Lamborghini has just released dozens of stunning new photos of its latest exotic, the LP560-4 Spyder. This drop-top Lambo first launched at last year’s L.A. Auto Show and news of the model has been relatively quiet. The release of these photos, however, comes as customers start to take deliveries and the Italian automaker begins to once again drum up interest in its latest creation – so you’re sure to see plenty of LP560-4 reviews over the next few weeks and months.

Be sure to check out our huge gallery below:

GALLERY: Lamborghini LP560-4 Spyder

Those waiting for a drop-top version of Audi’s R8 won’t have to wait much longer. The car is set to debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show this September and it appears as though Audi is out doing some final testing – as these Nürburgring spy photos show. 

In Frankfurt Audi is expected to debut the 525hp V10-powered version of the four-ringed exotic as well as a 420hp V8 version.

A soft top, and not a hard top, is the top-down route Audi has chosen. Not only will it help keep weight down (always a problem with Audis) but it is better for packaging and cost. Besides, every other Audi convertible has a rag top. 

The only question remains, what will it be called? R8 Spyder? R8 Roadster? Or the R8 Convertible?

[Source: Car & Driver]

[Photo Credit: Car Spionage]

Toyota appears to be readying a convertible version of the iQ minicar that is currently on sale in Japan and Europe. The report comes from Japan’s Best Car magazine, which suggests much of the basics will be kept including a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 99hp and 92 ft-lbs of torque. Fuel-economy for this engine is rated an an average of 51 mpg – although Toyota offers even smaller and more fuel-efficient powerplants including a 1.0-liter four-cylinder and a 1.4-liter turbodiesel.

Presumably cabriolet or roadster model would do without the two rear seats found in the coupe – which are by all accounts entirely useless.

Pricing in Japan could be 2 million Yen, which works out to a rather steep $20,300.

While it seems unlikely, there is potential for this car to make its way to North America. At the recent New York Auto Show, Toyota youth-brand Scion debuted a concept based on the iQ. This showed that Toyota is certainly interested in exploring whether or not to bring the iQ to the U.S. and apparently it sees the Scion brand as a better fit for the car. And as small a niche market as a vehicle like this may seem, the iQ Cabriolet already has a competitor with the SMART fortwo Cabriolet.

Best Car also suggests that Honda will bring back the Beat in order to compete with this new model from Toyota.

[Source: 4WheelsNews.com]

Sadly it looks like the very-cool Volkswagen BlueSport Roadster may never see the street. VW has not confirmed the car’s status but apparently a company representative told a group of media who were in Australia for a Volkswagen press event that it just didn’t make economic sense considering the global recession.

This would no doubt mean that Audi and SEAT versions of the little roadster would suffer a similar fate.

The concept won’t be scrapped entirely, however, and may be resusetated once the economy recovers.

The BlueSport Roadster Concept launched at the North American International Auto Show this year, and boasted a 180hp turbo-diesel engine that can get 55mpg and hit 62 mph in 6.2 seconds.

[Source: Channel4]

Last week French auto pub L’Automobile reported what it said was a leaked photo of an upcoming MINI vehicle and now they have more news to share. Unconnected to that vehicle, the magazine says MINI will bring a Roadster concept to the Frankfurt Auto Show this Fall.

The new model would use a soft-top but do without the rear seats (in true roadster fashion). Without those rear seats the Roadster would weigh considerably less. Apparently offering a light-weight model is one of the reasons for the Roadster and so there may be other measures taken to help reduce the vehicle’s mass.

Little else is known about the supposed Roadster concept other than it will make use of a shorter and less angles windscreen.

[Source: L'Automobile via Autoblog]

It’s not exactly the sort of news worthy of a celebration, but some cautious optimism is certainly appropriate as word comes that the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky might not suffer the same fate as almost every other fun vehicle under the General Motors umbrella.

Fritz Henderson, GM’s new CEO said that the company would be willing to part with the plant where the two sports cars are assembled. The Wilmington, Del. plant is also the location where GM manufactures the Opel GT – a European version of the car.

“If someone were to approach with a proposal that made good sense for our people, we’d be open to it,” Henderson said.

Both the Solstice and Sky were introduced in 2006 as front-engine, rear-wheel drive roadsters. The models come standard with a 173hp four-cylinder, with a turbocharged 260-hp four-cylinder optional.

General Motors is still intent on selling off the Saturn brand and scuttling the Pontiac nameplate, however, it won’t rule out selling the Wilmington facility as there is likely to be some interest in the niche-market vehicles.

Last year GM moved close to 20,000 units of the two American models, with the Solstice selling 10,739 units and the Sky 9,162 units.

The move is similar to the one made by Chrysler in regards to the Dodge Viper. Chrysler has yet to find a buyer for that iconic nameplate.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Lotus has confirmed that it will introduce a Purist Edition of the Elise for sale in the U.S. this year. The philosophy behind this new model is to bring the Elise back to what it was when it first crossed the pond and landed on U.S. shores.

That means it will be a more basic package and will come at a lower starting price. That starting MSRP for the new model will be $43,995 – roughly $3,500 less than a standard Elise.

What you get for that amount is quite a lot… or quite a little depending on how you look at it. Lotus prides itself on light-weight, back-to-basics vehicles and the Purist Edition, as the name suggests, is just that.

