Autoblog

CAR 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.

[Sources: CAR and Autoweek]

MotoringFile, ground zero on the web for all things MINI, has the scoop on the long-awaited 2009 MINI Cooper Convertible. Someone slipped MF seven official shots of the Detroit-bound R57 Cooper ragtop along with some additional inside information. Obviously, it's based on the current chassis and powertrains, so you know what you're going to get there. Additionally, the JCW package is supposedly going to be available at launch as well.

One of the most obvious visual changes in the new convertible is the use of pop-up roll hoops instead of the fixed units featured on the old car. This, in addition to looking cleaner, should improve rearward visibility with the top down. Speaking of the top being down, the new car includes a cutesy little gimmick called the 'Always Open" gauge. Located next to the tach housing, it tells the driver the percentage of miles driven with the top open. Look also for new paint and top colors outside, plus a new black chrome interior trim package inside. MotoringFile says we'll see the car in showrooms come Spring 2009. Look for more info on the new MINI convertible as we get closer to the Detroit Auto Show. In the meantime, hit up MotoringFile for their full preview report. Thanks to Gabriel for the heads-up.


[Source: MotoringFile]

The next gen BMW Z4 has been caught wearing black and white paisley instead of body armor, and much of the current car's drama definitely looks to have been toned down. The car hasn't been stripped of visual interest, but the angles-meeting-angles has been nixed for what looks like more gentle curves, swells, and strakes. The top is down in all of the shots, so we can't say anything more about the potential hardtop option, because it looks like the current car's cloth roof tucked in back. If not revolution, it looks to be a pretty serious evolution. Click the link to get more spy shots of the next Z4 topless. Thanks for the tip, Alex!

[Source: Z Post]

Photo: V8Limited\The Mustang Source

Bit by bit, the 2010 Ford Mustang is taking shape. We've slowly gone from the full-burka cladding to little peeks through it -- a headlight here, a taillamp there -- to this, the best shot yet of the car's rear end. V8Limited, the pseudonym used by one of the forum posters at The Mustang Source, caught a camo-painted but otherwise undisguised 2010 Mustang GT convertible out on the road and managed to grab a good shot before the driver saw what was happening and took off.

Note the upkick in the bodywork when you follow windowsills. On the current cars, it's straight, but on the new Mustang, there's a slight rise at the end of the door panel that flows up into the rear deck, making for more muscular haunches. Mustang drivers will immediately notice another welcome change in the placement of the radio antenna. Instead of the tall vertical whip mounted on the front passenger side of the current-gen car, an angled, shorty antenna now lives on the right rear quarter. Reshaped taillamps make the '10 instantly identifiable from the rear. While they retain the traditional three-element look, they are five-sided instead of rectangular, and the bottoms now angle up towards the car's outer edges. Polished rolled exhaust tips poke through their cutouts in the rear bumper cover, which gets a matte-black finish along the bottom. Finally, those five-spoke wheels are a new design.

In his post at TMS, V8Limited says that up front, the hood extends farther over the grille and that the headlamps are shorter. He didn't get an opportunity to snap the front end, but if Ford has basically undisguised prototypes running around, it's only a matter of time before more shots hit the web ahead of the official debut in November. Thanks to all who sent tips!

UPDATE: A Jalopnik reader snagged a pair of GT coupes from the front. Head over there to see the new front end.

[Source: The Mustang Source]

Click above for hi-res gallery of the Portofino

Fiat took one of its Fiorino vans, chopped off, well, most of it, and dubbed it the Portofino. Supposedly no more than a study for the Caravan Show that starts in Dusseldorf later this week, the golden, buggy-like conveyance is an homage to the 1960s. In a time before Fiat was building $200,000 supercars, coachbuilders were adding open-topped bodies to Fiat chassis like this for fun in the Italian sun.

To stress the beachgoing theme, the Portofino has wood laminate flooring and natural fibers treated with a special waterproofing for the interior surfaces. The car can (optimistically) seat five, and the rear seat folds down for your surfboards and anchors.

Instead of doors, the Portofino has nautical ropes -- which might sound risky, but the 12-foot car only has 75 horsepower, so you shouldn't be getting in too much trouble. Fiat has no plans to make the Portofino, but says it will create a covered version for protection from win and sun. Andiamo, then...


[Source: Carscoop]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport.

The wraps – and the roof – have come off the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport here in Monterey, finally answering a question few have asked and even fewer will sample.

