Convertibles auto news

Video: Which Spyder is the fastest? EVO finds out [UPDATE]

At first glance, pitting the Porsche Boxster Spyder against the Audi R8 Spyder is a bit like throwing a trout in a five-gallon bucket with a piranha. After all, the big Audi boasts over 100 horsepower more than the baby Porsche. Throw in the fact that the R8 puts its power to the ground through all four wheels while the Boxster Spyder is left to manage with just two, and the fight looks even more bleak for Stuttgart's finest. Still, the Audi R8 Spyder isn't a lightweight by any stretch of the imagination. The vehicle needs all 430 horsepower from its 4.2-liter V8 to move the sports car's 3,858 pounds around the track.

The Porsche Boxster Spyder, meanwhile, weighs in at over 1,000 pounds lighter. That 100 horsepower gap doesn't seem so big now, does it? EVO Magazine recently took the time to put the two vehicles to the test and worked up a quick video of their exploits. Who came out on top? You'll just have to hit the jump to find out for yourself.

UPDATE: EVO's embed code is busted, so click through to watch the video.

Video: Which Spyder is the fastest? EVO finds out

At first glance, pitting the Porsche Boxster Spyder against the Audi R8 Spyder is a bit like throwing a trout in a five-gallon bucket with a piranha. After all, the big Audi boasts over 100 horsepower more than the baby Porsche. Throw in the fact that the R8 puts its power to the ground through all four wheels while the Boxster Spyder is left to manage with just two, and the fight looks even more bleak for Stuttgart's finest. Still, the Audi R8 Spyder isn't a lightweight by any stretch of the imagination. The vehicle needs all 430 horsepower from its 4.2-liter V8 to move the sports car's 3,858 pounds around the track.

The Porsche Boxster Spyder, meanwhile, weighs in at over 1,000 pounds lighter. That 100 horsepower gap doesn't seem so big now, does it? EVO Magazine recently took the time to put the two vehicles to the test and worked up a quick video of their exploits. Who came out on top? You'll just have to hit the jump to find out for yourself.

Continue reading Which Spyder is the fastest? EVO finds out

Chicago: 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible is your toupee's worst nightmare

Slather on an extra glob of Gorilla Glue adhesive, as the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible is going to seriously strain hairpieces. Like its GT500 Coupe sibling, introduced late last year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the drop-top is fitted with a supercharged 5.8-liter V8 making an astounding 650 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque, which makes it the most powerful eight-cylinder production engine in the universe.

Ford says the new model, equipped with the optional Performance Package that includes Bilstein electronic adjustable dampers, is capable of running Sebring International Raceway about 3.5 seconds quicker per lap compared to the 2011 and 2012 models (both down 100 horsepower against the 2013 model). Curb weight should be a couple hundred pounds heavier than its closed-roof cousin courtesy of additional bracing on the power-operated convertible soft top.

The Shelby GT500, built at AutoAlliance International Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, will blast into showrooms this summer. Our best guess for pricing says the 2013 model will start just under $65,000.

Continue reading 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible is your toupee's worst nightmare

Chicago: 2013 Mazda MX-5 Special Edition shows off its new black hat and shoes

The Chicago Auto Show and the Mazda MX-5 Miata have quite a history. After all, the very first Miata debuted at the 1989 Chicago show, and since then, Mazda has routinely used the Windy City expo to showcase some sort of new roadster hotness.

For 2012, we've been introduced to the MX-5 Special Edition (clever name, we know), which dons a new black power retractable hard top and gunmetal wheels, among other small updates.

Underneath the skin, Mazda has fitted its standard suspension upgrade kit, which includes Bilstein shocks, while inside you'll find black accents and heated black leather seats, along with a full kit of tech options. Pricing starts at $31,225, and only 450 will be sold in the United States. Get it while it's hot.

Continue reading 2013 Mazda MX-5 Special Edition shows off its new black hat and shoes

Chicago: 2013 Nissan 370Z has been defanged

By defanged, we mean, of course, that the 2013 Nissan 370Z no longer sports vampish extensions of its front fascia. We don't mean to imply that its down on power - the carryover 3.7-liter V6 still puts out 332 horsepower, and the NISMO's 3.7-liter is still blessed with 350 horses.

Besides the change to its face, it'll take an astute observer to spot the differences between the 2012 and 2013 Z. Subtle changes to the lighting both front and rear, combined with new 18- and 19-inch wheels, round out the exterior updates.

See the 2013 Nissan 370Z live from the 2012 Chicago Auto Show in our high-res image gallery above, and feel free to peruse the press release after the break.

Continue reading 2013 Nissan 370Z has been defanged

Chicago: 2012 Mazda MX-5 Special Edition priced from $31,225

Behold, the 2012 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special Edition. The Japanese automaker will officially unveil the limited-production Miata under the lights of the 2012 Chicago Auto Show later today, featuring new goodies like a contrasting black retractable hard top and 17-inch gunmetal wheels.

This is the first time in the vehicle's history that the MX-5 Miata has been available with a non-matching hard top in the States. Mazda will only produce 450 units, and each one carries black leather heated seats with contrasting stitching as well as piano black trim panels indoors. Outside, buyers can choose between two exclusive colors: Velocity Red and Crystal White Pearl.

