Happy 4th of July! Could we interest you in one of the two newest British build drop tops that will soon be for sale worldwide? Option number one would be the unbelievably powerful McLaren MP4-12C Spider as the long anticipated convertible version was officially announced yesterday. Fortunately if you were hoping for something with slightly less horsepower that comes in a naturally aspirated form you may be interested in what is residing behind door number two. As Aston Martin would like to introduce you to the beautiful V12 Vantage Roadster however they aren’t planning on making this cars debut official until next week.
Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster – Front 3/4
We are hearing that the V12 Vantage Roadster with its angry sounding 5.9-liter V12 engine, capable of producing 510 hp, will be limited to just a measly 101 units. Specialty clients will be offered the car first and there are no numbers as of yet on how many of the 101 will be heading to North America. Based off of the images it appears that Aston Martin has attempted to reduce the weight increase that usually occurs with a Roadster variant of any car by using carbon fiber were ever possible. The V12 Vantage is a sleek and sexy car and if you can afford the topless version and if you can get your hands on one it may be worth the price to be a member of this ultra exclusive club.
Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster – Rear 3/4
On the other side of the coin the McLaren MP4-12C Spider has been created to be a high volume seller in McLaren’s present line up. This is a very good thing as with the announcement of the car they have essentially doubled their model range. The convertible will no doubt carry over the tradition of blowing the performance doors off its competitors just like the hard top version did when it was released last year. The open air version will be powered by the same 3.8-liter twin turbo V8 that is found in the coupe. It will be equipped with the Hoonigan software update that is now available for all MP4-12C’s which increases the cars total output to 615 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque.
McLaren MP4-12C Spider – Showing off its new roof line
McLaren Automotive has designed a pretty trick retractable metal roof that can be raised or lowered in 17 seconds and up to speeds of 30 km/h or below. There is the inclusion of a rear glass windscreen that doubles as a wind deflector when the top is down. This glass partition can also be lowered when the roof is up which can allow the drivers ears direct access to the sounds of the force feed V8. A final amazing feat in engineering would have to be fact that the MP4-12C Spider only weights 88 pounds more than its fixed roof counterpart. Whereas many convertibles are much heavier than their coupe counterparts due to the addition of structural bracing and other stiffening components.
Just another Engineering Marvel from the McLaren Group
The McLaren Group has begun taking orders for its newest super car through its 38 retailers in 22 countries. We are expecting it to be on display at the upcoming Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August. So start saving your allowance, as here in Canada it is expected to sell for just north of 310,000 Canadian Dollars. It’s a tad rich for my blood but we’re looking forward to seeing these drop top super car in person one day maybe at this year’s auto exotica exhibit at this year’s Canadian International auto show.
