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Driven: 2009 Tesla Roadster v1.5

Last January we landed an exclusive first drive of the Tesla Roadster. We were impressed, but well aware that the particular two-gear model we drove that wet afternoon wasn't identical to the version set to land in customers' hands later in the year. Last week, we were invited back to briefly test drive a genuine production model with the latest transmission and software updates (aka "powertrain 1.5").
posted : 10/21/2008 @8:11:51 PM
Rumormill: Toyota developing baby roadster based on iQ

Toyota worked up an entirely new platform for its new iQ minicar, which features a very unique 3+1 seating arrangement in an effort to outsmart its competitors. Such a development takes a good deal of resources and Toyota seems to be considering ways to defray that cost through additional models based on the same underpinnings. The latest vehicle architecture to add to the always active rumormill would be a small two-seat roadster. If the German buff book Auto Motor und Sport is correct, expect the new sub-Miata-fighter to debut in concept form at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show and be called the Spider. The roadster would likely get the same powerplants as the normal iQ, including both gasoline and diesel four-cylinder variants. A decision on a production model, though, is likely still a good ways off. Other iQ models said to be waiting in the wings are an upcoming Yaris successor, a hybrid and a mini-minivan. Though we know the iQ has a good chance of being sold in the United States wearing a Scion badge, we have no idea yet how many of these other models could follow.
posted : 10/21/2008 @7:49:46 PM
Mercedes to auction off last McLaren SLR Roadster for the States

It's the end of the run for the McLaren SLR Roadster, but Mercedes wants to give Yanks another shot at owning one. Beginning November 1, those of you who still have bank accounts can sign up for the auction of the final topless SLR to be sold in the U.S. You'd be right to assume the final edition of a limited run model would bring a huge premium when it goes on the block, as collectors have always put higher values on the first and last of most anything. But if you plan to take this particular knick-knack home, prepare to drain both savings accounts. Mercedes says the car will be the only SLR Roadster wearing Sienna Pearl metallic paint and Tobacco Brown leather. So when you show up to accept your Oscar, no one else will be driving the same one.
posted : 10/17/2008 @5:37:21 PM
2009 Mercedes SL63 AMG and SL600

Finding the ideal luxury sports car is a Goldilocks proposition: cars that fulfill either descriptive – luxury or sports – are piled high as Annapurna. For instance, the Ferrari F430 is a luxurious sports car, but it's not a luxury car. The current CL63 is a sporty luxury car, but it's not a sports car. Try to find a conveyance in which the little girl with the golden locks would sigh "This one is just right" – a car that has the sporting reflexes to keep her heart beating and a cabin supple enough for her to unwind in when the twisties are finished – and you see the field is disturbingly minuscule. Against all odds, the SL63 is that car: Goldilocks' Golden Mean.
posted : 10/17/2008 @5:17:15 PM
Abarth Coupe ala AutocarAutocar has cooked up the latest rendering of the forthcoming Abarth Roadster, and while it keeps the basic shape of previous images, it adds a more distinct Fiat flavor to the front. The Roadster will form one prong of Abarth's three-model lineup, joining the Punto and 500 variants, but will be based off a new platform, complete with an engine mated amidships, shared by a new Fiat Group vehicle, likely the Lancia Fulvietta. Power is expected to come courtesy of the 500 Abarth's turbocharged 1.4-liter, putting 135-150 hp to the rear wheels. Sales are likely to begin sometime in 2013 and the Abarth Roadster is expected to carry a sticker price of £12,000.
posted : 10/16/2008 @6:16:18 PM
Spy Shots: BMW Z4 caught practically nakedWe haven't shown you new spy shots of the upcoming redesigned BMW Z4 for, oh, at least a couple of weeks, but the latest pics reveal the hardtop convertible's final shape with only minimal covering. That psychedelic applique aside, we can easily see now that the new Z4 will be an evolutionary step for the design of this little roadster. What it will do is wipe clean the Bangle-inspired design elements that made the current car such a visual mess from every angle. It will get the clean, sculpted sides of current BMWs like the 3 Series, and an even larger twin-kidney grille. And unlike the current car, the proportions are now much more balanced with a reasonably sized front end flowing into a tidy cockpit and tapered rear. As mentioned, BMW will be ditching the soft top for a retractable hard top, which may take away some of the car's open air flavor but is largely a necessity in this class nowadays.
posted : 10/15/2008 @9:38:10 PM
Conflicting details: Volkswagen's LA-bound mid-engine coupeCAR and Autoweek have tapped their sources within Volkswagen to get the scoop on a rumored mid-engine Elise-fighter that may debut at next month's LA Auto Show. But when working with unnamed insiders, information tends to get jumbled in the process and differing reports emerge that suggest it's all more speculation than hard facts. Both reports confirm what we've heard before: Volkswagen will limit the cylinder count to four, but that's where the similarities end. Autoweek's sources say that engine choices will be limited to either a 170-hp 1.4-liter Twincharger TSI gasoline engine or a new 125-hp 1.6-liter TDI sending power to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. CAR pegs displacement of the gasoline engines at between 1.2- and 1.4-liters, with output ranging from 105 to 160 hp. A 1.2-liter TDI producing 75 hp is also being bandied around. According to Autoweek, the mid-engine coupe will come to market in 2011, while CAR contends production won't begin until 2013. Additionally, CAR reports that VW won't use an aluminum architecture due to cost constraints, meaning that the Modular Sports Car (MSC) will come in at around 2,660 pounds (300kg heavier than the Elise). On the other hand, Autoweek is saying that the concept will tip the scales below 2,200 pounds by tapping Audi for its expertise with aluminum and opening the door to a four-ringed variant with a choice of a 211-hp 2.0-liter TFSI or a 204-hp twin-turbo'd 2.0-liter TDI. Not to mention the possibility of a Porsche 914 successor. A strut-based suspension will be employed instead of a Golf-derived multi-link arrangement, while parts cribbed from the rest of the VW line – ranging from steering components and brakes to electronics and transmissions – will be used to keep manufacturing costs in check. Autoweek is also reporting that both a coupe and roadster will be offered, which strikes us as totally unnecessary as VW would be better served offering a removable hard-top similar to that on the MSC's target, the Lotus Elise.
posted : 10/15/2008 @7:57:12 PM
F1 head's daughter gets racy in new ad