The car comes with the 190hp Toyota-source 1.8-liter four-cylinder and six-speed manual transmission. Also included are 16-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels with 175/55/16 and 225/45/17 tires. You also get Bilstein shocks and AP Racing brakes. Inside is typically Spartan, although there are leather Probax seats, a leather-wrapped MOMO wheel and air conditioning is standard. In fact, the only option is the Starshield paint protection for $995.

The Lotus Elise Purist Edition is offered in three colors: Ardent Red, Saffron Yellow and (our favorite) Monaco White.

[Source: LotusEnthusiast.net]

The original V8-powered R8 had only been on the streets for a few days when rumors began to surface about a drop-top roadster version of the exotic Audi. Then Audi threw a curve ball with the 12-cylinder turbo-diesel R8 concept before unveiling the V10-powered monster.

Now that the V10 R8 is on the streets, those drop-top rumors have resurfaced.

The U.K. publication WhatCar? is claiming its sources inside Audi have confirmed a convertible version of the R8. More specifically, it will be a soft top.

If Audi is to build a convertible version of the R8, a soft-top is most likely for many reasons. For starters, as the R8 is mid-engined there really isn’t much room for a hard top. Also, we’ve seen Audi stick to soft tops, even on new models like the A5/S5, due, in part, to the fact that Audi’s are notoriously heavy and adding a complex mechanized hard-top would only add to that problem.

It isn’t clear of the convertible version will use the V8 or V10 powerplant but it is supposed to be in dealerships by 2011. If that is the case, Audi might use the Frankfurt Auto Show in September to give us a peek.

[Source: WhatCar]

Ahead of the New York International Auto Show, Nissan dropped the cover (and the top) on the roadster version of its new 370Z. Normally convertible versions of coupes aren’t all the different from their hard-top cousins, and while that is mostly true here we have to hand it to Nissan on the design of the new model – especially after the 350Z Roadster was, from a design point of view, an automotive hack job.

The new 370Z Roadster looks purposefully designed and is as elegant as the Coupe is sporty. To achieve this, Nissan designers used a shorter windshield and a new deck, which, by the way, completely covers the convertible roof when in the down position. This “tonneau” cover also incorporates the two-seater design with sculpting behind each of the seats.

The top itself is a material unit (in keeping with Nissan’s commitment to reduce the weight of the new Z cars), which raises or lowers in roughly 20 seconds. The operation is completely automated and can be done by the flick of a switch on the center console or by a button located on the door.

The soft-top also features a larger rear window (over the 350Z Roadster) for improved visibility.

“As expected, the 370Z Roadster delivers an exhilarating connetion to the air, wind and environment on top of the new Z Coupe’s exceptinal levels of performance,” said Nissan North America general manager Al Castignetti. “But perhaps unexpected for a car this sporty is its greatly enhanced refinement and quality – as seen in features such as its one-touch auto-locking convertible top and beautifully crafted interior.”

The interior comes standard with cloth seats, as well as the Nissan Intelligent Key with a push button ignition and power windows and locks, with Touring models getting power seats and “net” leather seating, with both heating and cooling functions. Touring models have three color choices for the leather seats: Gray, Black or Wine. Other Touring model features include HomeLink, Bluetooth compatability, an 8-speaker Bose audio system and aluminum pedals. 

The Z Roadster comes with 18-inch factory wheels with an option to upgrade to a Sport Package that includes light weight 19-inch RAYS wheels with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A P245/40R19 front/P275/35R19 tires. This upgrade also includes the NISMO brakes with four-piston front calipers and 14-inch rotors and rear two-piston calipers with 13.8-inch rotors.

All models come with Nissan’s new 3.7-liter V6 engine with 332hp and 270 ft-lbs of torque, an increase of 26hp and 2 ft-lbs over the past Z Roadster. 

“The new 370Z Roadster lives in the same sweet spot of performance, style and value that the Z Coupe does,” said Castignetti. “Open air diriving just begs for open riads and the new 370Z Convertible is the perfect companion.

The 2010 370Z Roadster will be available late this summer in six colors (Solid Red, Magnetic Black, Brilliant Silver, Platinum Graphite, Pearl White, Monterey Blue), as well as a special Black Cherry.

GALLERY: Nissan 370Z Roadster

GALLERY: 370Z Roadster additional photos

More on the 370Z Roadster after the jump:

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When you’re an automaker, there are two ways to significantly improve profits. First, you can sell a vehicle to as many people as possible, using the “economies of scale” approach. Second, you can sell a reduced number of vehicles at a higher profit margin, feeding off an increased demand and a reduced supply.

The Lamborghini Reventón most certainly falls into the latter category and now Lambo is hoping to repeat the success of that car with an even more limited edition Reventón Roadster… yummy!

According to CarsUK.net, which cites not one but two “very reliable” sources inside the company, the Reventón Roadster is set to become a reality. And why not? Lamborghini already has the crazy Reventón bodywork all figured out and they can easily fabricate some Murciélago chassis. They’d be crazy not to build it.

CarsUK is reporting that the Roadster version would use the updated engine from the new LP670-4 SuperVeloce, with 670 neck-snapping horsepower. As for production numbers, Lambo would keep the Reventón Roadster in even more limited supply with just 9 models being produced – and apparently 9 deposits have already been made.

As for the asking price, it’s a serious $1.6 million. It appears as though this over-the-top raging bull is also a cash cow.

GALLERY: Lamborghini Reventón

[Source: CarsUK.net]