The rumors were right and Aston Martin will bring a convertible version of its impressive DBS flagship vehicle to the Geneva Auto Show in March.

Based on the same DBS platform and using the same 5.9-liter V12 engine, the DBS Volante makes 510 hp and 420 ft-lbs of torque and is capable of a 0-62 mph sprint of 4.3-seconds. Top speed is an astounding 191 mph. A six-speed manual is standard and the DBS Volante (just like the coupe) can also be ordered with a new six-speed Touchtronic automatic transmission.

The DBS Volante is the 16th convertible from Aston Martin in the company’s 95 year history.

The soft-top convertible folds away under a sculpted tonneau cover in just 14 seconds, preserving the lines of the car no matter what. The roof can be operated at speeds up to 30 mph.

The car also features a Roll-Over-Protection-System (ROPS) which deploys two roll bars in the case of a roll-over accident.

The use of a soft top allowed Aston Martin engineers to keep weight gain to a minimum. The DBS Volante weighs a total of 3,990 lbs, compared to 3,737 for the Coupe. If that weight still sounds like a lot, we do live in the age of heavy cars and comparatively it’s quite light. After all the BMW M3 Convertible weighs 4,145 lbs.

Much of the design of the DBS Volante is borrowed from the coupe although a new carbon fiber deck lid was designed for the convertible. The car also features a new line that runs from the front to the back of the car, right from the hood, across the door tops and over the rear fenders, giving the DBS Volante some unique character of its own.

As with the DBS coupe, the Volante uses carbon fiber for the hood, front fenders, and trunk. These weight-saving measures help keep heft down to a minimum and it doesn’t end there. Along with light weight 20-inch wheels and carbon composite brakes, the DBS Volante also uses light weight material for the carpets and the carbon fiber pieces are coated in a 200 micron-thin layer of glue before receiving seven layers of paint.

2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

No, this isn’t a preview for Fast & Furious 5, it’s a little bit of cross promotion between Sports Illustrated and its Swimsuit Edition and Nissan and its new 370Z.

According to the voice-over the three models (Damaris Lewis, Jessica Hart, and Melissa Haro) think they are being given a driving tour of Las Vegas in a trio of new Nissan 370zs. What they don’t know is that they are in for quite a ride.

We’re sure it’s all carefully orchestrated but we’ll play along.

Now that’s what we call a threesome.

Prodrive, the company behind Subaru’s successful World Rally Car program, has just announced that it is selling off many of its decommissioned race cars, including the very first Impreza WRC car.

This 1997 model Impreza WRC car made its debut at the 1997 Rally Monte Carlo and was used that year by Pierro Liatti, Kenneth Erikkson and the late Colin McRae.

In 1998 the car was sold to a private Prodrive client and has since been fully restored to its original condition by McKinstry Motorsport in Ireland. The car has been brought back to its original condition with paint and decals from the 1997 Rally of Finland.

The asking price is set at 85,000 British Pounds ($121,000).

The sale of the car is aimed at creating a buzz around Prodrive’s new website dedicated to selling old race cars. Currently listed on the site are seven other Impreza WRC cars, as well as 17 Prodrive Impreza Group N cars. Prices range from 50,000 Pounds ($70,000) to 350,000 Pounds ($500,000) for a 2008 spec Impreza WRC car.

A full list of all the cars with specifications can be found at:

www.prodrive.com

For years in Ireland a sort of shape-shifting beast has been busted for reckless driving time and time again. A Mr. Prawo Jazdy, a Polish man, has appeared in police reports and in the Irish Police’s database 50 times and yet the man has never been brought to justice or appeared in court.

And then there’s the shape shifting thing. Every time Mr. Prawo Jazdy is listed in the police database he appears to have a different height and different weight.

According to a report from the Irish Police, the mystery is somewhat of their own making.

You see, Prawo Jazdy isn’t a man. Not ONE man anyway.

And more accurately, Prawo Jazdy isn’t even human.

The word’s “Prawo Jazdy” are actually Polish for “driver’s license.”

For year’s Irish police have been pulling over different Polish visitors to their country and incorrectly writing down the Polish for “driver’s license” as the individuals’ name.

[Source: BBC News]

Ahead of the Melbourne Auto Show in Australia, Ford has released details of a concept car based on its FPV rear-wheel drive sedan. Called the F6 E, this concept car take the performance of the FPV F6 GT and the luxury and refinement of the FPV FE… hence the name F6 E.

Don’t follow? We don’t blame you.

All you really need to know is that this sedate looking sedan is powered by a turbocharged version of  a 4.0-liter Ford inline-six that makes 421hp and 417 ft-lbs of torque. And we thought the SHO was cool… well, apart from its outrageous asking price.

The F6 E isn’t cheap either, however, with a proposed price of $78,190 Australian (roughly $50,000 U.S.) for the concept.

And in case the rest of the press release doesn’t tip you off, when a company mentions pricing, it usually means a “concept” car will see production.

Other highlights in the car include 19-inch wheels and Brembo six-piston front calipers with 355mm rotors and Brembo four-piston rear calipers with 330mm rotors.

“The F6 E has been designed to satisfy calls from the market for more performance based executive vehicles,” said Ford Australia’s Performance Vehicles General Manager Rod Barrett.

“With the success of the new F6 and GT E, it was a natural progression to couple the performance and dynamics of F6 with the more subtle executive styling, luxury and comforts of the GT E.”

As for the design of the car it will feature more normal colors, rather than the shocking colors offered for the GT and will make use of chrome accents and a small spoiler rather than large rear wings and the GT’s infamous “racoon-eye” headlights.

