La Dolce Veloce

AutoExpress reports that the two seat MINI Speedster has been given the green light for production, and will be built by Bertone. The speedster will start out life as a normal MINI; after its top is, well, removed, an electrically operated canvas top will be fitted, with an optional (removable) hard top also being available. What really sets this apart from the normal MINI is the removal of the rear seats. By doing that, it’s allowing for a more steeply raked windshield, and an honest to goodness trunk in the back. The Speedster will get a new, 225hp 1.6 liter engine and will be available early next year.

The 450hp convertible version of the supercharged Mustang GT500 will go on sale in mid-2006. Torsional rigidity is claimed to be twice that of the previous Mustang; the convertible top results in a 125 pound weight gain over the coupe.

The Phénomène concept car, inspired by the Lancia Stratos (previously reported here) has been given the green light for production! British engineering firm Prodrive will be responsible for turning the concept into reality. Production will most likely be very limited (around 50 per year), so the chances of it coming to the US are slim to none. (from AutoExpress)

I recall once in college mentioning to my roommates that I had learned that the name of my car, Scirocco, was a Turkish translation of a name of a hot desert wind common to the area. From then on, my car somehow became known as the Hot Desert Turkey. In spite of that dreadful moniker, I loved that Scirocco for its character and fun driving experience. Volkswagen revived its 2+2 coupe in the early 90′s under the Corrado name, but later discontinued that due to lackluster sales. Is the market ripe for another attempt? Volkswagen apparently thinks so, and is rumored to be working on a new Scirocco for release in 2008. If/when VW actually builds this, it’s still not a certainty that they would export it to the US, though the success of a few other hatchbacks show that there IS a market, it just has to be done right and priced economically.

If you don’t already watch the TV show Top Gear, you really owe it to yourself to check out an episode (you can find links to bit-torrent files of it here). It’s a fantastic British car show, with some hosts that have that wonderfully British sense of humor and make the show FUN to watch, rather than the boring dribble you’ll find on almost any American car show. But anyway, Jeremy Clarkson is one of the show’s hosts (probably the most popular of the three), and in his usual writing style, has reviewed the Ford Mustang in an article printed in the Sunday Times. He does a great job of pointing out some of the inadequacies in Ford’s design, providing a nice counterpoint to the generally glowing reviews I’ve seen from the American press. One quote typical of the tone of the article:

“But by European standards this car is rubbish. Its engine has wasteful, unused capacity that turns fuel into nothing, it couldn’t get from one end of a country lane to the other without running out of brakes and it handles like a newborn donkey.”

Subaru is offering a ‘Spec B’ version of its Legacy sedan. Sadly, this package includes no power upgrades, though the 250hp turbocharged four cylinder is no slouch to begin with. The Spec B gets upgraded suspension, wheels (18″), interior, and a Momo steering wheel. In keeping with the performance theme, a five speed manual will be the only transmission offered. Only 500 will be sold.

The weather locally is sunny, about 70 degrees. Perfect driving weather, it’s time to get out and enjoy some great roads! But, what about work? The clever advertising folk at Mini have come to the rescue, offering their Desktop Decoy Screensaver (enable popups in your browser to load this). It’s a fairly elaborate deal, with customizable features such as typing noises, coughing, spreadsheets, even streaming video conferencing. Cool!