If you want one as badly as we do, Mazda will kindly ask you to hand over $31,225 for models boasting a six-speed manual transmission or $31,675 if you want the automatic (you don't). That cash will buy you a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine good for 158 horsepower pushing a 2,593-pound vehicle and all of the niceties that come with Grand Touring trim. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading 2012 Mazda MX-5 Special Edition priced from $31,225

Official: 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible kicks out 650 hp, limits top speed

Twenty years ago, Ford debuted the 1993 SVT Mustang Cobra at the Chicago Auto Show and introduced the world to its high-performance skunkworks department, known as SVT or Special Vehicle Team.

Today, Ford celebrates SVT's platinum anniversary the only way it knows how: with another Mustang variant. And as suspected, it comes in the form of a topless Shelby GT500.

Just as a refresher, at the 1992 show in Chicago the SVT Cobra put out 235 horsepower from its Vanilla Ice-approved 5.0-liter V8. Twenty years later, displacement has grown by less than a liter, but thanks to some 21st century tech and a massive supercharger, the 5.8-liter V8 in the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible makes the same 650 hp (and 600 pound-feet of torque) as its coupe counterpart, laying claim to the most powerful production V8 in the world.

In addition to the carbon fiber driveshaft, upgraded clutch, transmission, camshafts and cross-drilled block and heads, SVT fitted its own specially developed Bilstein electronic adjustable dampers, along with six-piston Brembo calipers squeezing massive discs up front.

Like the coupe, the Bilstein setup is part of the Performance Package (why it's not included as standard is beyond us) and Ford will also offer a Track Pack that includes an external oil cooler, differential cooler and transmission cooler to keep temps in check when flogging the drop top around the tarmac.

And before you ask: No, the GT500 coupe's 200 mph top speed doesn't carry over to the Convertible. In a rare moment of sanity, Ford's engineers saw fit to limit the GT500 'vert to 155 mph - like the rest of the roofless Mustangs. Hit the jump for the full details.

Continue reading 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Convertible kicks out 650 hp, limits top speed

Rumormill: Mercedes says no to hi-po diesels, may greenlight 911-fighter

Mercedes-Benz has no interest in pursuing BMW down the diesel performance rabbit hole, according to Autocar. The publication spoke with Ola Kallenius, chairman of the board of management at Mercedes-Benz AMG, who said the company explored the idea of performance diesels in the past and found the concept too fraught with compromises to be worthwhile. Kallenius said gasoline engines have obvious advantages when it comes to weight, sound, agility and response. The AMG guru also pointed to the fact that the company's modern performance engines have borrowed considerable diesel technology, including direct injection and turbocharging, to reach their current power and efficiency levels.

In a separate report, Kallenius was quoted as saying it would be wise to grow the AMG brand after the success of the SLS AMG coupe and roadster. Rumors have indicated a machine capable of giving the Porsche 911 a run for its money around the world's race tracks may be in the cards, but Kallenius said no final decision has been made about growing the performance arm's ranks just yet. Still, the boss didn't outright nix the idea, so there's some glimmer of possibility there, however thin.

Report: Volkswagen to unveil production Golf GTI Cabriolet in Geneva

If you were watching the news out of Wörthersee last year, you may recall the Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet concept pictured above. The show car debuted at the annual Volkswagen fan-fest in Austria, alongside an even hotter Golf R Cabriolet and a whole mess of other machinery from the burgeoning German auto empire. But that was the last we heard of it ... until now.

Reports coming in from across the pond indicate that Volkswagen is planning to actually build the GTI Cabrio, and that it will unveil the production version at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show next month. Although Volkswagen has offered the GTI's engine in versions of the Golf Cabriolet and Eos in some markets, this would only be the second time that a full-on GTI convertible will be offered from the factory, complete with the suspension and other bits that go along with it.

Word has it that the GTI Cabrio would be the final swan song for the current sixth-generation Golf before it's replaced next year. But if that's not enough, VW is also tipped to be preparing the hotter 268-horsepower, all-wheel-drive Golf R Cabrio for production as well. Chances that either of these would be offered on this side of the Atlantic, however, don't look good.

Report: Audi to raise the roof on A1 with rolling cloth panel?

Audi is going to great lengths to steal territory away from arch-rival BMW and its Mini marque. But as you'd expect from any German automaker, the initial A1 three-door premium hatchback appears to be just the beginning. Since its launch, the A1 has bred the five-door A1 Sportback, there's a Q1 crossover based on the same platform reportedly in the works, and the A1 Quattro demonstrates the extent of the architecture's performance capabilities. But Ingolstadt is not about to stop there as reports come in of a convertible version as well.

Well, sort of. According to reports coming in from Germany, Audi is preparing to launch a version of the A1 with a rolling cloth roof panel. If the intel proves accurate, the open-air version would stop one step short of the pseudo-convertible Fiat 500C, in that the aperture would essentially be a giant fabric sunroof, but not roll down the back.

The measure would undoubtedly save Audi significant development costs, but also keep chassis rigidity in check without the need for significant additional structural bracing. Either way, we're not looking at getting any version of the A1 on this side of the Atlantic any time soon, so as far as American buyers are concerned, this is all rather academic.