Aston Martin has released the first images of a new Vantage Roadster, in engineering prototype form, ahead of an expected launch in the coming months. The hardtop coupé variant of Aston’s Porsche 911 rival has been on sale in its current form since 2018, following its unveiling at the 2017 Los Angeles motor show, spearheading the firm’s design reinvention as part of CEO Andy Palmer’s Second Century Plan. The prototype retains the low, wide stance of the standard model, with styling changes limited to the addition of a canvas folding soft top. The Vantage’s slim rear light bar and ducktail-style spoiler are retained, as are the model’s prominent front splitter and rear diffuser. With the unveiling of the new Vantage Roadster, Aston will offer a convertible variant of every model in its current line-up, except the four-door Rapide, which is now only on sale in performance-focused AMR form. It remains unclear whether the AMR variant of the Vantage, which features the only six-speed manual gearbox in the maker’s range, will be offered as a drop-top. No technical details of the new model have been revealed yet, but it’s expected to retain the same 503bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 as the coupé, albeit with a fractional performance sacrifice due to the extra weight of the folding roof and the required structural bracing. The company has confirmed the model will be available globally in spring next year. As with the DB11 Volante, it can be expected to command an approximate eight percent premium over the standard model, suggesting a starting price of around £130,500. The launch will follow the high-profile revealing of the limited-run DBS GT Zagato, which joins the authentically recreated DB4 GT Zagato in Aston’s ultra exclusive DBZ Centenary
Origin: New Aston Martin Vantage Roadster: first images released
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New Pagani Huayra Roadster BC debuts in mobile video game
Pagani isn’t waiting until Pebble Beach to reveal the new Huayra Roadster BC. At least, not to reveal it in digital form. Marking the first time a car company has debuted a new vehicle in a mobile video game, the latest supercar from the luxury automaker has landed in the video game CSR Racing 2, which was developed by San Francisco-based Zynga, the same company that created the popular mobile game Words With Friends. The Roadster BC is an open-top track-focused beast and the latest display of Horacio Pagani’s German-powered Italian-inspired genius. Pagani teased the car on social media recently, calling it “a tremendous science and design challenge,” likely referring to the work done to keep weight down. Now we’re getting a full look — on our cell phones. “When Horacio Pagani first began designing cars 44 years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine that a car like the Roadster BC would ever be unveiled to the world in a mobile game,” Michael Staskin, Managing Director of Pagani Automobili America, said in a statement. “We chose to partner with CSR2 on the reveal of the Roadster BC because we are both leaders in our respective industries, we both show incredible attention to design and detail and we both continue to disrupt what is considered normal in the automotive industry.”CSR Racing 2 is free to download on the App Store or Google Play. The Pagani Huayra Roadster BC is expected to debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance later this
Origin: New Pagani Huayra Roadster BC debuts in mobile video game
Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster: UK prices and specs revealed
The flagship version of Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster, the hardcore, limited-run R model, is now on sale priced from £178,675. Representing a £34,400 price increase over the AMG GT C Roadster and a £30,000 increase over the hard-top GT R, it’s available to order now with first deliveries expected in the autumn. Revealed back at the Geneva motor show and limited to just 750 units, the Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster will share its twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine with the GT R coupé, producing 577bhp and 516lb ft sent via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The firm now quotes a WLTP combined figure of 22.6mpg, while the car emits 284g/km of CO2. It can hit 62mph from rest in just 3.6sec and reach a top speed of 197mph. That 0-62mph time matches that of the GT R coupé, and the top speed is just 1mph shy of its fixed-roof sibling. The aggressive styling of the coupé also translates to the Roadster, including the large fixed rear wing, while the likes of the coil-over suspension and adjustable dampers, tuneable through several different driving modes, and rear-wheel active steering, also feature, giving the GT R Roadster a very similar dynamic spec to that of the coupé. The aerodynamic package also carries over, including the front lip spoiler, active aero front grille and large rear double diffuser that houses the exhausts. The wider track over the GT C Roadster on which the car is based allow for fitment of the larger lightweight 19in front/20in rear alloys, shod in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres and sized 273/35 front and 325/30 rear, while also improving stability. The three-layered fabric roof from the rest of the GT Roadster range carries over unchanged to the GT R Roadster. The model weighs 1710kg, an increase of 80kg over the GT R coupé. Rigidity improvements to mitigate the loss of strength in the GT’s conversion from coupé to Roadster include thicker sill elements, an additional dashboard support and an aluminium cross-member integrated into the rear bulkhead that supports the fixed roll-over bars. Lightweight options include composite brakes and a two-stage carbonfibre pack for various trim elements. Each of the 750 models sold will have a bespoke badge on the centre console depicting that car’s number in the production run. The Porsche 911-rivalling GT range now runs to 16 versions including hard and soft-top road cars, and racing
Origin: Mercedes-AMG GT R Roadster: UK prices and specs revealed
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