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Filed under: Concept Cars , Convertibles , Rolls-Royce , Misc. Auto Shows , Special/Limited Editions Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Pininfarina RR Hyperion Spend enough time roaming the streets of Rome and you're likely to encounter a fair share of people who fancy themselves more Catholic than the Pope. No wonder, then, that the Italians have now tried to out-Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce, presenting a one-off drop-top Drophead that endeavors to embody an even greater presence than the Phantom cabrio itself. The Pininfarina Hyperion was unveiled just this past weekend at Pebble Beach , and our man Drew was on hand to bring you the best shots of the one-off coachbuilt special from the show stand as it was unveiled and from the fairway where it was displayed in all its glory. But just in case you didn't get enough, Pininfarina has released ten more high-res shots of its one-off Roller for your viewing pleasure. Click on the top gallery to view the new factory shots, and on the...
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Filed under: Time Warp , Convertibles , Sports/GTs , Misc. Auto Shows , Ferrari Click image above for high-res gallery of pics of the Ferrari California Spyders The 250 GT California Spyder is one of Ferrari's most celebrated ( and valuable ) models, most often remembered by the general public for its starring role in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off . This year marked the Spyder's 50th anniversary, and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance celebrated the occasion by giving the car its very own class. Six variations of the car were produced, all of which were displayed on the 18th fairway including the original prototype and a competition version that raced at both Sebring and Le Mans. Follow the jump for more information on these amazing cars and enjoy the high resolution gallery below. Gallery: Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder 50th Anniversary Photos Copyright (C)2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading Monterey 2008: Pebble Beach celebrates California Spyder's...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Coupes , Sedans/Saloons , Infiniti , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for a high-res gallery of Infiniti in Monterey. Infiniti ramped up its presence in Monterey this year with the new G37 sedan and G37x coupe , the latter equipped with the automaker's advanced ATESSA E-TSO all-wheel-drive system and seven-speed automatic gearbox (a close-ratio, six-speed manual is still an option). We're looking forward to seeing if the AWD coupe can retain the engaging driving characteristics of its RWD counterpart, while providing the security of all-wheel-drive for those of us that like to make a run into the mountains during the snow season. Infiniti also used its time on the peninsula to show off the first image of the G37 convertible (we curbed our urge to take a picture of the picture), along with the release of the revised M35 and M35x. The 2009 model benefits from the automaker's scratch shield paint, new seven-speed auto 'box and an increase in output to...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Etc. , Rolls-Royce , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for a high-res gallery. When you're surrounded by the copious quantities of automotive pornography in and around Pebble, it's unfortunate that the gaudiest bits of kit catch your eye. Case in point: this yellow Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe that was delivered to a customer in Monterey. The gallery tells the wholly infelicitous tale, from the matching French's Mustard interior to the carbon fiber trim replacing the Drophead's standard burl wood bits. It's utterly tasteless, but we just can't help gawking. Join in on the pain below. Gallery: Monterey 2008: Yellow Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Convertibles , Supercars , Bugatti , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for a high-res gallery of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport. The wraps - and the roof - have come off the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport here in Monterey, finally answering a question few have asked and even fewer will sample. As you'd expect, Bugatti hasn't just hacked the roof off the Veyron and gone to the pub. The windshield is slightly higher, the daytime running lights have been tweaked and then there's the showpiece: a removable, transparent polycarbonate roof, which blends the A-pillars into two painted carbon fiber strips that lead into the massive air intakes feeding the 1001 hp, quad-turbocharged, W16. If you stow the roof at home for the world's fastest open-air, four-wheeled experience and the heavens decide to open, a folding roof stored in the luggage compartment can be - according to Bugatti - "opened like an umbrella." With the soft-top in place, speeds are limited to...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Convertibles , Rolls-Royce , Misc. Auto Shows , Special/Limited Editions Click to view more of the Pininfarina Hyperion As we count down to this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, one of the most highly anticipated concept cars scheduled to make its debut there has popped up a bit early. Based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, the Pininfarina Hyperion has been commissioned by one lucky and presumably very wealthy customer. The unique creation does away with the rear seats and moves the front ones, along with the swept windscreen, back by 400 mm. If you can believe it, a gun rack has been fitted in front of the cabin (yeah, we're serious), while famed watchmaker Girard Perregaux has crafted a special tourbillon timepiece for the Hyperion that can be removed from its wrist-strap and mounted in the dashboard. Meanwhile, word has it that Rolls-Royce could be collaborating with Zagato or Bertone on another special model as well. This, of...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Coupes , Auction Action , Etc. , Misc. Auto Shows , Special/Limited Editions Click above for high-res gallery of the Cramer Comet There are hot rods, there are hot rods , and then there's "Um... what is that?" Tom Cramer, an ex-GI and mechanic in Omaha says, "I wanted to see what would happen if you put a really high powered engine in a chassis." Sound familiar? That was in 1953. So he found a fresh 12-cylinder 1,710-cubic-inch Allison airplane engine that produces 1,350-hp/1,500 ft-lb and got to work. The body of the Cramer Comet was Frankensteined from De Sotos, Dodges, Oldsmobiles, Buicks, Studebakers, Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Fords. Part of the tubular chassis is made up of four-inch refrigerator tubing filled with coolant that runs to a rear-mounted radiator. The engine is mounted in reverse and is heavily insulated -- it gets hot in there. Power is sent through a drive shaft mounted between two truck universals and on to a four-speed...