The 2013 Porsche Boxster S is going to look more aggressive with fresh lines a new interior and bigger air scoops, but the real change is going to be how it feels on the road.

New looks are cool, but just wait until you see what the folks over in Stuttgart cooked up this time for the iconic roadster: a turbo cramming 50 extra ponies in for a grand total of 360 hp. What’s even more exciting is the fact that Porsche is doing this without it’s 3.4-liter flat-six. In fact, they’re slicing two cylinders right off in favor of a 2.4-liter flat 4, meaning a faster car that’s more forgiving at the pump.

A less potent version will also make its way into the Cayman and base Boxster models. This is great news for anyone thinking of buying a Boxster, because they know how much fun they are already with 310 ponies pushing past curvy roads. Furthermore, the car will shed some curb weight, meaning that extra power will punch even harder.

The official debut is slated for this year’s Geneva Auto Show, look for more details and pictures to come

[Source: Road & Track]

Brabus has announced a Roadster variant of their custom Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and it looks to be based on the tuning package for the 700 Biturbo SLS AMG Coupe. Its official debut will be at the upcoming Essen Motor Show on November 26th, 2011.

No official specifications were announced, but based on the Biturbo 700, we can safely assume the Brabus SLS AMG Roadster sports 700-hp with 626 lb-ft of torque thanks to the B63 bi-turbo system. Plenty of carbon fiber components adorn the exterior of the vehicle, though we’re sure there’s slight differences between the Roadster and the Coupe’s styling accessories due to aerodynamics.

Along with the turbo upgrade and styling accessories, Brabus also offers interior customization for the SLS AMG Roadster, as they do with various other Mercedes models.

GALLERY: Brabus Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster

[Source: Motorward]

Details on the next generation Mercedes-Benz SL have been announced, and the biggest Mercedes droptop is going on a serious diet.

Since the outgoing model weighs 4,233 lbs., Mercedes-Benz is looking to have the SL return to its Sport Leicht roots, German for Sport Light. The next SL will undergo a redesign involving extensive use of aluminum, new bonding techniques and “bionic” elements inspired by structures found in nature. With that in mind, the next SL will lose almost 300 lbs and attain torsional rigidity improvements of more than 20%.

Mercedes-Benz will introduce new features including a windshield wiper system known as Magic Vision Control. While it sounds like a gizmo found in a sci-fi show from the 80′s, it’s actually a sophisticated sensor that measures ambient temperatures, traveling speeds, and even the season of the year in order to calculate the optimal amount of washer fluid to spray onto the windshield. What’s more, two sound systems will be offered for the SL – a Harman Kardon 600-watt Logic7 surround sound system and and a top-of-the-line 940-watt Bang & Olufsen system will also be available. More details will be revealed when the SL is closer to its 2013 production.

GALLERY: Mercedes SL Concept

[Source: eGMCarTech]

When I first laid eyes on the Chevrolet Miray concept, I thought: this is what the Batmobile would look like if it was small, silver, and Korean.

A product of GM Korea, the Miray (Korean for “future” first debuted at the Seoul Motor Show earlier this year but made its European debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Built to mark Chevrolet’s 100th anniversary, the Miray re-interprets design cues from throughout the company’s sports car heritage.

The Miray can run in either front or rear-wheel drive. A turbocharged 1.5 liter four-cylinder engine drives the rear wheels while a pair of 15 kWh electric motors can power the front wheels.

A carbon fiber shell surrounds the twin cockpit (for Batman AND Robin) which is inspired by Chevrolet’s iconic sports cars.

GALLERY: Chevrolet Miray Concept

Rumors are brewing that the Lexus LF-A Roadster Concept we saw debut back in 2008 may head to production, debuting in 2014. Reports are coming in that once the first batch of 500 LFAs are completed, there will be a one-year break before the LFA Roadster becomes available, possibly in mid-2014.

It would appear that the production LFA Roadster will have the same 4.8L V10 powerplant that the LFA currently has, pushing 560-hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. The original concept from 2008 did feature a speed adaptive rear wing. It will be interesting to see if the LFA sales pick up enough for Lexus to warrant a convertible variant and whether or not there are enough consumers to be interested in purchasing one.

GALLERY: Lexus LF-A Roadster

[Source: GT Spirit]

Spada’s new Condatronca Monza is quite a beast. The sports car was initially unveiled a few months ago and Spada has only now revealed the details on this monster.

The open-roof bodystyle roadster will crank out 710-hp from a twin-supercharged 7.0-liter V8 engine. The vehicle only weighs 1,180 kg (2,600 lbs) and the cockpit is stripped out, featuring Sabelt bucket seats and full data acquisition system centered around the F1-style steering wheel. Spada says the car can go from 0-62 mph in 3 seconds flat with a top speed of 208 mph.

Check out the video after the jump!

Gallery: Codatronca Monza Roadster

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Recently, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer commented on how the MINI brand could expand to as many as 10 different models, sadly, however, it looks like the Rocketman concept will not be among them.

In an interview with WhatCar, BMW sales chief Ian Roberston commented that, “The Rocketman was a concept and we have no plans to take it further, but features of it will appear on future Minis.”

Chances are then that the clever doors and lightweight carbon fiber technologies will likely appear on future models. A £500 million investment was approved to produce the third generation MINI at the Oxford factory in 2013. The new models produced out of the Oxford plant will be built on a new platform named UKL and front-wheel drive BMW hatches may also be produced at the factory.

In other news, the MINI Coupe is due to arrive later this year, with a Roadster version hitting dealerships in 2012. MINI has also promised to build a Coupe version of the Countryman crossover.

[Source: What Car?]

At the annual Volkswagen tuning festival in Worthersee, Austria., sub-brand Skoda brought out a roadster version of its Fabia vRS S2000 rally-car.

Called the RS 2000 Roadster, this one-off special was specifically built by Skoda for this event and according to Skoda CEO Winfried Vahland the hand-built roadster had been created to “show what the company can do with a Fabia”.

It is designed as a true roadster, so that means it has no roof, so if it rains; its occupants will get wet. However, despite keeping its four-doors and four-seats, it weighs just 2,640 lbs. Couple that with its twin turbo-charged 2.0-liter motor that produces over 200-hp (no exact figure was given) and all-wheel drive, and this roadster should be able to rocket down any road.

Skoda, which is under the Volkswagen umbrella, has no plans to put this concept into production, but if reaction is positive, perhaps they can look into a more conventional convertible version of the Fabia in the future.

GALLERY: Skoda Fabia vRS S2000

Audi has won the “International Engine of the Year 2011″ award for the second year in a row in the 2-liter to 2.5-liter category and seventh category award in a row for Audi TFSI technology.

This engine is fitted in the RS3 Sportback and the TT RS . The engine produces 340-hp between 5,400 and 6,500 rpm with 332 lb-ft of torque from 1,600 to 5,300 rpm. The TT RS Coupe can do 0-100 kph in 4.3 seconds. The roadster achieves 100 in 4.4 seconds and the RS 3 Sportback can accelerate to 100 kph in 4.6 seconds.

One Internationl Engine of the Year jury member said the 2.5-liter engine is “certainly the best turbocharged engine in recent years. Torque, power, and great sound – this engine has it all! It is a powerful, visceral reminder of the original quattro rally racing engine that put Audi on the map.”