Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the Mazda MX-5

Many of you (and some of us) don't think the current MX-5 went far enough in distancing itself from its cutesy predecessor, but design director Lauren Van den Acker wants to change that for 2012 and give the iconic convertible "more balls" in the process. If you're worried that the amazing handling characteristics of the MX-5 could be in danger, Van den Acker insists that the razor-sharp roadster will keep its core character. Stricter CAFE standards and customers demanding more mpg means that the next MX-5 will also be lighter and more efficient than the current model.

With the next MX-5 still a few years out, no design has been given the green light, but Mazda designers think the more dynamic designs that were shot down for the current-gen car would be a good place to start. A newer, ballsier, more radical MX-5 sounds good to us, as long as the changes don't mess with the cut on a dime handling that we've come to love.


[Source: Auto Car]

We've always been fond of the Smart roadster, which never officially made it to U.S. shores and proved to be a flop across the pond. But this rendering, courtesy of WorldCarFans, has us thinking that a second attempt might be worthwhile.

If the Abarth roadster ever comes to fruition, it would be an exercise in balancing a lightweight structure with a small price tag. Cost prohibitive carbon fiber couldn't be used, so some other form of composite would have to be employed for the chassis and body panels. Abarth could source the 135 hp, 1.4-liter mill from its own version of the Fiat 500 for power, mount it amidships and call it done.

WCF dons its speculative cap and figures that if Abarth gives the roadster the green light, Europe could see the minimalist two-door by 2013 sporting a £12,000 sticker.

[Source: WorldCarFans]

The Honda S2000 has been on the US market since 1999, and although it's long in the tooth, the rev-happy two-seater still brings joy to drivers with its well-balanced RWD goodness. We're looking forward to an all-new S2000, and according to a few Japanese magazines, we can expect to see the S2K's replacement in 2010. One mag commissioned the above rendering, which incorporates clean, angular lines, similar to those found on recent concepts from Honda and Acura. The topless rendering also exhibits an improved rendition of the aesthetically questionable Honda grille, along with some US-centric chrome rims.

The next generation S2000 is rumored to be powered by a choice of four- or six-cylinder engines, with the four still packing 2.4 liters, but producing around 250 hp, and the a larger 3.5-liter unit putting out around 350 ponies. While a modestly enhanced 2.4 makes sense as the base engine, we're unsure if a larger, heavier V6 is a good call for a vehicle that prides itself on its 50/50 weight distribution and 8,300 rpm redline. Adding a turbocharger would help to keep weight issues at bay, while still providing the added pop enthusiasts crave.

[Source: Carscoop]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Tesla Roadster.

Tesla's president and CEO, Ze'ev Drori, made the announcement today on his corporate blog that production of the Roadster has officially begun. Tesla originally set a date of March 17th for "regular" production of the Roadster, and the folks in Hethel have met that obligation today. From here, Tesla intends to get started on its retail efforts, with both a Los Angeles location and a Menlo Park facility for sales and service for the 600 roadsters expected to be built over the course of 2008. Tesla is hoping that they'll be able to produce around 100 Roadsters each month, up from its current level of one to five cars per week. All the models being produced this year have already been spoken for, so any orders that come in will be sold as 2009 models.


[Source: Tesla]

Last Friday, Tesla chairman Elon Musk took delivery of the first production Roadster, which carries the name P1 (Production vehicle 1). The black coupe was flown in from Hethel, England, where all Teslas are being built alongside the Roadster's cousin, the Lotus Elise. When the Roadster arrived at the start-up's R&D facility in San Carlos, California, it was pushed into the garage and had its Thailand-produced battery pack installed. After the battery was fitted and charged, Musk led a pack of four other Roadsters on a quick drive and AutoblogGreen was able to procure a video of the run. For those of you who wanted to hear how the Tesla Roadster sounds while accelerating, we've embedded the video after the jump.

[Source: Earth2Tech.com, Image: Stephanie Lawrence]

click above for more high-res shots of the Tesla Roadster

One thing that's been called into question is whether or not the Tesla Roadster will make a viable track day vehicle, but until now, there was one major hurdle for Tesla's engineers to overcome: cooling. The motor currently equipped in the Roadster is air-cooled, which wouldn't hold up to the rigors of track duty. But Tesla is working on a liquid-cooled version that wouldn't cause the power electronics module (PEM) to default into limp-home mode and subsequently cut power if heat became an issue.

The possibility of a track-ready version is now officially in the cards. By utilizing the new liquid-cooled motor and removing about half of the batteries found in the standard Roadster, Tesla is considering releasing a variant called the Roadster 120, with the number referring to the projected range. Nixing around 500 pounds from the curb weight is going to do wonders for acceleration and handling, while simultaneously reducing the load on the motor.

