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Even in the post-Chrysler age, Maybach remains a bit of a thorn in Mercedes' side. Its vehicles have been far less than the sales success hoped for, prompting Daimler to buy back 29 Maybach dealers. Subsequently the parent company wouldn't be so eager to invest more into the ultra-premium brand, but reports are circulating the internet of a new version that would require significantly less investment than an all-new model that could breathe a little more life into the dying breed.
Landaulets were a popular bodystyle in the 1920's and 30's, one which Maybach may be resurrecting with a half-convertible version of the extra-long Maybach 62. With a convertible roof fitted from the B-pillar rearwards, the Maybach 62 Landaulet would let the sun shine in on its pampered rear occupants, while leaving the front section covered with a conventional roof for the chauffer.
Reports indicate that the Landaulet version is being prepared for launch at next month's Middle East International Motor Show, held mid-November in Dubai, where some eccentric and moneyed sheiks might still be interested in the unique vehicles.
Word out of Holland -- and translated by Babelfish -- is that 40-year-old British car maker Marcos has gone bankrupt again. Most recently rescued in 2002, and headed by Tony Stelliga, a purported statement from the company cited an inability to get Marcos profitable or raise extra capital. There was no word on whether this would affect the racing division as well, which is based in the Netherlands.
If it's true, it's a shame to see the maker of the Manta Ray disappear again. The company just introduced its TSO coupe and convertible, powered by a Corvette engine and tuned by Prodrive, and it's probably the most elegant Marcos ever. Knowing Marcos' ability to repeatedly rise from the dead, it is entirely likely that we haven't seen the last of them just yet.
England has an illustrious history of producing beautiful motorized transportation. Unfortunately, many of the Queen's car companies are either in big trouble, or they have gone the way of the Dodo. The Triumph car company made beautiful cars, but by the early 80s Triumph was associated only with unreliability and re-badged Rovers and Hondas.
Back in 1994, BMW purchased the Rover group, which included Land Rover, Mini, MG, and Triumph, among others. While Rover, Land Rover, and MG ended poorly, Mini has been a gold mine. Auto Express is reporting that the German automaker is now looking into breathing life into the famed Triumph name, and we're all for it. Imagine BMW engineering coupled with Triumph styling; that's one well-heeled couple. An additional marque could add volume to BMW while bringing down the cost of shared parts, and if BMW could manage to keep Triumph styling alive like it did for Mini, the top brass in Munich would be dizzy from cartwheels.
Click the Read link to view more renderings of what a triumphant return of Triumph might look like.
Chery is looking at dropping its Pininfarina-styled M14 on the US market soon. Chinese news agency Xinhua is all like "later this year," but this year is like "see ya," so maybe by "this year" they really mean "next year." Either way, we'll be happy to take one for a spin while bearing in mind the convenient fold-up design we've seen from Chinese cars being crash tested recently. They've made some improvements, and they'll continue to get better on the safety front. With the M14, Chery actually has an attractive car on its hands, even if the lines are derivative of other vehicles. Powertrains are either a 1.6L or 2.0L engine with the choice of manual or CVT transmission. While we're not holding our breath for this car under the Christmas tree, it'll stir some interest whenever it does arrive in the U.S.
Click the image above for more high-res pics of the Nissan Round Box.
Sure, the name "Round Box" might be oxymoronic, but Nissan's take on open-air motoring in the 21st century more than makes up for it's odd nomenclature. The concept is all about interaction, be it with the surroundings or other occupants, with a "right sized" cabin that allows easy communication inside and "road surface windows" that show the tarmac rolling beneath.
The styling is far from conventional, with its platypus-meets-Zed front clip, deep swage lines and upright rear playing nicely with the pushed out wheels and flared fenders.
We'll be sure to snap off a ton of photos while we're in Japan, but in the meantime, check out the gallery below and Nissan's press release after the jump.
