Audi currently sells two versions of its R8 supercar, the original 4.2-liter V-8 model and the recently revealed 5.2-liter V-10 version, but there are two more versions in the works, one of which has been revealed today ahead of its world debut at next week’s 2009 Frankfurt auto show. The two new versions are the R8 Spyder convertible, seen here in these leaked official shots, as well as the high-performance RS variant. A spokesman for Audi previously confirmed that the R8 Spyder was delayed to allow time for sales of the V-10 hard-top to eventually die down. The Audi rep also confirmed that the Spyder would feature a full convertible soft-top roof instead of a smaller targa set-up, which was the preferred choice of engineers back in Germany. Other major changes for the car that appear to have made it to production are a pair of additional air intakes located behind the seats, as well as a pair of safety roll-over bars. Sadly, the R8’s trademark aluminum side blades have been removed. ...
Acura and its parent company Honda may not be concerned with adding RWD or V8 engines to its lineup, but it is adding another new vehicle to its small lineup, bringing the total to six models. Today Acura has announced that the latest, the four-door coupe 2010 Acura ZDX, will hit the sales floor this winter packed with a bevy of luxury features new. Unveiled at this year's New York Auto Show, the ZDX joins a growing list of in-between sedan/hatch/coupe profile vehicles like the BMW 5-series Gran Turismo and the Toyota Venza. And it certainly is unique in the limited Acura lineup, which otherwise consists of the TSX, RL and TL sedans, and the RDX and MDX SUVs. Core features of the production ZDX include a 3.7-liter 300 horsepower SOHC V-6 engine, a 6-speed paddle-shifted automatic transmission and Acura's SH-AWD system. Standard wheels are 19-inch, 7-spoke alloys, the largest standard wheel of any Acura. Inside, the ZDX gets a number of premium treatments, including hand-stitche...
Fiat now has the rights to the Viper business and may either sell it or phase it out altogehter Chrysler has been trying to sell its Dodge Viper sports car business since late last year but according to the struggling automaker, the once prominent brand couldn’t even muster up offers of $10 million. In fact, Chrysler insisted that it had received only one bid of $5.5 million from Devon Motorworks, which planned to use the Viper platform for its own GTX supercar. It has since been revealed that several group had made offers of up to $35 million but these were before Chrysler’s bankruptcy, though there were reportedly knocked back for having insufficient financing. from motorauthority.com Fast forward to today, and Chrysler, now out of bankruptcy and in bed with Fiat, has announced that it has turned over all the Viper assets, including rights to the name, to the Italian auto giant. It’s now up to Fiat to decide whether it still wants to sell the Viper business or phase out altogethe...
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