While Cadillac busies itself with a 2-door version of the new CTS sedan, the folks over at Coach Builders, Ltd have been busy taking their tops off. The boulevardier CTS gets an insulated, hydraulically-powered roof fitted with a heated glass rear window and cloth headliner. The top also comes in several colors. Judging by this pic, it also looks like a fair bit of work has gone into making the car look good with the top down. No word on what happens to trunk space, however.

It’ll cost you more than a few quarters — $19,000 gets the job done in eight weeks — but that’s the price of exclusivity, right? It’s also employs a manual release, but these things happen when you’re a style pioneer. We’d like to see pics of the car with the top up, because we wonder if this could be the first cloth-topped Caddy truly fit for the younger set.

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Brabus hasn’t wasted any time tuning the new Mercedes-Benz SLK, and is bringing its normal blend of aero mods and engine tweaks to those unable to keep their new SLK stock for long. Brabus opted to yank out the SLK 55 AMG’s 5.5-liter V8 and fitted its own 6.1-liter mill that cranks out 445 hp and 468 lb.-ft. of torque. Power is routed through a seven-speed automatic gearbox and down to Brabus’ own LSD. Zero-to-60 times drop to 4.3-seconds, while six-piston aluminum calipers clamp 355 mm slotted discs up front and four-piston calipers with 300 mm rotors in the rear end the party before things get out of hand.

Naturally, some new rollers are part of the equation, with optional 17-, 18- or 19-inch wheels tucked into the fenders with a 30 mm drop provided by new Brabus sports springs. The visual mods are wrapped up with a wind tunnel-tested front spoiler, rear apron and trunk lid wing, while four chrome exhaust tips hint at the SLK’s new found power.

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The next Black Series is out of the bag. Mercedes-Benz’s AMG offered a small group of journalists a sneak peek of its 670-horsepower supercar at the New York show last month, issued with the world’s most vague embargo. So here we are with details. AMG says the SL65 Black Series is capable of 220 mph, but it’s speed-limited to 300 kp/h, or about 186 mph and can do 0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds.

AMG squeezed an extra 66 horsepower out of the 6.0-liter, bi-turbo V-12, but torque remains unmoved from the magic 1000 Newton-Meter number, equal to 738 pound-feet. (Like the “standard” SL65, it comes only with a five-speed automatic transmission.) The power improvements instead are connected more to AMG’s weight-reduction program, which results in a 6.1-pounds per horsepower ratio. The “standard” SL65 has a 7.7-pounds per horsepower ratio. Beyond its engine, the SL65 AMG Black Series is roughly akin to the SL65 AMG what a Dodge Charger Nextel Cup car is to a Dodge Charger SRT-8.

The folding top has been made a fixed roof, the track widened (AMG refused to say how much), the fenders have been flared and the front fenders, hood and roof sheetmetal has been replaced with carbon fiber. The electro-hydraulic Active Body Control suspension has been tossed for a fully adjustable coil spring suspension. Dunlop Maxx GTs are 265/35ZR-19s front, 325/30ZR-20s, rear on one-piece forged alloy wheels. Brake discs are larger and because AMG plans to build just 350 units for worldwide sales, the car is exempt from European pedestrian crash standards, so the front grille is squatter than the new one on the SL-Series and the hood is lower.

Running on the automotive treadmill shaves 570 pounds off the car’s curb weight, 88 pounds of which are the result of switching to a fixed roof. It’s now a relatively svelt 4,080 pounds.

The rear diffuser also is carbon fiber. The subtle rear lip spoiler provides about 77 pounds of downforce, and rises to a full spoiler at 62 mph.

Your office space for controlling all this includes two carbon-fiber racing-shell seats — there’s no back seat — a flat-bottom steering wheel and yards of Alcantara. Paint color choices are white, black, red or silver. It goes on sale in the U.S. next year at an if-you’ve-gotta-ask price well north of the SL65’s $188,025 sticker.

(source: Motortrend)

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Maserati officials have confirmed the convertible version of the GranTurismo coupe will arrive in showrooms by March of next year and these new renderings give us a good indication as to what the final styling may look like with the top down. The introduction of the new model will help Maserati meet its ambitious goal of selling 12,000 cars per year by 2011 as well as continue the carmaker’s recent return to profitability.

