All Roadster Articles

Top Gear's executive producer, Andy Wilman, is the first member of the BBC and the popular TV show to comment the lawsuit filed by Tesla Motors last week, officially opening hostilities even before the judge's ruling.

Tesla Motors, maker of the Tesla Roadster electric sports car, is suing the BBC's Top Gear for libel and malicious falsehood. The company claims the test set up by Jeremy Clarkson on a 2008 edition of the show was rigged to make it look like the Tesla ran out of power when racing a Lotus.

Tesla has announced that its profits could climb by up to 50% thanks to the increased demand for its vehicles and battery packs, while reporting earnings of 116.7 million in 2010.

Fuelled by the Internet and social media, a number of public transit and eco-driving initiatives have been launched around the world. Some focus on carpooling while others like Getaround.com help non-owners have access to an automobile.

FREIBURG, Germany - Hansjorg von Gemmingen has driven more than 65,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) in his Tesla Roadster (http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/one-year-one-roadster-40000-miles)in one year, earning him distinction as one of the highest mileage Tesla owners in Europe.

Just a quick note to let you know that many things are going on right now at Auto123.com. First and foremost, we are very happy to welcome back Lesley Wimbush to our ranks as a collaborator. Her first review was on the impressive Tesla Roadster and next, she will report back from France after having taken the new CL-Class for a spin. This multi-talented lover of all things horse-related is and will be an asset to our team! Go Lesley!

Like most car enthusiasts I know, I've looked upon the last few years with a growing sense of unease about the future of our industry, tempered with acceptance of the inevitable. As someone who loves the exhilaration of guiding a fast car on a twisty road, yet is sick at heart at the number of rapidly vanishing species, I know it's time we ended our voracious consumption of fossil fuels and the devastating consequences of their emissions.

A bunch of improvements have been made of the Tesla Roadster, and this latest generation is called the 2.5.


Among the improvements, the Roadster gets front fascia, a rear diffuser, directional forged alloy wheels available in silver or black, larger seats with more supportive bolstering and new lumbar support, power control hardware for spirited driving in hot climates, better interior finishing, better sound insulation and a large touch-screen navigation system with rear camera.

"Although development of the Model S is our main focus, this shows that we still care a great deal about improving the Tesla Roadster," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "These improvements are a direct result of customer feedback and come only a year after release of Roadster 2.0, showing an exceptionally rapid pace of innovation. Where feasible, we will also offer existing customers the ability to purchase the upgrades now available in version 2.5."

The Roadster 2.5 will be unveiled at Tesla’s two newest stores: one’s in Copenhagen, and the other is in Newport Beach, California. The new car is currently available for order and will soon arrive in other Tesla stores worldwide, including its Canadian store in Toronto.

Pioneering luxury Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer and electric carmaker Tesla Motors have teamed up in a worldwide partnership as the iconic Swiss brand celebrates its 150th anniversary.

My first encounter with Tesla came about four years ago when I landed on a video of a Roadster racing a Ferrari on YouTube. If you recall the video (I'm unable to find it at this very moment), the EV seriously spanks the prancing horse from Maranello in a drag race. At the time, EVs were very novel and most were no more than concepts or crude prototypes.

Tesla Motors began taking orders yesterday from customers in Canada, and will begin delivering Canadian cars later this year. This is great news for Canada's many car enthusiasts, including scores of Tesla fans who have written passionate e-mails over the years about why Tesla should go north. We listened to you - and we look forward to delivering your cars starting in the fourth quarter of 2009.

When the first TT hit the streets, it was immediately applauded for its distinct, sensual, sexy sheetmetal. With its multiple curves and its sloping roofline, the initial TT turned heads wherever it went. As years went by, we've gotten used to the TT, and other cute little sport coupes have come along, which kind of relegated the TT onto the back burner. Audi has to retaliate.

When the Honda S2000 made its debut in 1999, it tossed the small sportscar world on its ear. Up until that point, only the Mazda Miata and Porsche Boxster had gained any kind of lasting traction with drop-top aficionados who also had an undying love for the open road.

These two Porsches are what a sports car is all about in the mind of the average fan: nimble and powerful. In addition to the open-air experience provided by their retractable top, they boast another attribute that's rarely seen on comparable machines: cargo room. We recently had the opportunity to test both models.

Introduced in 2000, the Honda S2000 was once featured on the cover of Motor Trend with the headline "Vette Threat?" underneath. Maybe so, maybe no. It had looks that were off the wall for a Honda product and it packed an engine with a higher output per litre than the world's best at the time. Enzo Ferrari would have been rolling around in his grave.

If you want to check out a fantastic pair of TT's, you needn't look much farther then your local Audi dealership. The hot new models are in, with slim, sexy styling, muscular lines and scandalous figures. I hear that one of them will even go topless on demand, for a bit of extra money. That's the TT Roadster, by the way.