Having healthy fascination with the SHO is one thing; that car was kick-ass, so the lust is understandable. This, on the otherhand, is just... wrong. Not even the novelty of a Taurus convertible can redeem this car from being anything more than a wrong-headed bucket of, um, fertilizer. Sawz-All roof treatment aside, there's still the paintwork to contend with. There's obviously a lot of time put into the design, but the color choice and odd striping work look more like someone did donuts in a bunch of spilled pigment than any kind of concerted effort to make the car look good. Then again, if you're chopping the roof off a first-gen Taurus (already made of wet spaghetti), affixing a big, stupid wing to the back and frenching the antennas (let's repeat that, dual frenched antennas. WTF? It's an '88 Taurus, not a '58 Skyliner), you're not much concerned with the way the end result actually looks. We're tempted to buy it just to burn it to the ground, it's only $3500, though apparently an appraiser saw $15,000 worth of value here. We beg to differ, though it'd be a sweet ride for next year's LeMons effort, which would also ultimately assure its destruction.
Click the image above for more high-res shots of the Honda S2000 CR.
Honda has officially priced the 2008 S2000, and for an extra $2,000 you can step up to the track-ready CR model for a cool $36,300 (not including $635 for shipping). As you've seen before, the S2000 CR nixes the soft top in favor of an aluminum hardtop, and comes equipped with a revised suspension and new aero bits while simultaneously shedding the pounds. If you're not inclined to make the trek to the track sans air conditioning and tunes, they can both be added for an additional $1,000.
The new for 2008 S2000 gets redesigned 17-inch wheels, retuned spring and damper rates that improve high-speed stability and steering feel, along with a tire pressure monitoring system and a new instrument cluster with redesigned fuel and temp gauges.
Honda's full press release is after the jump, and be sure to check out the S2000 CR's gallery below.
click above image for more truly awesome shots of the 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom
A quick snapshot of the world's richest people shows that the wealthy are padding their pockets at a blistering pace. With all that extra cash at the top of the food chain, cars with big price tags are flying off the shelves. Aston Martin has gone from making only a handfull of cars to producing over 7,000 per year, and Bentley has been riding the wave with its Continental and Flying Spur. The once financially challenged Rolls-Royce is also getting in on the game, enjoying a 22% increase in sales that's driving its Goodwood factory to the brink. Extra shifts and longer work hours are the result for rank and file, but we're sure most of them don't mind the extra coin. With the introduction of a Phantom coupe based off of the 110EX concept from Geneva coming in the next few weeks, the chaps from south England may need to break new ground just to fulfill demand.
It seems the ultra-luxury automaker isn't concerned with overpopulating the world with Rolls Royce luxury, either. The company is preparing a new lineup for 2010 that will expand Goodwood's offerings while also increasing the number workers employed. We may yet get a Rolls for more than a week, but then again, maybe not.
Cyberspace is rife with speculation about a new small Alfa Romeo convertible, which could be an indicator of one of two things: either the quintessential Italian automaker has got one such spider in the works, or it's just plain old wishful thinking.
Rumors suggest a revival of the Alfa Romeo Duetto, popularized by Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate, which could feature a retractable hard-top for motoring al fresco under the Tuscan sun or closed again for parking in Rome and winding through the Alps.
Along the road to rehabilitation, Alfa's return to the American market will include two unspeakably beautiful convertibles: the Brera-based Spider, and the recently-confirmed convertible version of the 8C Competizione. A third convertible in the line-up would be likely to come in significantly under the price of either (not hard to do in the 8C's case considering the anticipated €185,000 sticker price that's guaranteed to climb with speculation) in the effort to attract a younger clientele. If the upcoming "Alfa Junior" can serve as any indication, we could be looking at an Italian rival to the likes of the Mazda MX-5 and Pontiac Solctice, which again could be just wishful thinking.
According to what are being described as "well placed sources," General Motors is planning to introduce a Targa version of the Pontiac Solstice in the first half of 2009. Known internally as the GMX627, the Solstice Targa would sport two removable roof sections that will somehow be stored within that diminutive trunk.
The Targa is rumored to begin production in January of 2009 at GM's Wilmington plant, with about 10,000 units being built annually. The debut would likely happen at either the 2008 SEMA show or soon afterwards at the Los Angeles show that same year, and it will likely coincide with the redesign of both the Solstice and Saturn Sky.
