The Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible was not just a concept and these latest spy shots from an official photo shoot confirm the fact. The ragtop will be showcased for the very first time at the upcoming North American International Auto Show and then the Geneva Motor Show in March this year. On the outside, the convertible shares the styling traits with the standard Continental Supersports thanks to same front bumper, 20-inch wheels and the smoked headlights.

On the inside, the spy shots could only reveal a similarity of the twin sport seats as of now. The difference between the standard model and the convertible is predictably the reduction in weight, and what is a rarity to the lineage are the Quickshift transmission and the carbon-ceramic brakes. Under the hood is a 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 engine that renders 621hp and 800Nm of torque. Courtesy of the awesome power generation, the car can pelt from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and it has a top speed of 200mph. The ragtop can commute both on petrol and E85 bio-fuel.

The new Lexus IS250C is the second coupe-convertible that the brand has added to their stylish range of luxury vehicles. Shares the headlights, bonnet, door handles, and exterior mirrors with its sedan version, the IS250C has the fastest operating three-piece folding hardtop as well as the greatest amount of luggage space offered by any of its competitors in the market.

Crafted on the L-finesse design characteristics of the IS sedan, the new Lexus IS250C gets the eye with the front overhang which has been enlarged by 15mm to perk up the aerodynamic competence when driving with the top down. Speaking of which, the car ships with a lightweight aluminum hard top which utilizes 13 motors and 33 sensors with the roof converting the IS250C from coupe to convertible in a mere 21 seconds.

Specs wise, under the hood there’s the same 2,5-litre V6 and six-speed automatic transmission that outputs 153kW (205 hp) at 6,400rpm and 252Nm of torque at 4,800rpm.

The IS250C comes with a four year/100,000km full maintenance plan and should retail at R550,200.

Crazy German tuners from Wheelsandmore have decided to make the Aston Martin DB9 convertible even more badass than it is and got it tuned up, here and there. Performance wise the new custom made Aston Martin DB9 convertible gets an ECU upgrade, special 200 cells sportcatalysts and a valve controlled, stainless steel exhaust system that boosts power the stock 6.0 liter V12 engine by 60hp, to a total of 536hp. On top of being fast, the supercar also looks aggressive thanks to a special polyurethane bodykit with contending stylish sideskirts, aprons in the front as well as rear, a rear lid spoiler and a set of stylish Kahn RS-V 20-inch wheels. Looks amazing but when we think that Wheelsandmore will charge €5,999 for the wheel set, €9,000 for the body kit, €8,800 for the exhaust system, €3,400 for the ECU upgrade and €1,150, we’ll have to pass on this one.

The 2010 BMW 3-Series Convertible is supposed to arrive at the Frankfurt Motor Show and prior to the facelifted model getting showcased, the spy photographers did manage to click it again. Interestingly the convertible was still camouflaged at the front end signifying that BMW is coming up with something phenomenal. The known changes about the car include a new front bumper, fresh headlamps, LED lighting on the rear as well as a new rear bumper. Very little is known about what will be under the hood and the speculations is that a new 2.0 liter EfficientDynamics diesel engine that puts out 163hp and consumes 4.1litres for every 100kilometres will probably be there. [via WCF]

The Maserati GranCabrio was supposed to be unveiled officially at next month’s Frankfurt Auto Show but just to add to the enthusiasm, Maserati has gone ahead and made the details public a month before. The Pininfarina-designed GranCabrio has been beautifully converted into an open soft-top machine that comes with a cloth roof which deploys over the four-passenger compartment, eventually keeping the weight down. Just for the records, the Maserati GranCabrio is the first four-seat convertible in the history of the company. Maserati proudly boasts about the longest wheelbase (on the market) of the car. Under the hood you find a 4.7-liter 433-hp V8 from the GT S which is mated to a ZF six-speed automatic. You surely need to be at the Maserati corner in Frankfurt to see this beauty in “person”. [via Autoblog]

The Nurburgring Circuit has born witness to many a new car designs that get tested there and this time around it was host to the Oldtimer Grand Prix this past weekend. One of the highlights of the GP was the German Tuner Arden’s version of the Jaguar XKR 5.0L, introduced earlier this year by Jaguar.

The reworked model gets some true performance trims including the provision of a re-designed chassis that make the car more nimble and responsive. 9×21-inch alloy wheels have also been added alongwith a stainless steel quad-piped sport exhaust system. Other additions include AJ20 Wild Cat rear plus diffuser while the V-Max Suspension comes as optional. Under the hood, the power has been boosted 30bhp with 50Nm of torque which has taken the top speed to 320km/h. Exclusivity to this car is the stainless steel grill with an Arden badge which differentiates it from other models.

IND Silverstone II Styling Kit has one sole intention and that is to make the BMW E93 Convertible clean and subtle. The kit comes with a discrete polyurethane front lip extension and thereby completely removes all stock OEM reflectors. Other changes include a ‘challenge’ rear diffuser and 20-inch BBS LM chrome wheels with Nitto Invo tires. Sometime later IND also plans to equip the car with an Eisenmann Sport exhaust system, a Rogue short shift kit, and a performance shift knob and boot, but that will be after some months. The engine specs are just speculative as the official details are missing so it is supposedly a 4.0-liter V8 engine capable of producing 414 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque.

It’s been a while since we waited to get the official pictures of the upcoming Infiniti G37 Convertible, which will be presented live in November at the Los Angeles Motor Show.

The new convertible is built on the same coupe variant of the G37 range with a three-piece retractable hardtop and the same 330hp 3.7-liter V6 engine. Apparently they’re also going to work on the audio and AC systems to make them deliver the best possible when driving with the hair through your hair.

First it’s going to be released in the US, early next year, and studies revealed that other parts of the world including South Africa will probably get it by the end of the year.