I ask you: "What can be better than a hot sunny summer's day at the wheel of a convertible with the one you love by your side?" Those that answered "Nothing" probably own a convertible or a roadster and have experienced such a day when all the planets are aligned in perfect harmony. Mazda has enjoyed tremendous success with their roadster; best of all, Mazda has been infusing its vehicles with small doses of Miata-ness to the great pleasure of fans of the brand since 1990.

Raise your hand if you were surprised to hear that the 3.4-litre flat-six-cylinder engine from Porsche's Cayman S coupe is now available in the Boxster S roadster for 2007. Hmm... Not many hands, I see. This really shouldn't be too big of a revelation if you have any awareness on how Porsche does business (i.e. relentless, year in and year out refinement). In fact both Boxster models now share powerplants with Porsche's hardtop Boxster; a.k.a. the Cayman.

My first series of tests with the 2008 Audi TT had to be cut short because of the atrocious weather conditions that recently besieged the Greater Montreal area. But neither the lashing rain nor the strong winds or the heavy melting snow prevented me from appreciating the masterfully executed design of the new, second-generation TT. The result is even more remarkable considering that it's always risky to alter a design that holds a special place in contemporary automotive history.

West Palm Beach, Florida - How about playing a little game? Let's pretend, for just a moment, that money doesn't exist. Forget all about it. I'm not kidding. No dollar signs, no green (or brown) bills... nothing.

As if the conventional S2000 weren't competent enough on a track, Honda showed off a club race-inspired edition of their little roadster. Honda says the S2000 CR will be sold alongside the regular model, which should quell rumors of the car's demise at the end of 2007.

As you're reading this, the 2007 Nissan 350Z is quietly arriving in American showrooms, awaiting customers after a performance coupe that combines power, safety and heritage into a menacing package.

At the Lamborghini stand, the LP640 Roadster is on display. Essentially a topless version of the standard Murciélago, it it powered by the same 6.5-liter V12 engine that twists out 640 horsepower and 487 lb-ft of torque.

Mazda has added a power metal top to it's MX5. It increases the weight and cost of a classic affordable roadster that was about as perfect a balance of price to performance and weight to power as could be. Tampering with perfection on this level seems to defy logic. Spock would be turning over in his grave.

Zell am See, Austria - As with all great Alpine roads, the one that winds its way to the top of the Grossglockner, the highest peak in Austria, is an incredible stretch that features tight hairpin turns and breathtaking drop-offs. It's also a great road for testing out the latest and greatest version of a genuine automotive icon, the 2008 Audi TT.

Honda may very well be the most highly regarded automaker when it comes to sensible and level-headed products. This is the very reason that it's hard to believe they could have created anything like the radical S2000. Every line carved into its taut body oozes with performance, its figure stops people dead in their tracks, and it's got an exhaust sound that could cut solid steel.

We recently noticed that the 2006 Viper has received a substantial reduction in price. The Viper SRT10 Roadster's price has plummeted from $127,000 to $98,400. That's a difference of $28,400, or roughly the price of a new Dodge Charger.

Mazda's MX-5 has been living large for the last 17 years. When introduced way back in 1989 as a '90 model, it was an instant hit and has been pretty much unrivaled ever since. Someone had to do something about it, but I don't think anyone was expecting that someone to be General Motors.

One year after introducing the third generation of its famous little roadster, Mazda unveiled a power retractable hardtop version at the British International Motor Show last July. Some people might be surprised by the Japanese automaker's decision to offer such a model, since the MX-5's manual soft top is one of the slickest around. Truth is, however, the hardtop is even slicker.

The automotive press has always loved Mazda's MX-5 Miata. A lightweight, rear-wheel drive car was pretty rare in the nineties, and I can't help thinking that all the newer roadsters launched by other manufacturers in the last few years were all inspired by the MX-5's success.

For many, 1999 (late 1998 to be precise) ushered in a new design direction in the automotive industry. The then new Audi TT Coupe was considered innovative and unique. The following year, the Roaster graced the market. Because of the car's sensation, designers felt more at ease with their creativity. The TT is truly a marker in the history of the automobile.

The arrival of the Sky in Saturn dealerships is good news. It will give a breath of fresh air to this brand. Both versions driven during this vehicle launch were the Sky and the new turbocharged Sky Red Line.

Knoxville, Tennessee - At the Detroit auto show, Porsche presented a Boxster concept that was inspired from the Spyder 550 of the fifties. For movie buffs, that's the car in which James Dean killed himself in 1955. With a more than favourable welcome, Porsche produced the Boxster in 1997. In 1998, the Stuttgart firm showed off the Boxster S, more powerful than its little sister. In regard to their vehicles, Porsche prefers evolution rather then revolution. It's only in 2005 that the Boxster received an 80% redesign. The engine was already resized in 2000. This time, under the supervision of engineer Martin Constien, Porsche developed new powertrains for its little sports car: a 2.7-litre for the Boxster and a 3.4-litre for the S version, the same engine found in the Cayman.

