12 wicked fast convertibles
BMW LONDON
BMW M3 convertible
Price: $67,550
Mileage: 13 City / 20 Hwy
One of the very best all-around cars in the world, the M3 is a thrill to drive, comfortable and even kind of practical. The back seats aren't bad and neither is the trunk. Even with its powerful V8 up front, the M3 still feels small, light and quick, eager to be thrown through the turns.
The convertible version gives you a folding hard-top that keeps the car looking sharp with the roof up or down while maintaining every bit of its character.
Ford Shelby GT500
Price: $53,645
Mileage: 15 City / 23 Hwy
Really, the ordinary Mustang GT, with its 412-horsepower 5.0-liter V8, should be plenty of car for just about anyone. But there are always those who want more... and more.
So Ford offers the 550-horsepower Shelby GT500 for those folks. This car makes smoking the back tires easier than sparking up an electric grill. A process of continuous improvement over the last several years has turned the GT500 into a car that's good for more than just straight-line take-offs, too. This is a Shelby that's prepared for the curves as well.
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 convertible
Price: N/A
Mileage: N/A
The 550-horsepower Camaro ZL1 hardtop goes on sale later this year. Since that car competes directly against Ford's Shelby GT500, which is available with a cloth roof, we can put two and two together and... imagine where this has to lead.
General Motors has announced nothing about a ZL1 convertible -- but sure as there will be a Kung Fu Panda 3, you can bet a car looking very much like this photo illustration will be available some day soon. Start saving your pennies.
Mini Cooper Convertible
Price: $34,300
Mileage: 25 City / 33 Hwy
The John Cooper Works MIni takes that whole "go-kart handling" thing to the next level with a 208-horsepower turbocharged engine. You can't get this one with an automatic transmission, only with a six-speed manual.
Abarth 500c
Price: N/A
Mileage: N/A
Abarth (pronounced Ah-Barth) is basically Fiat's performance division, so the Abarth 500c a faster Fiat 500c. You can expect to see it in this country in about a year.
The Fiat 500c sold in this country has an engine and transmissions that are different from those offered in Europe so we can figure the Abarth version probably will have a unique set-up here as well. So, while we know it will be faster that a Fiat 500c, we don't know how much faster just yet.
Audi R8 V10 Spyder
Price: $162,700
Mileage: 12 City / 19 Hwy
Loosely related to the Lamborghini Gallardo, the R8 V10 has a 525 10-cylinder engine and full-time all-wheel-drive. You can get yours with an all-manual six-speed transmission or a so-called sequential manual transmission that allows you to flip rapidly through the gears without bothering with a clutch.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster
Price: N/A
Mileage: N/A
Of course, you lose something when you take the roof off the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG... those dramatically rising gullwing doors. But you'll no doubt gain so much more,
The 563-horsepower Roadster's cloth top weighs just 11 pounds and can open or close while driving at speeds up to 31 miles per hour.
Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet
Price: $172,100
Mileage: 16 City / 24 Hwy
It's amazing what Porsche can do with just six cylinders. While others require eight cylinders, plus turbocharging, to get over 500 horsepower, the all-wheel-drive 911 Turbo S makes 530 from a mere 3.8-liter flat-six engine.
Bentley Super Sports Ice Speed Record
Price: $280,400
Mileage: 12 City / 19 Hwy
In February, rally driver Juha Kankkunen drove a Bentley Continental Supersports convertible -- with the top up, thank you -- to a world speed record for driving on ice. He went over 205 miles per hour across a thick sheet of ice off the coast of Finland. Besides a few minor changes, including a parachute to the car to help in stop, his car was just like any other Continental Supersports from the Bentley factory.
To commemorate this completely nuts feat, Bentley has introduced an "Ice Speed Record" special edition Supersports convertible. It's got the standard 631 horsepower 12 cylinder engine and some fancy graphics. Don't get any ideas, though. There's no parachute.
Lamborghini Gallardo
Price: $248,000
Mileage: 12 city/20 hwy.
The LP 570-4 Spyder Performante is built to be a 143 pounds lighter tha the "base" Gallardo, through the use of carbon fiber and lightweight leather, for quicker performance. It also gives it a price tag that's about $20,000 more.
That may seem like a lot of money for a car that saves roughly the weight of one rather trim passenger in a 570 horsepower, all-wheel-drive car. (For a lot less money you could just stop giving rides.) Really, this is about exclusivity. Your Gallardo Spyder is a Performante. It's special. And it's one-tenth of a second quicker getting to 60 miles per hour. So there.
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport
Price: $1,990,000
Mileage: 8 City / 14 Hwy
The best thing about the Grand Sport's removable top is that it allows you to better hear that massive 16-cylinder engine behind you. Letting off the gas following a chest-crushing run up to very high speeds releases a sudden "Whoosh!" as the car's four turbochargers let out a gush of air. It's a great ride, if very, very expensive and possessed of a shocking thirst for premium gasoline.
This particular over-the-top mass of excess is reaching the end of it's production run very soon. (The last hard-top has already been spoken for.) If you think you want one, better order it soon.
Ferrari California Spyder
Price: $192,000
Mileage: 13 City / 19 Hwy
The Ferrari California is one of the most beautiful automobiles you will ever see. It also has a 453 horsepower V8, a folding metal hardtop and it's available with a six-speed manual transmission or a seven-speed "dual-clutch" automatic. Aside from its driving performance, possibly the most crucial reason for purchase remains that first one, though. It's beautiful.
Source: Money/CNN