If the new Toyota iQ is going to compete against the smart fortwo, an open-top version is going to be a necessity. We've already heard rumblings of a possible roadster based on the iQ's underpinnings, so a convertible option certainly seems possible. If renderings from Japan's Best Car are to be believed (we're not convinced), the Japanese automaker could mimic the fortwo's cabriolet style by removing the front and rear roof sections, fitting an integrated roll bar and adding a set of soft-tops.
The main advantage for the iQ has over the fortwo is the city car's extra passenger seats. Unlike the smart, Toyota's microcar manages to cram four belts into its tiny frame and a drop-top variant would make the iQ the world's smallest-ever four-seat convertible. While a credible contender to the fortwo cabrio is surely in the cards, we're still waiting to see the iQ rebadged a Scion and brought to the U.S. to truly give smart a run for its money.
Where do supercars go when they die? Some sacrilegious blend between Heaven and Hell where they get chopped up into little bits, but are then given a chance to give other supercars a new lease on life. One such Nissan GT-R met its demise far too young in its life. With only 4,000km on the odometer, some fool t-boned it and it was a goner. In came Australian motorsport outfit Just Jap Racing, who took the wrecked GT-R and cut it down to use as for spare parts for their racing program.
Not quite the first GT-R roadster as some would believe, but something far more important: Proof that, for Japanese sportscars at least, there is life after death.
Electric vehicles... they're so hot right now. And none are hotter at the moment than the Tesla Roadster, which looks positively sublime in Very Orange paint. Even Porsche, the longtime purveyor of some of the world's best sporting hardware, is interested in the little electron powered machine. In fact, rumor has it that the German automaker is much more impressed with Silicon Valley's first ever sports car than it is with the lithium ion-powered E-Ruf electric 911. Is it too slow; too heavy; too expensive? Nobody knows for sure outside of Stuttgart's engineering offices, but we do know that the German automaker has placed an order for a Tesla Roadster of their very own for closer scrutiny. We'd imagine that the EV's dissection could offer some enlightening revelations to Porsche, rumored to be hard at work on an electric sportscar of its very own. Considering Porsche's recent history with other automaker's wares, this could get very interesting.
CAR magazine has gotten an opportunity to try out the refresh of the MX-5, which has left them impressed enough to say it's "still the best car Mazda makes." There's nothing revelatory coming for 2009, just more consistent refinement of a winning formula. The biggest change is a bit of rhinoplasty that adds more of the family nose to the MX-5's visage. The headlamps have taken on a shape that echoes the car's siblings the 3 and the 6. Grille openings, and the shape of the front airdam, call to mind the RX-8, and new sill extensions stretch between the wheels. The tweaking adds a whiff more aggression to the convertible's look, which some have found effeminate in the past.
Rather than get caught up in the recent massive horsepower war, Mazda's been careful to maintain the MX-5's stellar chassis manners that allow drivers to make the most of the horsepower with the car's penchant for serving up handling enjoyment. There have been refinements to the hardware: the transmission now has shorter throws, and the engine gets a forged crank connected to new pistons, and a new valvetrain also helps orchestrate a power peak 300 rpm higher, now at 7,000, and redline bumps out to 7,500. For those that don't want to shift themselves, there's a six speed automatic, and the front suspension has been revised to improve steering feel and action. The MX-5 has evolved from an MGB throwback to a classic in its own right. Now, if they'd just make a proper fixed-head version.
For those who don't know Jason Calacanis, he is an original co-founder of Weblogs, Inc. As such, he is also an original founder of Autoblog and AutoblogGreen, and though his tastes lie more towards the tech side of things, he always took in interest in cars. It's no surprise then that after moving on from Weblogs, Inc. and AOL to his newest project, the human-powered search engine called Mahalo, Jason put in one of the very first orders for a Tesla Roadster. That was many, many months ago, and about a week and a half ago, his car was finally delivered.
AutoblogGreen graciously accepted Jason's invitation to swing by Mahalo's offices in Santa Monica to catch up on old times and take the Tesla out for a spin. Jason's is one of the first Roadsters with the new v1.5 drivetrain installed, and as ABG points out, he was much more willing than most owners of a six-figure car to let us drive it.
A week later we had our own Drew Phillips meet up with Jason and his Roadster to do a proper SoCal photoshoot of the car. We absolutely love this car's paint job, which is a premium option called Very Orange with matching interior accents.
Photos of topless super-models parading around sun-drenched southern Europe -- the paparazzi never tire of snapping them, we never tire of seeing them, and like so many celebrity gossip magazines, here at Autoblog we never tire of running them. Take, for example, this particular Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano spotted now for the second time sashaying around Italy with its top half off. Not only is the regular car a rare treat to behold, but this one lets slip the promise of something more.
Although it hasn't appeared completely topless, this test vehicle is wearing an ill-fitting roof that suggests it may show the way for an upcoming convertible 599. That could mean a soft-top like the F430 Spider, a folding hard-top like the California or a rotating flip-top like that featured on the 575M-based Superamerica. Meanwhile, it could also mean a "regular production" model or a rare special edition for the Italian automaker. With the California just making its debut, the 16M Scuderia Spider just around the corner and the initial batch of spy shots just hitting the web, we asked the people at Ferrari what they were working on. Their response was that they're testing a lot of different ideas and that nothing had been given the green light (yet), so we'll just have to hold on and hope the higher-ups get out their stamps of approval.
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").
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.
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.
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.
