were a number of rumors saying that Porsche will also be producing a production version based on the 21st century roadster, as a successor for the classic 914. However the German sports car builder denied those rumors until the bitter end, but apparently the rumors had a hint of truth to them and Porsche is really considering an entry level model priced below the Boxster for their lineup.
So why is the new 914 suddenly back on track? Due to the new Volkswagen-Porsche alliance, the project is now financially feasible because the new platform will be ideal to use as a launch pad for a mid-engine roadster. Expect to see Audi build something using the same platform, like the R4. Volkswagen will still produce the BlueSport clean diesel roadster based on the same chassis.
Under the hood Porsche can choose from the popular 1.4 Liter TSI making 170 HP or possibly even the 125 HP TDI motor. Although we can expect something with a little more oomph from the sportiest member of the VW Group, either way, if Porsche can keep the weight below 2,200 pounds, the new 914 will be a blast no matter what the power plant is in the back.
MINI has been one of those rare manufacturers that never seem to go out of its comfort zone. Part of it, we can say, is by design. After all, with one of the most recognizable cars in history (the Cooper), MINI could thrive under the Cooper banner just fine. So when word came out that MINI was coming out with a Roadster – predictably called the MINI Roadster – then you could say that it turned a few heads.
Word is being spread that MINI is close to releasing the MINI Roadster, possibly just in time for the Frankfurt Motor Show. The news was first reported by the French car magazine, L’Automobile and was likewise confirmed by the UK’s Autocar magazine.
From the few snapshots we’ve seen of the MINI Roadster, it looks quite like a loaded version of the MINI Cooper, complete with raked windshield and a retractable soft top – giving it a uniquely bad ass look that’s far removed from the conservative style of the Cabriolet. More so, the MINI Roadster has been reported to feature a low center of gravity, giving it superior driving performance than the Cooper.
As far as the engine is concerned, the Roadster is set to come with the same 1.6 L twin scroll-turbocharged engine, capable of exhausting up to 211 horsepower and up to 280 Nm peak torque with Overboost deployed.
It doesn’t strike us as coincidence that MINI is releasing the Roadster – along with the much talked about MINI Crossman SUV - on the very same year they’re celebrating 50 years of the Cooper’s existence. There have been no confirmed dates as to when the Roadster, and the Crossman for that matter, will be released for production.
What we all know is that barring the unforeseen, both vehicles will be on-hand for the Frankfurt Motor Show, making it a must-attend occasion for all MINI aficionados from all over the world.
Top Speed has already shown you the German tuner Hamann’s take on BMW’s redesigned roadster, the Z4. There is another group of tuners in the Bavarian region that are out to make the drop top Bimmer even more of a sporty ride.
The tuning house G-Power starts off by adding a set of their signature Silverstone wheels and height-adjustable G-POWER coil-overs in order to achieve the perfect stance. The GZ4-RS, 9 way adjustable shock absorbers also help to tune the dampening characteristics of the Z4 to work best with the sticky 295 series rubber incase there is a challenge regarding the vehicle’s handling abilities.
The German mechanics have managed to keep the grease out from under their fingernails. Tahnks to factory plug and play connectors, they have been able to extract an additional 45 HP from the car’s twin turbo straight six 100% electronically, increasing the output of G-Power’s Z4 sDrive 35i to 345 HP, good enough to get the new BMW to sprint from 0 to 60 PH in just 4.7 seconds down from the standard version’s 5.1 second 0 to 60 MPH time.
Press release after the jump.
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It was announced last July that the German automaker Mercedes Benz and the racecar constructers McLaren would soon be going their separate ways. This meant that the end was near for all variations of the SLR super car. However, before the two automotive giants part ways, they have decided to celebrate the by painting the last batch of SLR roadsters in McLaren’s signature racing livery.
The orange paint scheme was first used to cover the 1967 M6A Can-Am racecar, and is also the color of the McLaren F1 LM that Lewis Hamilton first saw in his karting days and made Ron Dennis promise to give it to the young Britton if he ever won the manufacturer a Formula 1 world championship. You should know how that played out.
However; the very last SLR Roadster will feature a deep copper color scheme called Sienna Pearl metallic and have a Tobacco Brown leather interior. The super car will be built for the U.S. market and ultimately auctioned off to help raise funds for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on November 20th.
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