A few days ago, it was rumored that the Volkswagen Bluesport had been dropped because the company couldn’t find enough sales to justify investing in the model. But, according to British magazine Evo, this simply isn’t true because the Bluesport is still on track.
In a recent interview with EVO, Volkswagen’s engineering boss, Uli Hackenberg, stated that the Bluesport project is still very much alive: "dealers are always looking backwards, not forwards… this is particularly the case when a new model is being considered as they don’t have any reference point to guide them, so they look around at the current market and give an estimate based on that."
Uli elaborated by stating that a production version will arrive in the next three years and will carry a price tag of about £30,000 (about $47k at the current exchange rates). Maybe this means we’ll also see the baby Boxster in the near future?
Japanese automaker, Mazda, will troop to the Windy City to debut another special edition model of their most popular vehicle, the MX-5 Miata.
Based on the MX-5 Miata Grand Touring model, the car will be limited to only 450 models, distinguishing itself with a number of unique additions that include two new exterior colors, a black-only power retractable hard top, blah exterior accents, a new set of 17" gunmetal wheels, heated black leather seats, and interior finishes dressed in piano black.
Performance specs will remain the same, which means that the car will sport a 2.0-liter four cylinder engine that produces 167 horsepower and 158 lb/ft of torque and will be mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed sport automatic transmission.
The MX-5 Miata Special Edition’s participation at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show was done as a tribute to Mazda’s debut on the global stage back in 1989. Since then, the Miata has become one of the most popular roadsters in the world, selling over a million models since it made its debut 23 years ago.
The Porsche 911 Speedster is a rare variant with only three generations notched onto its belt. The first was provided for the 911/930 from 1975-1989 and the second was built from the 911/964 generation from 1990-1994. After 16 years of dormancy, the 911 Speedster arrived at the tail end of the 997 series, more than likely to allow the generation to go out with a bang, but we would have much rather Porsche held out for the 991 generation.
If they had held out, we would expect the
911 Speedster to be the last variant to show up on the 911 roster, sometime in 2013. Like the current model, Porsche would focus on making the car lighter and more powerful: the current version uses a 3.8-liter flat six engine that produces 408 HP. Of course, the model would also be a limited edition, so many of us would be unable to get our hands on one.
That may not matter though. When taking history into account, the odds of Porsche bringing the 911 Speedster back only a few years after the previous version are slim to none, but we couldn’t help thinking of what the model would look like if they did.
Okay, so this isn’t exactly the most surprising news of the day, but it sure ranks up there with the coolest. Audi is said to be launching a Spyder version for the R8 GT at the Frankfurt Motor Show this Fall. As with the coupe version, the Spyder will be limited to 333 units and should be priced at about $20,000 higher than the coupe, which is sold for about $196,800 in the U.S. The similarities will even extend to the number of units available in the U.S. We last heard that we were getting 90 units of the GT Coupe and we expect the same number for the Spyder version.
Under the hood, Audi will place the same 5.2 liter V10 engine that delivers a total of 560 HP and 398 lbs-ft of torque. The Spyder version will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and will be capable of a top speed of 196.97 mph. Thanks to body parts made in carbon fiber the R8 GT Spyder is 187 lbs lighter and in the same time delivers performance numbers that makes it the top-of-the-line version of the high-performance sports car.
UPDATE 11/16/11: The Audi R8 GT Spyder made its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The lightweight, drop-top German supercar will be available in North America beginning next year and will be limited to just 90 units in the region. Audi is planning on building 333 units of the R8 GT Spyder so 90 models in North America is a pretty sizable chunk of the whole inventory. Interested parties should be on their toes so they can be part of the 90 people that can score the German supercar when it becomes available.
UPDATE 02/02/12: Audi of American has announced that the R8 Spyder will be priced at $210,000 plus a $1,200 delivery fee for the US market. Only 50 units will be offered on our side of the pond.
More details on the Audi R8 GT Spyder after the jump.
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The 2013 Mercedes SL63 AMG hasn’t even made its official debut just yet and already Mercedes is giving the first one away. Okay, technically, they’re not giving it away, but they are certainly not selling it directly to one of their customers. When the first unit of the SL63AMG hits Stateside, Mercedes will be sending it to the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance Gala for their 6th annual auction on February 25, 2012.
The upcoming SL63 AMG will be powered by a 5.5-liter twin turbo V8 engine that will delivers about 540 HP. A Black Series version will also be offered and has been rumored to deliver more than the current 661 HP version. The model will be distinguished from the standard SL-Class by a more aggressive design including a long hood, AMG wheels, cross-drilled brakes, a rear wing, and new AMG quad exhausts.
A 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder and a Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 will also be at the auction, making for a great opportunity to skip the waiting list.