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Subaru Japan has just announced the release of an A-Line version of its Impreza WRX STI.

The A-Line comes will all the other goodies of an STI, including the impressive all-wheel drive system and the 300-ish horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharched Boxer engine. What it also gets is a five-speed automatic transmission.

Aimed at appealing to a wider market (and at offending the Suby faithful) this slushbox STI isn’t equipped with a state-of-the-art double clutch system and it’s not even a six-speed auto. Yup, just a regular old 5-speed like a Honda Civic.

If it’s any consolation (which, if you ask us, it isn’t) the autobox does come with a Sportshift feature and paddles so drivers can operate the gears semi-manually. It also features throttle-blips on the downshift.

The STI A-Line, just like the STI, also features: VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control); dual piston calipers with 17-inch rotors in the front and 16-inch rotors in the rear; Subaru’s VTD (Variable Torque Distribution); and SI-Drive, which allows drivers to choose from three different engine mappings.

A new Satin White Pearl paint color is also available.

Currently the vehicle is set to go on sale in Japan, however, we do expect it to make it’s way to other markets (particularly in slushbox-loving North America).

Subaru Impreza WRX STI A-Line

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Fisker Automotive made a bold statement at the Academy Awards by running two 60-second commercials during the preview show to the awards ceremony. The commercials feature the upcoming Fisker Karma, a luxury plug-in hybrid that will be for sale later this year, and ran on the local KTLA station. We have a sample of one of the commercials above.

The production Karma, has been developed with Quantum Technologies and boasts a plug-in Hybrid system that allows drivers to drive 50 miles on a single charge. Once the battery power runs out, the gasoline engine will kick in and the car will operate like a conventional hybrid.

Because of this innovative system, Fisker says that owners who drive less than 50 miles per day will achieve a yearly average fuel economy of 100 mpg.

The Karma will be powered by a GM-sourced 2.4-liter Ecotec engine that has been updated with direct injection technology. The engine alone makes 260hp and when combined with the two electric motors will make 408hp. Fisker claims this is enough for a 0-60 mph time of 5.8 seconds. Top speed is rated at a respectable 125 mph.

The stunning looking (both inside and out) Karma S will be priced at $87,900.

Impressively, Fisker has arranged for the Karma S to be produced at the Valmet Automotive plant, a state-of-the-art facility where the Porsche Boxster and Cayman are manufactured.

For more on the Karma, see the Fisker Automotive website here:

www.fiskerautomotive.com

With spring just around the corner Audi is debuting its much-anticipated A5 and S5 Cabriolets.

Both models will come as four-seaters with a fabric roof. Audi points out that the use of a fabric roof, as opposed to a hard-top, which has become much-more popular as of late, allows it to provide more cargo space. Even with the roof down, the trunk can still hold 11.3 cu.-ft. of stuff.

We’re sure the decision also had something to do with the fact that Audis are notoriously heavy, and making them even heavier wasn’t likely an option.

The soft-top can be opened in 15 seconds and closed in 17 seconds and can be operated at speeds up to 31 mph.

The official specs release so far are only for Europe, although much isn’t likely to change for North America. One area that is sure to be different, however, is in the number of engine choices. In Europe, an A5 Cabriolet will be available with five different engines, ranging in output from 180 to 265hp and will include two diesel powerplants. We can expect that in once the vehicles go on sale in the U.S., they will be offered in the 2.0TFSI and 3.2.

The 2.0 TFSI engine will make 211hp and 268 ft-lbs of torque and when offered in front wheel drive it will have either a multitronic or six-speed manual tranny. Quattro all-wheel drive models will come with a seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic transmission. The front-wheel drive model will be able to hit 62 mph in 7.5 seconds and achieve 34.6 mpg on average.

As for the 3.2-liter V6 engine, will will make 265hp and 243 ft-lbs of torque. With front wheel drive and an automatic transmission it will be able to hit 62 mph in 6.9 seconds and get an average fuel economy rating of 27 mpg (with quattro and the seven-speed DSG tranny).
As for the S5 Cabriolet it will make 333hp and 324 ft-lbs of torque thanks to Audi’s new supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine. It will be available exclusively with quattro and a seven-speed DSG transmission and will hit 62 mph in just 5.6 seconds. Fuel-economy is rated at 24.5 mpg on average.

The A5 will come with 17-inch wheels as standard equipment and the S5 will feature 18s.

The A5 and S5 Cabriolets will be available with Audi’s Drive Select system, which allows the driver to choose between three different programs that control the throttle response, the steering sensitivity and the shift points (of the 7-speed transmission or multitronic six-speed auto). If the car is equipped with the MMI interface then driver’s can also create their own program for a customized driving experience.

Other driver selectable vehicle characteristics include the adaptive control shocks and the variable ratio steering.

Audi A5/S5 Cabriolets:

Complete specifications and details after the jump:

Continue Reading…

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Think you’re already seen this one? Well you have… sort of.

With the first Genesis Coupe commercial, featuring the music of Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins fame, airing during the Super Bowl, Hyundai continued its marketing onslaught by airing another custom commercial during the Academy Awards. This time, however, the artist of choice was cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

We think it worked out pretty nicely.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

What can we say other than… we can’t wait.

With 525 hp and a 0-60 time is 3.9 seconds… we’re sure you’ll enjoy this little clip of the new V10-powered R8 on the race track. We’re not sure where the video was shot but it does kind of look like Ascari.