The latest edition to the quirky Saturn automotive family is a true open-air roadster capable of stealing the heart of a sports-car purist on looks alone. Saturn has taken Pontiac's ever-so-cool Solstice to the next level of design utopia. That a purely domestic roadster can look so good is counter-intuitive to all we have grown to understand of our wheeled universe; nonetheless its plebian nameplate doesn't diminish its sports car persona. In addition to sharpening body creases and adding a dose of aggressiveness to the exterior lines of the Solstice, Saturn took the vehicle's interior a little further upscale as well. The result is a product that is visually more exciting than the Pontiac Solstice. Perhaps it's the pulse-quickening lines of the Sky messing with my psyche but I sense it drives a darn sight better than the early production Solstice I hammered through the paces spring of this year. However, with a starting MSRP of $31,665, the basic Canuck-issued Sky will draw an additional $5,000CA or so from one's wallet over the leanest Solstice.

Saturn is set to enter the high-performance roadster arena when the Sky Redline burns a path to retailers this fall. The Sky redline packs additional visual appeal from a variety of redline-exclusive upgrades such as polished dual outlet exhaust, 18-inch chrome wheels, brake cooling ducts and black headlight bezels to convey an even more sporting look.

I had a big smile on my face when I picked up the MX-5 GT as it brought back many happy memories for me. You see, I once owned one of the original Mazda Miata's and I absolutely loved it. Ok, Ok, I'll be honest, it was in fact my wife's summer car, to which I would steal the keys whenever she wasn't looking as it was so much fun to drive.

What makes you smile? A little baby perhaps? A beautiful spring morning? Maybe seeing an old friend you haven't seen since who knows when? Sissy.

It's 7 a.m. on a chilly Saturday morning, as me and my work buddies arrive at John Scotti's Exotic Cars dealership in Montreal. This purveyor of supercars set up a lap day on the Sanair Raceway for their customers, and since they now sell the T-Rex, current owners of this featherweight beast were also invited. A dozen of them showed up, as well as owners of Lambos, Porsches and Lotus' that we drooled over.

Imagine blasting to 100 km/h from a standstill in only 4.2 seconds. We're talking about Corvette Z06, Dodge Viper and Porsche 911 Turbo performance. Yet none of these supercars can offer the exhilaration of such acceleration in an open-air cockpit.

It is very difficult for car makers not to follow the trends that they themselves have established. I am talking about every vehicle growing in girth and power at each renewal cycle. For example, the 1983 Toyota Camry would barely classify itself as a compact by today's standards and a 2006 mid-sized Camry would have been positioned in the full-size segment back then. For many cars and trucks, this evolution has been necessary and has actually been beneficial to the car itself. The Camry is one such example. On the other hand, Volkswagens as they were known and loved 20 years ago, have lost much of their appeal and a large portion of their following.

Back in 1989, Mazda introduced the MX-5 Miata to the World. This car was a 2-seater roadster, a body style that had long since been abandoned on our market. It was an immediate hit even though it had a small 1.6L engine of only 116 hp. It was mainly praised for the way it drove. In 1994, the Miata received a 1.8L 4-cylinder that, like the 1.6L, was sourced from the Protegé. In 1999, the Miata went from first to second generation by receiving new sheet metal and a third power increase to 140 hp to the same 1.8L. There were a few complications with output evaluations in 2001 when Mazda claimed 155 hp but the real number fell to a more modest 142 hp. 2005 is the final year for the second generation of the Miata as 2006 now ushers in an all-new version known only as the MX-5.

Lots of roadster fans will be looking forward to the arrival of the regular Mazda Miata roadster this September, but it's only the hard-core Miata-maniacs who will care about buying one of the 3rd Generation Limited models that Canada will get.

In keeping with the general industry trend of offering more car for the same or less money when a model's revised, Mazda Canada has kept the base price of the 2006 MX-5 Miata at the same level as its predecessor -- $27,995.

ATLANTA - The New York Yankees did it beginning in 1949; the Montreal Canadiens started in 1955; the Boston Celtics began in 1958; and Porsche even did it at Le Mans starting in 1981. "It" is being the best among your peers for at least five consecutive years. Now the Boxster, Porsche's mid-engine roadster, joins this elite group by earning its fifth consecutive "Car and Driver" 10Best Award.

The designers of BMW's new flagship were inspired by the legendary 506 two seater that made its debut in New York City in 1955. Even though the Z8 has something of the retro look, it still appears as an extremely sophisticated creature. As a bona fide BMW, it retains the elongated twin kidney grille so that its origins are in no way deniable.

Porsche Boxster