Toyota might be the highest automobile manufacturing brand in the world but even then it needs to fill the void in the compact roadster segment. Instead of raising or developing a new platform altogether, Toyota is thinking on the lines of manufacturing a less-expensive version of the FT-86 sports car. The touted model will be a rear-wheel driven commuter with a front-mounted engine. It will be powered by Toyota’s very own 3SZ-VE engine which is a 1.5 liter 4-banger with 109 bhp power output. The current FT-86 sports car which has been developed together by Subaru and Toyota is expected to go on sale soon.
As far as we remember, watchmaker TAG Heuer has never before been associated with an electric sports car company like Tesla. TAG Heuer has been closely associated with top-notch racing teams in the past but it now understands that even the performance seeking drivers need to ride on green wheels, which is why TAG Heuer has joined hands to build a one-off Tesla roadster. Currently on display at the ongoing 80th Geneva Motor Show, this electric roadster will feature a centre console hosting TAG Heuer’s latest concept watch that is to be separately revealed in a star-studded party at Baselworld 2010. Other Heuer influences in the car will include a TAG Heuer Meridiist mobile phone and a one-fifth second Heuer Limited Edition Stopwatch.
There’s no news that we fall for everything that starts with L and ends with amborghini, but looking at this new Lamborghini Reventon Roadster it’s more like an adrenaline shot directly into your veins. Meant as the most extreme car in the history of the brand, the new Reventon Roadster delivers not just a superior performance but also an amazing driving experience in an open-top Italian supercar that takes our breath away. Speaking of specs, this little monster runs on a 6.5L V-12 supercar that puts out 662 horsepower, sprints to 62mph in 3.4 seconds and tops at 205mph (about 330km/h).
Available in Reventón Grey with two-tone matte-and-glossy finished wheels, the new Lamborghini Reventon Roadster provides “an unusual visual impact, [and] also a turbine effect that further improves cooling of the mighty ceramic brake discs.” And if you were wondering how much it will sell for, how does 1.1 million Euros before taxes (asome $1.6 million at today’s rate) sound? [via Wired]
The Veritas RSIII Roadster manufactured by Vermot AG is a perfect opportunity to relive the auto-fanaticism of the past. The design is surely retro but the use of material and the engine displacement is good enough to get us drooling. The news is that the new Veritas RSIII Roadster has hit the production facility and a limited edition of 30 cars will be manufactured, with deliveries starting 2010. Meanwhile, eight customers have already booked the retro modern scorcher which comes with a 1+1 seating scheme and a hidden rear seat.
The roadster will be powered by a naturally aspirated 5.0-litre BMW V10 engine capable of producing 507hp at 7,750rpm and 520Nm of torque at 6,100rpm. As far as the transmission is concerned, there will be a choice between a 7-speed SMG and the 6-speed manual. No wonder this car can pelt from 0 to 100km/h in less than 3.2 seconds and top it out at 347km/h. Each one of these gems will cost €345,000.
Audi has released new photographs of the Audi TT RS Coupe and Roadster. The TT RS comes with a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder that sports 340 horsepower and churns 332 lb-ft torque. Mated to a six-speed manual transmission, featuring Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system, five-spoke 18-inch wheels and exterior styling as aggressive as what’s under the hood, that’s the gift I want from Santa this year. How about you guys? How about the new Audi TT RS Coupe and Roadster? [via GlobalMotors]
Still sporting the 3.7-litre naturally aspirated engine from the coupe that dishes out 332 hp, the latest couple of versions of the 370Z Roadster from Nissan are all about style, accessorizing and luxury rather than power under the hood. Available in Roadster and Touring Roadster versions, the first one will be available in late summer with a folding soft roof which operates either through a button at the centre console or buttons on the doors.
The Touring Roadster will have the folding roof and also heated and cooled leather seats for open-top driving in any weather, Bluetooth cell phone connectivity, an 8-speaker Bose sound system and XM satellite radio as additional options. The Touring range will also come in a couple of trim packages depending on what you can spend and your choice of accessories and will be available in 7 different color options.
At this point it is the Touring version that seems to offer more value for money rather than just the plain Roadster. But we will have to wait for the prices to pass final judgment on that. [via DeviceMag]
If the economic downturn has left you with piles of cash that you don’t know what to spend on, you should know that a new Lamborghini Murcielago LP650-4 Roadster is going to be produced in a 50-units limited production. Although we only have a leaked image with the car, we do know it features a flamboyant Grigio Telesto exterior that adds orange touches to a dark grey body work. With a beefed up engine that is nothing but a speculation for the moment (maybe Reventon’s 6.5-liter V12 engine?), the car is nothing short of breathtaking. We’d love to see it roaring on the floor in Geneva next month. [via autoblog.nl]
Now if those 1,100 guys waiting in line for a Roadster are not mad enough and can wait a few more months, our advice is to save more money and wait for the new sports version. Dubbed Tesla Roadster Sport, the two-seater electric vehicle is now 15-percent more powerful thanks to a hand-wound stator that increases winding density and helps eliminate resistance. The car also sports better handling, a unique paint job with carbon accents and a set of ultra high performance tires. Doing naught to 100km/h in only 3.7 seconds – unlike the base model that takes 3.9seconds – the car is expected to be deliver starting from June and the price is expected to start from $128,500 in the US. [via Jalopnik]
Just when I thought that Bugatti can’t come up with a new amazing, stunning, incredible (continue the list) new Veyron, here’s what they did. Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Roadster. The new Veyron 16.4 which by the way comes with a removable roof, will receive its public debut at this year’s Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance, on August 16th, 2008.
With “innovative structural solutions” compensating for the lack of structural integrity which normally provided by a roof, they managed to come up with a car that is not sacrificing performance and safety for the looks. First one will be built in the Spring of 2009 and will be auctioned the next ya and the renowned Gooding auction at the Equestrian Center at Pebble Beach.
Guess we started the week with the right foot. I declare it the car of the week, no matter what.
via 4wheelsblog.com
TVR is about to unveil plans to start building cars after 18 months in the wilderness — provided it can raise the cash. A revised but familiar-sounding recovery plan to assemble a mostly UK-based team of chassis and body suppliers, to utilise a stock of ready-built engines, and bring everything together in a final assembly operation at Bertone in Italy was revealed last week to a 60-strong UK meeting of dealers and potential investors from Europe, Asia and America.