As you'd expect, Bugatti hasn't just hacked the roof off the Veyron and gone to the pub. The windshield is slightly higher, the daytime running lights have been tweaked and then there's the showpiece: a removable, transparent polycarbonate roof, which blends the A-pillars into two painted carbon fiber strips that lead into the massive air intakes feeding the 1001 hp, quad-turbocharged, W16.

If you stow the roof at home for the world's fastest open-air, four-wheeled experience and the heavens decide to open, a folding roof stored in the luggage compartment can be – according to Bugatti – "opened like an umbrella." With the soft-top in place, speeds are limited to an incredibly low 130 km/h (81 mph), otherwise, the Grand Sport can hit 252 mph with the polycarbonate roof and 224 mph with the top removed.

Bugatti made several structural enhancements to ensure the Grand Sport shares the same chassis rigidity and safety standards as its fixed roof counterpart. The monocoque has been reinforced around the side skirts and transmission tunnel, the doors feature new longitudinal beams, and the air intakes have been redesigned to include ten-centimeter-wide carbon fiber elements to protect occupants in the event of rollover.

Only 150 examples will be made available, with the first 50 going to registered Bugatti customers. The first model will be auctioned off at the Gooding & Company auction tomorrow night, with all the profits over the 1.4 million euro ($2.05 million) sticker going to charity.

Hit the jump for the press release.

Live Photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above image to enlarge

Note to the Lexus SC430: it is now beyond over for you. Infiniti, Nissan's BMW-hunting luxury brand, has unveiled the 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible, a retractable hardtop 4-seater that preserves the Coupe's good looks even with its 3-piece folding metal roof neatly tucked out of sight, as you can see here. Power from the 3.7L V6 will be in excess of 320 horses, and numerous comparos against the BMW 335i convertible are inevitable. You can practically hear the buff mags reserving track time as we speak. Sunny Los Angeles will be the venue for the car's formal unveiling in November, and likely a fertile ground for sales when the time comes.

[Source: Infiniti]

Try as we might, we could not find the punchline to this bit of news, so we're going to run with it. Nissan is creating a Murano convertible, supposedly for empty nesters who want a side dish of top down to go with space for the kids and grandkids. Should such a thing occur, it will be searing your retinas as of 2010.

Nothing is slated to change on the car except the use of a soft-top convertible, even less trunk space, and most likely, the price. To see the rendering, if Nissan simply took the top off, the car might be a little bulbous but acceptable. If Nissan were to use a rollhoop, however... that means they're making a PT Cruiser with a higher seating position. And, as far as we're concerned, that just ain't cool... Thanks for the tip, Cory!

[Source: Inside Line]

The Audi A5 Cabrio won't be officially unveiled until the Paris Motor Show, but Auto Express has snapped an undisguised tester roaming the hills of Switzerland. The hot-looking A5 Cabrio is sporting a black canvas top, which for now puts to rest notions that a hard-top convertible is in the works. A cloth top makes abundant sense because it will be less complicated than a retractable hard top and also cutting down the on overall tonnage. The Cabrio's body appears to be unchanged in comparison to the A5 coupe, save for the chrome strip that separates the stowable top from the body. We're assuming powertrains will remain unchanged versus the A5 coupe, as is typically the case for Audi cabriolets. Rumors of an A5 drop top have been rampant since the minute the coupe was first announced, so it's nice to see that the gossip has been visually confirmed. Now all we have to wait for is the much-anticipated RS5. Thanks for the tip, rsfourever!

[Source: Auto Express]

The Hertz Shelby GT-H hit the auction scene with a bang back in 2007, as the first black and gold drop-top sold at Barrett Jackson for a hefty $250k . In the past year, the powerful pony cars have had to endure some wear and tear from reckless renters, and what's likely to be a much lower price of ownership. Between 75 and 100 Shelby GT-H Convertibles are scheduled to hit the block at Kruse's 17th Annual Auburn Spring Motorfair from May 29 to June 1, 2008.

The special edition Mustangs will still likely cost a large premium over the average Mustang leaving rental duty, both because of its Shelby origins and limited production run of 500 vehicles. But in return you get a speedy convertible with truly unique looks. If you would like a Shelby GT-H Mustang, but have no plans or desire to head over to Indiana, you can even bid for the weekend racer of your dreams right from the Kruse website. Hit the jump to read the Auburn Spring Motorfair press release.

[Source: Kruse via Jalopnik]