roadster

My favorite model in Lamborghini's lineup has for many years been the Gallardo, but the flagship Aventador is unquestionably the most powerful. With today's unveiling of a Roadster version, the Aventador also gets an injection of style.

Rather than a power-retractable roof, the Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster features a two-panel carbon-fiber roof that is manually removed and stored under the hood when not in use. Presumably, this configuration is partially to keep weight down and partially because the Aventador's V-12 engine sits where your average convertible top would be stowed.

Where the coupe displays its 700-horsepower engine … Read more

Mazda has officially pulled the wraps off of the 2013 model year update to its Japanese market Mazda Roadster, known elsewhere in the world as the MX-5 Miata.

The new Roadster gets a revised front end that further evolves the Nagare design language's trademark grin into something both that's more in line with the current generation of the Mazda3, but also less obviously a big happy face. A new front spoiler frames the Roadster's chin. It's a subtle change, as mid-cycle refreshes are wont to be. The rear end of the car appears to be completely … Read more

It's no secret the Mazda MX-5 Miata has always been one of my favorite cars. It's light and nimble, it's simple, and it's one of the purest driving experiences I've ever had. But the thing that I love the most about the Mazda Miata is that it's sort of an anti-poseur car. You're not going to impress many people from behind the wheel of the unassuming roadster. So, if you see someone driving a Miata of any generation, you can know that they doing it because they truly love this car. Not many … Read more

Somebody lucky car collector is going to have a great Christmas this year. An Aston Martin purchased by the late George Harrison in 1965, was sold at auction in London on Wednesday for more than half a million dollars.

According to the auction house, Coys, the winning bid went to an anonymous Beatles and Aston Martin fan from Houston, Texas. The purchaser plans to use the DB5 to raise money for Christian causes, Coys reported in a press release.

The DB5 wasn't the only car formerly owned by a member of the Fab Four this year. In February, John … Read more

The 2012 Mazda Miata is one of the great bantamweights of the automotive industry, but even it has gained more than a few extra pounds over the years.

If reports from British car publication What Car? are to be believed, it would seem that the right folks at Mazda's R&D department have taken notice.

When asked about the next Mazda MX-5 Miata, Hirotaka Kanazawa, Mazda's senior managing executive officer in charge of R&D, told What Car?, "'We will return to the original. It will be lightweight and the cost will be lightweight too. … Read more

Pictures and details were released this week of the 2012 Mini Roadster--the only open-top two-seater in the brand's history.

The Mini Roadster features the all-new four-cylinder engine in three options: the Mini Cooper Roadster with 121 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque, the Mini Cooper S Roadster 181 hp and 177 pound-feet of torque, and the sporty Mini John Cooper Works Roadster boasting 208 hp and 192 pound-feet of torque.

Performance-wise, the Mini Roadster offers standard electric power steering, dynamic stability, dynamic traction control with electronic differential lock control optional (standard in the Mini John Cooper Works Roadster); stainless-steel … Read more

On today's show, why horny Amish guys shouldn't sext while driving their horse and buggies and why somewhere in the world, Martin Short is currently clenching his butt cheeks. Yep, it's a Donald Bell show. Also, ISPs are adopting graduated responses to piracy and Apple gets a patent that may or may not be broad depending on how you define "N."

The trend is on to unplug red-light cameras...Cambridge Crude could be the electric oil of tomorrow...Tesla turns a corner...and we take you for a run in one of the new four bangers that shame most hybrids.

• CNET reviews the 2011 Hyundai Elantra

• L.A. seriously considers dropping red-light cameras

• Can "Cambridge Crude" make electric cars more practical?

• What do you think of a mini-er Mini?

• Tesla ends production of Roadster, gets ready to sell Model S… Read more

Mercedes-Benz isn't calling the 2012 SLS AMG Roadster a super car, even though it boasts 563 hp and 479 pound-feet of torque; instead the German automaker is calling the fabric-top ride a dream car.

Available later this year, the $183,000 roadster may be missing gullwing doors, but it's not missing good looks and performance.

Mercedes-Benz teased enthusiasts earlier this month with a look at the roadster undergoing testing in Stuttgart, Germany.

The roadster has an aluminum spaceframe body, an AMG 6.3-liter V8 front-mid engine, a seven-speed dual clutch transaxle transmission, and a sports suspension with aluminum … Read more