Lotus Sport, branch of the English company that occupies itself with more antagonistic activities, has presente its 2-Eleven GT4 Supersport. This is a version that really gets down to the traditional sports style and pleasure driving feel of the British company.

The car, as indicated in the name, forms part of the GT4 FIA category with an extra 15hp (now at 270), a competition roll-cage and new sequential, six speed transmission.

Lotus has planned an initial production limited to ten units, which will be sold from March 2009. Hands up who wants to see more!

Source | Autoblog.com

Saab will present a special edition of its 9-3 Cabriolet to celebrate 25 years of the model, presented in 1983 in Frankfurt.

The car will be based on the 210hp version of the 2.0 litre turbo and could have a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic. The colour will be a characteristic metallic champagne, with another two colours available. Throughout the various generations of this vehicle, about 250,000 models have been sold.

The aesthetic modifications consist in a new spoiler and mudguard design which, together with the steering wheel, have been borrowed from the Saab 9-3 Turbo X. Carbon inserts will feature in the interior, and from the Aero suppliers twin exhausts will appear.

The Fiat 500 Cabrio has been snapped by the guys at AutoExpress during a recent testing session. The camouflage is seen only on the roof of the vehicle, which although it will be a fabric roof, won’t be a classic soft top in strict terms.

The open top version of the 500 will have the roof supported by the same structures as the hard top, otherwise some severe interventions would have had to be developed to keep the structure rigid.

The soft top has the advantage of keeping the retro look of the car, and will reduce weight and fuel consumption. The 500 Cabrio should have plenty of personalised options, including the colour of the roof.

Test driving has been concentrated on the noise of the car, with investments into noise-reducing materials. The engine range will remain as is for the current model, with the car all about summer loving style. It should be available by summer 2009. Anyone for a drive along the Amalfi coast…?

Bentley has released images of its latest creation: the Azure T. It’s an exclusive version of the noble British cabriolet, which will be revealed at the Los Angeles show.

The main difference indicated by the letter T in the name can be found in the engine: the 6.8L, V8 has all of 508hp of power, exactly 50 hp more than the current model. Together with the six-speed automatic transmission, ZF, the Bentley Azure T can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/hr in 5.5 seconds, with a maximum speed of 288 km/hr.

Other differences include the new dark grey colour of the grill, double exhausts, 20-inch wheels and iPod interface. Personalisation options include choice of eight different wood trims, 25 leather finishes, and 42 bodywork tints for the lucky few who can afford this mega-luxurious car.

“Why Ferraris have lost their beauty” could be the topic for an entire thesis on Italian car design and automobile history, but as it happens, Gavin Green writing in Car, has put together a simple but effective piece on the new Ferrari style.

Green seems to be a real fan of Ferrari, and someone who knows them well, so we can assume he hasn’t written the piece to increase readership. Basically he says that while modern Ferrari models have maintained, and even developed if that’s possible, the pure driving style, the beauty has been lost along the way.

But as the capability has blossomed, the beauty has been besmirched. Ferraris aren’t gorgeous any more. The California has a fat arse. The 612 is fussy and ill-proportioned. The Enzo is more bug than bird. Even the F430 lacks the visual grace and profile poetry of the old F355, the last lovely Ferrari.

Apparently the less-than-perfect looks thing comes down to design essentials in aerodynamics and keeping a Ferrari on the road at high speeds. Just what speeds you can reach these days with your Ferrari (in third gear perhaps) is questionable but Green says:

Ferrari road cars are becoming more like its F1 cars, designed by scientists not artists, styled in the wind tunnel not in the studio. Engineers of course celebrate such thinking; aesthetes mourn it.

If purchasing and driving a Ferrari is all about the “wow” factor, given the superior technology of these vehicles, the evolving design is unlikely to dampen demand. The Ferrari California was sold out before you could even get your hands on the price, so the Italians should know they’re still on a winning formula.

As Green says: “I want to say ‘wow’ when I drive a Ferrari. And be grasping for superlatives, not the designer’s neck, when I first see one.” Your thoughts?

Source | CAR

We took for granted the fact that if Jaguar were to throw itself into the SUV mix, in could obfuscate the Land Rover products, and so the Jaguar future will focus on sports vehicles, as revealed by Ratan Tata. No Jaguar SUV is in the making.