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Convertibles , Green , Honda , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Honda OSM Honda says that the OSM roadster on display at the 2008 British Motor Show is merely a design study, but given that "design study" is frequently a euphemism for "future design language," we wonder if we're seeing the next iteration of Honda car styling. Frankly, we hope so, because this is worlds better than what we've seen from the automaker of late, from the Accord right on up to the bland and bloated Pilot. The OSM, short for Open Study Model, is a shapely two-seat convertible that we'd be happy to drive today. Well, maybe with headlamps that weren't lightsaber-sized. Other than that, we love the jaunty look, especially in back , where the taillamps sweep gently from one side of the car to the other. Since it's a styling exercise, there's no specific powertrain combination associated with it, but Honda assures us that...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Ford , Misc. Auto Shows , Rendered Speculation Just because there's been new life breathed into small cars doesn't mean buyers are going to clamor for dour, joyless, fun-free clunkers. Ford's well aware of that, so its readying a soft-top version of its lauded new Fiesta. The fabric-roofed little party on wheels will make its debut at next week's British Motor Show and should be on the road by early 2010. The sharp looking little cabrio forgoes the popular folding hardtop trend to save weight and maintain usefulness with a small-folding top stack. Competition is heating up in Europe, with plenty of smartly styled, diminutive 'verts hitting the market. We hope that when the Fiesta takes its boat ride across the Atlantic, some of these are tossed in the cargo hold. [Source: Auto Express ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Convertibles , Supercars , Bugatti , Misc. Auto Shows According to InsideLine, Bugatti plans to unveil its Targa variant of the Veyron next month at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Monterey, California. The open-air hyper-car will use a removable hardtop, while a fabric cover can be used in its place if the heavens decide to open up mid-jaunt. IL is reporting that the chassis will be heavily reinforced to cope with the loss of the crucial structural component. Production will begin next year along side the Targa's fixed-roof predecessor, and with the current Veyron going for around $2 million, don't expect to get your 217-mph (limited) top speed kicks without paying another $250,000 on top of the Veyron's base-price. [Source: InsideLine ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Convertibles , Honda , Misc. Auto Shows The London Motor Show opens up on July 22nd and with it, comes a new concept from Honda, the Open Study Model or OSM. The lightweight, two-seater, open-air sports car is another design study by Honda that attempts to blend performance and sustainable motoring into a comprehensive package. Designed by Honda's R&D center in Offenbach, Germany, the OSM is a vehicle in the same environmentally friendly vein as the CR-Z concept unveiled in Tokyo last year, considered to be a low emissions alternative to the traditional sports coupe. The CR-Z is still slated to be released sometime next year , but Honda insists that the OSM is strictly a design study and is not confirmed for production. However, as OSM (read: awesome) as it may be, it's not the next S2000, according to Honda spokesperson Steve Kirk. [Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Convertibles , Rolls-Royce , Misc. Auto Shows Pininfarina announced yesterday that the legendary Italian design house has been commissioned to create a one-off version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe for an unnamed client. Said client apparently wants to make a big splash with his (or her) bespoke coupe, so they've given Pininfarina the go-ahead to debut the Hyperion at the Pebble Beach Concours in August. The press release (posted below the fold) doesn't reveal any more details about the swoopy Roller, aside from saying that it is "firmly rooted in the history and heritage of the two Brands" and that the Hyperion is an homage to the pre-war cars of yore. We'll be on hand to see the unveiling of the Hyperion when it makes its debut in less than two months. [Source: Pininfarina ] Continue reading Pinanfarina Hyperion to be unveiled at Pebble Beach Concours Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Convertibles , Coupes , Chevrolet , Misc. Auto Shows , UK Wayne Brannon, Chief Executive of Chevrolet Europe, has confirmed that the UK will be getting its own right-hand-drive version of the Camaro when it goes on sale in early 2010. 1,000 coupe and convertible variants, powered by a 400 bhp, 6.0-liter engine, will be produced with RHD, and it's suspected that about 300 units of each will make their way to dealers in The Kingdom after the Camaro makes its European debut at the London Motor Show. However, there is some debate about where the Camaro will be sold. Chevrolet is considered a budget brand abroad, so there's apparently some consternation about selling the Camaro with the bowtie badge. While it's likely that it will still be sold through Chevy dealers in Europe, there's a possibility that it will be marketed as a separate brand in the UK, similar to Corvette. [Source: Autocar ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Time Warp , Convertibles , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for a high-res gallery of this pristine Austin-Healey The annual Orphan Car Show took place in Ypsilanti, MI yesterday and Mother Nature provided absolutely perfect weather for the event. One of my personal favorites of the show was this sparkling pearl white 1966 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III. As with many of the cars on display, this was in far better condition than any Austin-Healey that ever came out of the British factory. The finish on this car clearly had a lot of effort put into it and absolutely shimmered in the sunlight. According to the owner, he did the mechanical restoration while a professional shop handled the body work. The 3000s were built from 1959-67 in three series with this Mk III being one of the later cars. This is classic British motoring at its best. Click the gallery below to view more images of this awesome Austin-Healey and maybe we'll spotlight some more cars from the Orphan Car Show throughout...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Convertibles , Sports/GTs , Euro , Audi , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for a high-res gallery of the TT clubsport quattro Last year at the Wörthersee tour, VW and Audi threw red meat to the fans in the form of the Audi TT Clubsport quattro concept and the VW Golf GTI W12 650 . Each was awesome in its own way, and now VW/Audi has set a precedent. For the Wörthersee 2008, Audi had already announced it would be bringing the A3 TDI clubsport quattro concept . Today, it drops shoe No. 2 by revealing a much more production-oriented version of the TT clubsport quattro. This is the same car that was spied out in the open last week. Officially, it's still a concept. Realistically, you know this thing's going into limited production. The '08 edition of the TT clubsport follows in the '07 show car's footprints. Like its forebear, it packs 300 horsepower underhood (presumably from a TFSI four). That juice is directed to all four wheels via quattro...
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