And what about the Solstice Coupe? Reportedly a hardtop Solstice is still being planned. A convertible, targa and coupe model would certainly flesh out the Solstice line nicely and make the RWD hot rod more appealing to a wider audience.
Click the image above for more high-res shots of the Mazda Roadster Prestige Edition.
It's already been two full years since Mazda released its third generation MX-5 (NC), and in keeping with tradition, it's rolled out another limited edition model for enthusiasts in its home market. The "Prestige Edition" Roadster (as it's known abroad) is based off the RS and VS retractable hardtop models, and is equipped with leather upholstery, heated seats, 17-inch BBS wheels, stainless steel scuff plats and front fog lamps. Underhood, the MX-5 gets a front strut tower bar along with DSC when equipped in six-speed auto guise.
Mazda's full press release is posted after the jump, and we've included a gallery of all the glitz below.
Click on above image for the hi-res gallery of the 2007 BMW 1-Series Convertible
Though the 1-Series will be BMW's smallest and cheapest model, the Bavarian brand isn't skimping on the car that huge numbers of people are anticipating. A portion of those people can't wait for a drop top version, and BMW has just released all the pics and info of its newest cabriolet.
Just like the coupe, it will come in 128i and 135i flavors, the former offering 215 HP and the latter 306 HP and 300 lb-ft. The drop top descends in just 22 seconds, and to make sure you stay just as comfy when it's down, the climate control system comes with a convertible mode. Plenty more innovations await in the car slated to arrive early next year, follow the jump to read all about them in the full press release. And be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res images, as well.
So BMW is considering expanding its reach by including a fourth brand, and Rick Kranz, columnist for Automotive News, thinks he has the answer: Triumph. By playing off the retro-chic invasion started with the new MINI, Kranz maintains that there is a place for Triumph, specifically a small, rear-wheel drive ride that could continue the legacy of TRs and Spitfires from the past.
Using the existing platform that underpins the 1-series and selling Triumph at the scores of MINI dealers seems entirely plausible. BMW's got the technology and incorporating Triumph into the MINI's network could ensure dealer profitability into the future. Plus, BMW already owns the name. Either a Spitfire or TR revival could slot in nicely between the MINI and the Z4, but the only rub is that exact niche is where the new 128i and 135i plans to do battle. Expansion is one thing, but brand cannibalization is another – something that's not addressed in Kranz's column.
There are some cars on the market that you can tell just by looking at them were designed for one particular sex over the other. Prime examples include Volvo's station wagon lineup or any of the Peugeot cabrios, but until now there's been no definitive answer as to which car is best suited for females. Thanks to EveCars, a website on motoring skewed towards women, we now have one car that was picked over all others as the ladies' choice for Car of the Year.
Readers of the site were able to nominate their favorite cars for this year's voting, which were then reduced to a list of 27 finalists. The cars were then picked by an eight-member jury comprising editors and industry experts (one male was included) who ultimately chose Volkswagen's Eos convertible as the clear winner.
Things the judges looked for included how popular the cars were in their respective categories, as well as how much overall appeal they had. The VW was picked because of its metal folding roof, space for four occupants and a sporty chassis. We're sure there are a lot of Autoblog regulars out there who could name a few 'ladies' choice' cars of their own, but we think EveCars got this one right.
Auto Express seems to have the inside scoop on a convertible variant of the upcoming Volkswagen Scirocco coupe, likely to go on sale sometime in 2009. The standard fixed-roof Scirocco is expected to take cues from the IROC concept that debuted back in Paris in 2006 and be built off the same architecture that underpins the Volkswagen Eos convertible. That will allow the convertible version of the Scirocco to benefit from a retractable hardtop mechanism inspired by the Eos, although VW's engineers will probably ditch the rear seats in an effort to maximize storage space. With the top up, parcels can be stowed with room to spare in the trunk, and when the urge to enjoy open-air motoring strikes, there'll be an ample amount of space to throw a murse and a few other amenities behind the front seats. Naturally, rollover hoops will be mounted to score points in the safety department.
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