In the course of an interview with Automotive News, the president of the Indian industrial group has confirmed face-lifts for the R-R version of the Xk, with 2010 being set as the date for the debut of the new Jaguar Xj. As such, Tata has confirmed what market expectations were already.

The main news lies with other future models and the development of the XE, anticipated by the C-XE prototype, which will be a direct rival to the Porsche 911. Meanwhile, the coupé and cabrio versions of the Xf could give the English manufacturer an edge over its German competitors.

Source | Motorauthority

At the Motor Show in Bologna, Saab will show its new Saab 9-5 range, rich in performance options and with a new name which from now on will be the 9-5 Griffin. To make way for this new model, the current models of Nordic and Aero will exit from the list.

the 9-5 Griffin will be noted for its shiny black finish in the interior, leather trimmings, sports steering wheel and ergonomic seats. The exterior will feature satin finish on the headlights, sports exhaust, and 17-inch wheels.

Other technological elements include parking sensors, Harman-Kardon audio system with seven speakers, electrically adjustable seats, rain sensors and eletronically controlled rear vision mirrors.

At the Bologna show will also be the 9-4X BioPower, all-wheel prototype with a 2.0L turbo that can function with E85, producing 300hp and 400Nm.

Our colleagues at Autoblog.it received a series of virtual images on the next low cost Fiat, Topolino, created by Carlo Cialli who developed the images from his own imagination.

Here is a variant on the theme, with all-wheel drive in the mix and an understated design to underline the all-purpose vocation of this little car.

The idea presented here is from Autobianchi, and a possible production may not be that unthinkable. The original Fiat Panda was a small square box with some incredible 4×4 power - simple, economic and robust. When you’re overtaken by one on a mountain road, you’ll know what we mean by a washing machine with wheels.

The first lucky customer to receive a unique model of the Ferrari 430 designed by Fioravanti and called SP1 is from Japan, and his purchase can be seen in these shots. Fioravanti isn’t new to Ferrari design, having created successes such as the 365 Daytona, the 308 and the 365 BB in collaboration with Pininfarina. In 1998 Fioravanti designed the F100 in a prototype dedicated to Ferrari.

The SP1 will be manufactured on request and is truly a unique vehicle that saw input from Pininfarina and Zagato as well. Ferrari kept this project under wraps and rich customers who purchase these models tend to prefer to remain anonymous.

Source | Autoweek.nl

There are some things in life, that go without explanation and this video is among them. At SEMA 2008 the best (and worst) from the world of tuning. These shows are always about surpassing the limits of imagination…It’s unfortunate that the Las Vegas girls don’t leave much to the imagination here. Some of them look bored, but mostly they look sexy which I suppose is what it’s all about.

Rome’s ecological car show, the H2Roma, has started, with a week of models and events that is the biggest environmental car show in Italy.

30 models will be present at the show this year, from 13 automobile manufacturers. Expected visitor numbers are expected to be around 12,000 people.

One of the main attractions of this ecological car show is the possibility of test driving the cars and seeing up close the latest prototypes, for example the GLK BlueTEC Hybrid or the Nissan Denki Cube.

Among the most important companies at the show is BMW, Chevrolet, Citroën, Honda, Mercedes, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Saab, Smart, Toyota and Volvo. The H2Roma site has all the details on test drives and other events.

The Fiat Grande Punto will also appear with the modern 1.6L Multijet engine, already seen on the larger Fiat Bravo. A 120hp version with common rail FPT will also be available.

The Sport model is set to be equipped with this engine, which will replace the 1.9L, 130hp top-range diesel, as part of the aim of progressively downsizing all engine models.

The 1.6 Multijet on the Punto will have up to 320Nm and will push the little Fiat to a maximum speed of 193 km/hr. It’s fuel efficiency is impressive for such figures, with only 4.8 litres of diesel consumed per 100 km, according to the company. With these numbers, the engine is certainly a more modern version than the 1.9L.

The Grande Punto 1.6 Multijet will have a different look, quite decisive, with 17-inch wheels and some aerodynamic touches. Internal features will be good with MP3 radio, steering wheel controls and the Blue&Me system.

Source | AutoWeek