My father had a habit of pointing out "it’s always the one ya least suspect." If you asked the public what they thought the Lotus Elise’s reliability was, the answer was a resounding "very good." However, now this Rembrandt of the racetrack has a small smudge and is now under investigation for a possible mechanical deficiency concerning the oil cooler.
The 2005-2006 Lotus Elise is at the center of this investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA). This problem centers on the right front oil cooler which can potentially come loose and spray inside the wheel well and the engine bay which can lead to a fire. This problem is described as" .. [Complaints centered on] an oil cooler line [that] had failed causing oil to spray within the engine compartment area, and/or near one of the wheel or brake assemblies." It is important to note that no one was hurt due to this malfunction although one person’s car did catch fire. That being said, the NHTSA has received 17 complaints and have calculated that around 4,400 Elises may be affected due to this malfunction.
An important distinction to note is that although this investigation is ongoing, a recall has not been issued for the Elise.
If you were considering a Lotus and now are suddenly running like Usain Bolt towards another sports car, think again because all of us here at TopSpeed would still love to have this pocket racer in our garage. Its combination of incredibly reliable Toyota innards and speed make the Lotus Elise a must have for any car enthusiast. Take this complaint for what it is; a small bump in the road for a great vehicle.
Mazda is squeezing in as many MX-5 special editions as it possibly can before releasing the next generation of the small sports car, and today another one is getting added to the list. The latest special edition MX5 is called the Black Limited Edition and was inspired by this year’s highly successful MX-5 GT race car. It will be limited to only 500 units and, on the British market, will be priced from £22,995 - or about $37,500 at the current exchange rates.
The new special edition will be distinguished by three unique paint finishes - Spirited Green Metallic, Crystal White Pearlescent, and Velocity Red Mica - and a Brilliant Black powered retractable hard-top. These exterior colors will be contrasted by dark "gun metal" 17-inch alloy wheels.
On the interior, the MX5 will get black leather with contrasting "sand" color stitching, a Piano Black steering wheel and deco panel, and Limited Edition floor mats. Model recognition will come from unique ‘Black Limited Edition’ exterior badging and uniquely numbered interior plaques.
Aside from the distinguishing features, the Mazda MX5 Black Limited Edition will also get a slew of standard equipment, including climate control air-conditioning, a premium Bose audio system, an integrated hands-free Bluetooth system, cruise control, and front fog lights.
UPDATE 09/01/11: The Mazda MX-5 Sport Black Limited Edition is getting ready for orders and to commemorate the occasion, we’ve uploaded more photos of the special edition Miata in the photo gallery. Check the new pictures out and maybe you’ll just end up scoring one of the 500 available pieces of the Japanese sports car.
Prior Design is no stranger to the Mercedes SL R230, having provided an aggressive package for the sports car just last year. That model was inspired by the Mercedes SLS AMG - hence the aggressive nature - and was a signed, sealed, and delivered success. This time around, Prior Design has opted for milder design modifications to the exterior and interior, but the result is just as scintillating as the first.
The new Mercedes SL R230 Black Edition by Prior Design still gets a bit of edge from the body kit provided, with a new front bumper, front fenders, front bonnet, and front lip spoiler exaggerating the curves of the SL model’s original front end. The same idea is carried along the side of the vehicle with new, pronounced side skirts that direct the attention on back to the modified rear end. The most noticeable change for the rear is the new trunk spoiler, but a new bumper, rear widenings, and a rear diffuser have also been added. Then there’s the new set of wheels with concave design at the back and the replacement windshield water tank to wrap things up.
Nothing has been said about the changes made for the interior of the SL-Class, but the images provided reveal a cool combination of black and red leather for both the seats and dashboard, a three-spoke steering wheel, and various carbon fiber insertions.
The new Prior Design package for the SL-Class doesn’t match the hardcore design of the previous package, but when all is said and done, the modified sports car is still classy and edgy. These two adjectives aren’t usually achieved at the same time successfully, so that says something for Prior Design’s beautiful work.
A successor to the original Smart Roadster has been in the pipeline longer than we can even remember so it figures that it’s only a matter of time before we see an image of the new car hit the Web.
Well, thanks to a Smart customer, we may finally have the first rendering of what the new Roadster is going to look like. There’s no word yet on what kind of powertrain the new Roadster will carry, but judging from the rendering, the new Roadster does bear some striking similarities to the ForSpeed Concept that we saw last March at the Geneva Motor Show.
Dare we say, there might even some Mercedes, Porsche and MINI design elements added to the car’s classy yet sporty overall profile. Then again, we’re not the least bit surprised that there’s some Merc design influence on it, seeing as Mercedes’ parent company, Daimler, also owns Smart.
Similarly, the underpinning for the new Roadster hasn’t been revealed yet, although you could point out to the recent collaboration between Daimler and Renault-Nissan to develop a new rear-drive platform as a hint of what lies ahead for the new Roadster.
All this, of course, is still a matter of conjecture. But we’re nonetheless excited to see some progress being made on the upcoming release of the next-generation Smart Roadster, which has been penciled in, by the way, for 2012.
When the Sesto Elemento Concept first debuted at the 2010 Paris Auto Show, there was plenty of discussion as to whether or not Lamborghini would send it to production. It’s been several months later and questions are still be raised to that effect, although production seems almost certain with the hits taken by some of the major automakers. How can Lamborghini not take advantage of a vehicle that has been built using a masterful complete CFRP process? In fact, how can they not build this vehicle and build a Spyder version as well?
It may seem a little far-fetched to some, but creating a concept that has drawn as much attention as the Sesto Elemento and then not building on it further with a Spyder version seems a bit ludicrous. This is especially true considering every other Lamborghini in the lineup has its drop top brethren added to the mix. If and when the Sesto Spyder is developed, it will feature the same technology as the coupe version and will be powered by a massive V10 power unit with an output of about 570 HP. While the 0 to 60 mph sprint won’t be made in the same 2.5 seconds thanks to the added weight of a convertible top, the Sesto Spyder will still be one of the most impressive roadster models offered.
As far as its debut and availability are concerned, the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Spyder should be showing its face in some way shape or form in 2013. It will more than likely follow along the lines of its Coupe version with a limited run and a hefty price tag. The future Sesto Elemento (Coupe) will be limited to just 20 units, each carrying a price tag of 1.9 million euro, or about $2.8 million at the current exchange rates.
