Spring is in the air, and Andreas Conradt finds his thoughts turning to the soft-top sizzlers coming our way
Soft-top and sporting; the mind's eye creates images of the Italian Riviera, a winding road and the roar of the engine. So, on that note, let's begin with Alfa Romeo, whose new Spider will make its debut in late 2005, ready for the 2006 season. By then, the two-seater will be ready to show its Brera concept-car front end design and the - now - typical Alfa grille made famous again by the 156 and 147. A very flat bonnet, low grille, huge wheels and flat windshield give the car the modern and aggressive look the current model is lacking. Though not much will change under the bonnet, the current 2-litre 4-cylinder units and the 3.2-litre V6 delivering 165 bhp and 240 bhp respectively, are still adequate engines to make the new Spider a well-powered sportscar.
A more potent soft-top from Alfa will be its 8c Cabriolet - radically different from the new Spider - provided it will make it into production, which hasn't been decided yet. If it gets the go-ahead, the car will be bigger than the Spider, and more powerful, with engines up to over 300 bhp. However, it will also be significantly more expensive.
If you're a fan of more muscular American-styling, then there's good news: Chrysler, which has confirmed that the Crossfire cabrio will definitely be built. This good news comes as the firm completes testing of a SRT-6 349 bhp supercharged version expected next year.
The Crossfire cabrio will be based on the chassis of the current Mercedes SLK which is to be replaced soon. Size and wheel track, however, will be a few centimetres over the SLK. Mercedes' 215 bhp 3.2-litre V6 will power the car.
First shown at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show, and hailed as the next generation of Ford's 1970s coupé hit, the Capri, the Ford Visos will probably not make it into production in coupé guise. However, it's likely to turn up as a compact cabrio, based on the chassis and underpinnings of the new Focus which will make its debut in later this year. Don't expect the Visos to come before year 2006.
The next generation Mazda MX5 is set to continue the success of the current car. The MX5 range can proudly claim to have revived the roadster philosophy in the early 1990s - though with modern interpretation. Only 14-years-old, it's already a legend.
Having the world's best-selling roadster, Mazda's engineers aren't resting on their laurels. Instead, the Japanese firm is currently developing a drop-top version of their new RX-8 coupé. The upcoming car will have a scaled-down version of the 2-litre 4-cylinder engine of the Mazda6, reduced in capacity to 1.8-litre because the standard unit was thought too powerful for the soft-top.
In its new guise, the unit will develop 177 bhp at 7,000 rpm. A 6-speed gearbox will be used, keeping the model's traditional set-up. Styling follows Mazda's new range, with familiar headlamps and a rakish nose.
Unveiled under the branding of its British sister-company Vauxhall, Opel has already presented its next generation Speedster, likely to make it into showrooms in 2005. By no means less radical than the current car, it will however, be less angular and boxy, featuring softer lines, plus huge wheels and air-intakes. The new Speedster will follow on from Opel's new coupé-cabrio, the Tigra.
After strong criticism of the shape of the headlights of the current 911, Porsche is returning to the conventional, typical 911 face for the new model. Like their predecessors, 911 and Boxster are developed in combination and will again share major components, although the design will feature much more distinguishing marks compared to the two current models - the close relationship of which was regarded as a big mistake in the beginning of the era of the Boxster.
For the Boxster, the current 2.7-litre engine will remain in base cars, but the flagship S will abandon the 3.2 in favour of a 3.4-litre machine. The new Boxster will be ready for a launch in late 2004.
Over at VW, along with the development of the Concept R, revealed at last year's Frankfurt show and based on the new Golf platform, the German group are planning on using its current Polo platform as the basis for a whole range of new coupés . We will see two new roadsters, one under the VW marque, the other under Spanish sister-company Seat. The first firm to release a car will be VW, probably in spring/summer 2005. It is going to release its own roadster, built around the same platform but with its own design.
While the VW will be a classical roadster, the Seat sun-seeker will be a typical targa with a massive rear window and rear post and a centre roof section made of aluminium rather than canvas. Equipped with similar 4-cylinder engines as the VW Roadster, the Seat will offer a much more aggressive look with less baby face and an overall more macho appearance.