Bernie Ecclestone has three daughters -- four if you count Formula 1 -- and the one you see above is Tamara, posing with a checkered flag. Why? To help PETA fight the fur trade, of course. Under the slogan "Going fur-free is the winning formula," Tamara has done a series of print ads in Europe that appear to say "If you really care about animals, not only will you not wear fur, you won't wear any clothes at all. And you'll be hot. Like Natasja Vermeer and Eva Mendes hot. Or Steve-O." Vive l'Europe.
posted : 10/15/2008 @7:41:41 PM
Paris 2008: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 S Roadster

Certain cars encourage a response that is as routine and predictable as the reaction to a stoplight, and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 S Roadster is one of those cars. This is what happens every time someone gets in one, irrespective of their age, sex, or nationality: she snuggles into the seat, looks into the footwell to make sure her feet are placed just so on the pedals, slides her hands around the steering wheel for a couple of seconds to find just the right position, snuggles into the seat again... and then she just sits there, staring off into the distance. She might flip the paddles once or twice, or check out the center console. Then it's back to the thousand yard stare at the wall in front of her. She gets her picture taken, notices the line of people waiting to do the same thing, and it's all repeated again and again. And for good reason – the SLR McLaren 722 S Roadster is topless testosterone-topped terrificality. 650 horsepower from a supercharged 5.5L V8 and a convertible soft top that'll stay put above 208 mph deserves the attention.
posted : 10/5/2008 @6:13:01 PM
Devil made me do it: 666 most stolen highway road signA Route 666 sign would look right at home in the shop next to the Fiat crest that's displayed on the wall. In fact, they may share a meaning. It seems we're not the only ones that chuckle when the number of the beast pops up on road signs. Barnegat, New Jersey can't keep mile marker 66.6 on either its Parkway or Turnpike. Whenever the signs are replaced, they're stolen again. The situation is much the same further north in Morris County, where so many Route 666 signs went missing that New Jersey changed the route designation to 665. There's a joke in here somewhere about hell rides on Jersey roads, but it happens elsewhere in the country, as well. The former interstate 666, which runs through Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado, was renamed Route 491, though there are certainly some drivers that continue to drive like hell no matter what road they're on.
posted : 10/5/2008 @5:05:09 PM
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