Maserati is yet to confirm if the car will sport a traditional canvas roof or a new hard-top, but recent spy shots of a GranTurismo convertible prototype suggest it will feature a metal folding roof. Otherwise, the convertible should feature the same mechanical package as the coupe, although in fitting with its premium status the car could come standard with the new 434hp 4.7L V8 engine from the recently revealed GranTurismo S. This means it will likely get Maserati’s updated automated manual gearbox and Brembo brake package as standard.

Performance will be down on its coupe sibling as the convertible will require extra reinforcements due to its missing roof. Remember, the coupe already weighs in excess of 1,800kg so the extra weight of this reinforcement plus the complicated folding mechanism of the roof system could easily push the drop-top past the two ton barrier. At the end of the day however, the GranTurismo is all about style and as a poser’s car a convertible version is as good as it gets.

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We’re seen the spy shots, so the revelation that BMW’s next generation Z4 will be equipped with a folding hard top isn’t much of a surprise. The mules undergoing testing show a two-piece metal unit that should be able to fold neatly into the trunk, while not infringing too heavily on luggage space.

More importantly, the new Z4 will be sporting a range of engine offerings, including an array of four- and six-cylinder mills, including the much-loved twin-turbo, 3.0-liter six found in the 135i, 335i and 535i. Additionally, AutoExpress dropped the bomb that a diesel engine will be fitted to the Z4 for the first time and that BMW might try to squeeze the 4.0-liter V8 found in the M3 into the Z4’s lengthy hood.

All new Z4s will come equipped with BMW’s Efficient Dynamics systems, featuring start/stop engine technology and some form of regenerative braking to boost electrical efficiency while reducing C02 emissions. The Z4’s length is expected to increase by around an inch and it’s due to hit dealers sometime in late 2009.

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Okay, it just hit us: eccentric. That’s what the Maybach 62 Landaulet is, in a word. In fact, you could apply that to the whole Maybach venture. Like Dennis Hopper said in the Keanu-tastic action flick Speed, “Poor people are crazy, Jack. I’m eccentric.” Daimler is evidently hoping that there are enough “eccentric” people in the United States to warrant bringing over the head-scratchingly-strange Maybach 62 Landaulet to the American market.

With trepidation and a considerable measure of revulsion, we’ve covered the emergence of the Landaulet from the initial rumor, through the preview before the car’s unveiling in Dubai (where else), the first video footage, its North American debut and its eventual production confirmation. It’s been a long and crazy wind-tousled process, and now comes confirmation that it’s coming our way. Oh, and the price? Ultimately confirmed at $1.35 million. That’s not a typo, and it’s higher even than the highest estimates we received previously. In case you, like us, are wondering who would spend that kind of money on a convertible version of a car that ordinarily costs (an already exorbitant) $433,750, ask Hans-Dieter Mulhaupt, the VP in charge of the Maybach program: “The Landaulet is for a superrich individual who wants something that is extremely extraordinary and enjoys being driven in a car with acres of sky above them.” There you have it: “extremely extraordinary”, for a million-dollar premium.

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Lexus Australia’s chief executive, John Roca, gave up a number of product details to The Australian in an interview this past weekend, including the addition of an “F” variant of the GS sedan and possibly a full-size LS limo. Both models are aimed to attack luxury stalwarts Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz by offering a number of high-performance variants and also developing a new model that would slot in below the IS sedan to take on the BMW 1-series and the Audi A3. That model is still a few years away, but it will be an integral part of Lexus’ commitment to reach one million global sales in the next two to three years.

The other element includes offering hybrid versions of every vehicle it sells, plus the introduction of a hybrid-only model that will be unveiled in concept form this January at the Detroit Auto Show. Toyota’s luxury arm plans to release a redesigned five-seater RX next year, based off the LF-Xh concept that bowed in Tokyo, although there’s no word on the rumored seven-seat variant due out before the end of the decade.

Naturally, no conversation about Lexus would be complete without some mention of a two-door, coupe/convertible version of the IS, a model that’s been sorely lacking from the Lexus lineup, plus, the LF-A supercar, which should finally come to market in 2011, but may only be available in left-hand drive.

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We were finally beginning to accept the notion of that we would never join the Alfa Romeo 8C owners club, and then this hot little number showed up. The single-seat electric kiddie car is definitely just the thing for aspiring Fangios, and in point of fact, it’d look pretty nice sitting in the corner of our Ann Arbor offices, too.

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