Convertible

MINI has unveiled the final production version of its MINI Roadster which is set to join the company's rapidly-expanding lineup next year. Looking pretty similar to the Roadster concept unveiled alongside the MINI Coupe concept at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the sixth model to join the current MINI line-up is the first open-top two-seater in the company's history. It features a manually-opening soft-top roof and will be offered in four different engine variants. Read More

Yacht tenders are generally open top boats that leave their passengers exposed to the elements, but Alex Pirard Yacht Design has created a more civilized option. Laying claim to the title of the the first yacht tender in the world to feature a convertible and completely automatized hard-top, Pirard's Oronero is designed to ferry its passengers in style regardless of weather conditions. Read More

Bentley is grateful to the professional sportsmen and rap stars that helped make the original Continental so successful, but as the brand grows and strengthens it needs to appeal to more mainstream markets of the US, Europe and China and these clients need a little more refinement in their boulevard bruiser. The "standard" Continental coupe was significantly updated at the end of last year after nearly eight years in production but the Convertible was always the more beautiful and desirable version and the new 2012 model on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month is no exception. Read More

It's a sign of the times - after 15 years of production of its retractable hardtop (vario-roof) convertible SLK series, Mercedes has given the compact roadster a diesel engine. The 204 bhp four-cylinder delivers fuel consumption of 56.5 mpg/4.16 L/100km (combined cycle), but thanks to the 2143 cc diesel engine's 500 Nm midrange and 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission, the car offers a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration time of 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 150 mph (241 km/h). Read More

A few years ago the very existence of parent company General Motors was hanging in the balance but the Cadillac brand has made a spectacular comeback with an edgy design vocabulary in the CTS line and a seriously powerful headline-grabbing variant in the CTS-V coupe. The house style is sufficiently distinctive and the handling sufficiently sorted (we'll ignore the soon-to-be-killed-off Escalade) that the CTS is attracting buyers in Europe, something notoriously difficult for US car brands. Cadillac is feeling confident and that confidence was evident at Monterey last week where it unveiled a concept convertible that showcases a design direction for the future and its desire to move further upmarket, which of course, is exactly where Cadillac should be. Read More

Toyota will continue the growing trend among auto makers of announcing new models and concept cars at places other than auto shows by unveiling the GRMN Sports Concept II at the Nürburgring 24-hour race this weekend. The GRMN is a lightweight, petrol-electric hybrid convertible with 295 bhp. The 245 bhp V6 is located centrally and drives the rear wheels while the front wheels are electrically-powered to complete the sports-hybrid AWD system. Read More

The SLS AMG roadster is nearing its official unveiling date of autumn 2011 and Mercedes is looking to further whet our appetites with the release of more images and info on the AMG-developed droptop supercar. Ditching the gull-wing doors and roof in favor of conventional doors and a soft top has required Mercedes to stiffen the body, resulting in the Roadster being 40 kg (88 lbs) heavier than the coupe ... but it can still go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds on its way to an electronically limited top speed of 317 km/h (197 mph). Read More

Though the SLS AMG Coupe is now in showrooms, and we’ve just seen the first images of the 563 bhp convertible version a few minutes ago, they were developed in parallel and they’re apparently so close in so many ways that choice will boil down to personal preference, not driving dynamics. The convertible has an electrohydraulically-operated soft top that can be closed or opened at up to 31 mph, and is claimed to be whisper quiet to its electronically-limited top speed of 197 mph Read More

Definitely in the “don’t try this at home” category is Juha Kankkunen’s new 205.48 mph (330.695 km/h) world speed record for driving on ice. Kankkunen drove the world’s fastest soft top, an all-wheel drive, 6-litre, 12-cylinder Continental Supersports convertible running on biofuel to capture the record on the frozen waters of the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Finland. Kankkunen bettered his own 2007 world ice speed record of 199.83 mph (321.6 km/h) set in the Continental GT at the same location. Not surprisingly, the challenges of driving on a 16.5km track of frozen ocean are many - temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees, sudden snow blizzards and potentially dangerous crosswinds not to mention the frailties of the 70cm-thick layer of sea ice. Read More