Naturally, none of this is going to come to fruition until Tesla starts cranking out the "standard" version on March 17th, but when we talked to a few Tesla execs while evaluating the Roadster, they mentioned that their car was trying to appeal to two types of individuals: people who are only interested in EVs and don't care about performance, and drivers looking for a quick, engaging coupe that just happens to be electrically powered to boot. A track-friendly version would be of particular appeal to the latter and we can't wait to give it a go around one of the great tracks within driving distance of Tesla's South Bay facilities.



[Sources: Tesla Motors, AutoblogGreen]

click above for more high-res shots of Autoblog driving the Tesla Roadster

Most people are lucky to experience one life-affirming moment while they're on this earth; I experienced mine last week. AutoblogGreen's Sam Abuelsamid called to ask if I was interested in accompanying him on his exclusive First Drive of the Tesla Roadster. Aside from the company's own employees, only a few customers and the major automotive print publications have driven the Tesla Roadster so far. But you won't have to check your mailbox or drop $4.95 at Barnes and Noble to read about what it's like to drive this truly revolutionary vehicle. Follow the jump for our full road test (with video!) and check out the gallery of amazing images below.

UPDATE: Due to popular demand, we've included a video of the Tesla making a few passes without any music or voice over so you can get a sense of how quiet the EV is at speed.

The team at Tesla Motors has been hard at work attempting to prove that they can deliver a performance-minded electric vehicle to the world, but along the way they've hit a few bumps in the road. On top of recent organizational changes, one of the major hold ups on delivering the Roadster has been transmission issues. Their initial thought is to build the first production run with temporary single-speed boxes that will not live up to the proposed performance numbers, then modify the delivered cars once a solution arrives. Now it looks like the road ahead is getting smoother. It turns out that early adopters might not have too long to wait before they get their hands on the real Roadster. Tesla is reporting that through research and development of the WhiteStar sedan they happened to run across a solution for the drop top. They are dubbing it DriveTrain 1.5 and it should be submitted to testing next week.

DriveTrain 1.5 doesn't appear to be an easy fix, as it involves replacing the Roadster's entire powertrain. The electric motor is to be changed from an air-cooled motor to a more powerful liquid cooled unit and the power electronics will also be altered to supply the necessary increased current flow to the new motor. This adjustment will allow for the use of a single-speed transmission with a reduced gear design. The transmission is being developed and produced with the assistance of engineering firm Ricardo, which produces, among other things, the Bugatti Veyron's dual clutch gearbox.

[Source: Tesla via Autoblog Green]

UPDATE: We've got live pics accessible in the gallery below.

click above for more images of the Lexus LF-A Convertible

Motive dropped Lexus' bomb on the unsuspecting masses a few minutes ago, showing the roadster version of the LF-A premium sports car concept. The high-po roadster is made up of carbon fiber and aluminum, supposedly maintaining a high amount of structural rigidity even without its roof.

Pulling both design and (assumed) engineering from the LF-A coupe, the roadster will be packing approximately 5.0-liters in its front-mounted V10, sending over 500 hp down to a transmission fitted between towards the back for optimal weight balance.

We'll have more from the show floor when the LF-A takes the stage, but in the meantime, check the gallery of images below.

UPDATE: Lexus releases 60 high-res images of the LF-A Roadster, but no additional information. The only new thing we know is that the car features a retractable rear spoiler.

[Source: Motive]

Click above to view more images

Red and rare. Save for a few vegetarians among us, that's how we like our steaks, and that's how we like our Ferraris. But some are so rare, even the bloodlust-driven connoisseurs among us don't know what to do with it. Take this one-off Ferrari Conciso. It's absolute carpaccio. But nobody seems to be biting.

The Conciso was built by German studio Michalak Design based on the mechanicals of a 1989 Ferrari 328 GTS (s/n 80962). As the name implies, the idea was to trim the chassis down to its bare essentials. The car has no doors and little in the way of a windshield to speak of. The driver and passenger hop over the sides like an F1 driver, hunker down into the racing buckets, buckle the competition harnesses and strap on the helmets, stored in special compartments inside the cabin.

The concept was shown at the 1993 Frankfurt show and in Geneva the following year, and was awarded second place in the Eurosign Design Awards behind the Bertone Blitz electric vehicle concept and ahead of the Italdesign Nazca C2. The design theme would later pop up in subsequent concept cars like the 1996 Ford Indigo and 2000 Pininfarina Rossa. Although Michalak was ready to take orders to produce additional copies of the Conciso, only one was reported to have been built. That single vehicle is now available for sale on eBay, but with one day to go and a starting bid of $160,000, the Conciso has yet to receive a single bid. Perhaps the market for custom Ferraris that look like droopy-eyed platypuses isn't so strong right now. If you missed the auction and have the mint, get in touch with Mechanic Import.

[Sources: eBay, Le Blog Auto and Michalak Design]

Thanks for the tip Roman!