Roadster
EH Line's aluminum monocoque Street Racer aims to become the Ferrari of e-bikes
EH Line calls its top-of-the-line Street Racer the "Ferrari" of its electric bike range. The 250 kw e-bike has a beautiful aluminum monocoque chassis and Bionx power sensing technology which offers eight levels of rider support - from an additional 300% of the muscle power the rider puts in, through to recharging the battery and even simulating gradients during flat road training. It also has Ferrari-class pricing which begins at EUR6,990 (US$9,250) ... and if you're in any doubt as to how good an aluminum monocoque can look painted in different ways, see the gallery. Read More
Whether you think the Bugatti Veyron is the pinnacle of sports car development or agree with Professor Gordon Murray that it's the "most pointless exercise on the planet," we all somehow seem drawn to the name and its continuing deeds. This week saw the unveiling of another Bugatti milestone, the 1200 bhp Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse - the roadster version of the world's fastest production car is also the world's fastest roadster at 255 mph. Great picture library of this quite arresting automobile. Read More
Lotus unveiled its Exige S Roadster at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show this week, marking the sportscar manufacturer's first Exige model with a soft top equipped straight out of the factory. Read More
Mercedes-Benz took the unusual step of combining the unveiling of the 2012 Mercedes Petronas AMG W03 Formula One car with the launch of the AMG version of the new SL Roadster. This was probably quite a smart move. Although these F1 launches are good photo-ops there is always a severe lack of hard information, for understandable reasons. A new AMG however is always an interesting story - plus, ‘Shuey’ and Nico get to ferry a few privileged journos around the Barcelona F1 track. Extensive galleries of both the road and track cars included. Read More
Bugatti to unveil world’s most powerful roadster in Geneva
The world's automakers continue to provide a glimpse of what to expect at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March. The latest teaser comes from Bugatti, which will unveil its Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse, calling it the world's most powerful roadster - time to invest in some super-strength adhesive for that toupee. Read More
The MINI continued its remarkable evolution overnight with the news there will be a sixth derivative of the breed, this one likely to set the hearts of enthusiasts beating with anticipation - the first open-top two-seater in its history. For a car already voted the second most significant model in the century of the automobile, the MINI is having a stellar year, having just won the Dakar Rally. Read More
Volkswagen will this week unveil its two-seater E-Bugster concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. There are no prizes, I'm afraid, for deducing from the entomological etymology that this is an all-electric variant of the classic VW Beetle. Kudos, though, if you identified that the name betrays the E-Bugster's shared DNA with the Ragster, VW's 2005 concept which itself informed the conventional Beetle of today. But enough on the name, let's take a look at the specs. Read More
The totally new 2013 Mercedes SL in all its glory
The SL is a defining vehicle for Mercedes Benz. It represents the core values of comfort, style and effortless power, and was for many years the default choice for successful lawyers and lucky lottery winners. With the outgoing model, introduced in 2003, MB somehow lost its way. Over time the “Sports Light” model had gained significant weight and lost design coherence. As a consequence of the ludicrous Daimler/Chrysler merger costs were slashed, build quality suffered and the electronics were notoriously quirky. Fortunately Mercedes has turned that ship around and after the successful launch of the flagship SLS it’s time to introduce a completely new, and it must be said, strikingly handsome version of the iconic SL. Read More
Varley evR-450 Electric Supercar set for 2012 launch
Australia has a new home-grown electric supercar. The recently announced Varley evR-540 is handbuilt around an aluminum monocoque chassis and powered by locally developed and engineered twin Carbon ironless core AC motors with Tritium Wavesculptor inverters claimed to be up to 95% efficient. The performance of this lightweight 2-seat mid-engine coupe is impressive - it's capable of accelerating from from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds and can reach a top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph), which puts it in the same league as the Tesla Roadster). Read More
DARTZ plans to build an electric bulletproof roadster
Estonian armored vehicle maker Dartz has partnered with the Gray Design studio for the second time to give its recently-launched fuel-driven Mojo two-seater roadster an electric make-over. The lightly armored open-top electric low-rider will use the same Russian monocoque armoring system used for bigger vehicles like the Combat T-98. Designed for the streets of the Cote d'Azur, the Jo-Mojo will feature a novel sliding cover that will not only lock the car between trips but will also have solar cells built in, to give the onboard batteries some juice while baking in the Mediterranean sun. Read More
