Smart announces FourTwo Brabus

Click to view more photos of the 2009 Smart FourTwo Brabus. (Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive) Smart has revealed a new version of its FourTwo at the 2008 LA Auto Show, the FourTwo Brabus. Brabus being the German tuning house most famous for their close ties with Mercedes-Benz. If the ...

 

2009 Mini Cooper Cabrio unveiled! Detroit debut, hits showrooms in March

Well, here's one car we'll all be able to cover in Detroit come January. BMW has officially announced that the second-generation MINI Cabrio will make its debut at the North American International Auto Show. No need to wait to place orders; you can do that now. The Cooper ragtop is priced at $24,550 while the Cooper S convertible costs $3,000 more. Customer delivery kicks off on March 28. So, what's new? Well, for one, the new Cabrio looks like the current-gen Cooper. Likewise, it shares the hardtop cars' 1.6L engines -- 118 hp NA for the Cooper, and 172 hp turbo for the Cooper S. The Euro-market cars get BMW Efficient Dynamics features including brake regeneration and stop/start. The U.S.? Not so much. Out back, the fold-down tailgate's hinges are now internal, giving the car's tush a smoother look. The fixed roll hoops of the current car have been replaced by a pop-up system behind the back seat. This makes for a good-looking, clean top-down profile and should improve rearward visibility for the driver. Speaking of the top, it can be operated at speeds up to 20 mph or so, and it fully disappears in just 15 seconds. The sliding sunroof feature can be utilized at even higher speeds -- up to 60 mph or so. Stability control is standard equipment. Inside, the current MINI instrument panel is employed, and drivers with a hankering for extraneous gimmickery can order up the "Openometer", a secondary gauge that mounts next to the tach. It monitors how much time you clock with the top down. Yeah, yeah -- useless. You know people are gonna eat it up. Follow the jump for a video and MINI's full PR (now updated with the U.S. version). [Source: MINI]

 

Carlsson tunes the Smart ForTwo

Carlsson, known for its Mercedes-Benz modifications, is now offering a tuning package for the new Smart ForTwo which will be made available in the U.S. through GGI European tuning. Carlsson offers minor performance modifications (no horsepower increases) and a styling package that gives the Smart ForTwo some sleek styling. Carlsson starts with new sport springs that lower the Smart ForTwo by 25mm providing a wider track result for crisper steering response, reduced roll and enhanced cornering ability. Carlsson is also offering a stainless-steel rear silencer with four polished pipes for the 84-hp turbocharged version and as an end-pipe only system for the 61-hp and 71-hp versions. Appearance wise Carlsson added a new polyurethane front spoiler, electro-polished stainless-steel grille insert, fog-lights with chrome surroundings and a polyurethane diffuser at the rear. Inside, it gets a set of aluminum pedals and a handbrake grip. The Carlsson Smart ForTwo rides on 1/11 Evo BE wheels that are available in 16 or 17-inches. Carlsson Smart ForTwo:

 

Citroen GT may enter limited-production of 20 units

Remember the GT by Citroen that made its debut at the 2008 Paris Motor Show? Yes, the insane looking joint project created by the French automaker for Gran Turismo. At that time we said "Don't expect to see the roads anytime soon (or ever)" - well, we may have been wrong. According to PSA's chief designer Jean-Pierre Ploué, the GT by Citroen could be headed for a limited production run of only 20 units. No official specifications of a production version of the GT have been released but according to the virtual reality version in Gran Turismo, the car produces a total of 782-hp from its high-tech fuel-cell powertrain and weighs 3,000 pounds. Citroen GT:      Source: WCF