Viva La Targa! Scion Chops Portion of the Roof Off the FR-S Sports Automobile for SEMA

For years, rumors have swirled about Scion developing a convertible version of the FR-S. Alas, nicely into the FR-S’ life cycle, such a issue has never appeared, at least not in production kind. There was a notion, the FT-86 Open, which Scion parent business Toyota showed last year at the Geneva auto show. And along comes this: a beautiful targa-roofed FR-S show car.

Making its debut at the 2014 SEMA show, the “FR-S T1″ was created by Jeremy Lookofsky of Cartel Customs and wears “Azzuro California Blue” and black paint. The roof section over the front passengers is removable, and the (all metal) widened physique is dropped more than lacy 19-inch forged wheels. The details are just as savory: smoked lights, a perforated grille insert, 2 tiny round exterior mirrors, and, a totally integrated rear spoiler. The interior is specifically nice, resplendent as it is in creamy leather with black stitching.

Below the skin there is a KW coilover suspension, a GReddy turbocharger(!) kit for the boxer engine, a Wilwood Big Brake kit, a center-exit exhaust, and of course, audio upgrades. But our favorite piece has got to be the incredible black louvers over the rear window—a styling device whose time came and went 30 years ago, and we believe, has come again.

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Need to Scion contemplate a targa-bodied FR-S? We feel so. Porsche just brought back a suitable targa version of its vaunted 911, albeit with a heavy and complicated motorized roof, and the outcome is stunning. Even Nissan is reportedly taking into consideration a targa-roofed Z. A Scion targa wouldn’t need to be so complex or heavy—keep the lid manually removable and ditch the wide physique and we feel it is wholly doable.

The only stick in this plan’s mud? Toyota says an FR-S roadster would be also pricey to create and as well pricey to be sold as a Scion in the U.S. Let’s hope they can discover area for this ‘tweener targa answer, since it’s hot.

Viva La Targa! Scion Chops Portion of the Roof Off the FR-S Sports Automobile for SEMA

Next-Generation Nissan Z Sports Auto to Get Targa Roof, Hybrid Power?

A report citing unnamed sources has appeared on the Australian web site Motoring.com.au purporting to reveal new information on Nissan’s next-generation Z sports automobile, and the information is exciting, to say the least. First off, the coupe version of the new Z will get a T-prime or targa-roof arrangement, while the roadster will move from its existing soft-leading lid to a energy-folding hardtop. As we’ve reported, a Mercedes-sourced turbocharged 4-cylinder and a 6-cylinder are anticipated, but Motoring adds that both powertrains will be hybridized and turbocharged. That is exactly where the information gets a bit fuzzy. 

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You see, our intel suggests that Nissan will use an evolution of the current 370Z’s rear-drive platform for the new Z, as an alternative of designing a newer, smaller, lighter a single to take on the likes of the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S twins. This indicates that weight savings will be paramount to sustaining the Z’s performance (specifically when equipped with the turbo 4) although also squeezing far better fuel economy from the 6-cylinder auto. Adding a hybrid system to each engines will not only enhance the car’s price, but add pounds to its curb weight, neither of which jibes with Nissan’s Z agenda as we know it.

On the other hand, we could see Nissan moving toward a targa roof style, if for no other reason than to add a “wow” feature to assist the automobile stand out against the new Ford Mustang, Chevrolet’s Camaro, and the upcoming Hyundai Genesis coupe replacement. We’ll uncover out what’s what when the new Z arrives subsequent year—probably as a 2016 model—but contemplate us skeptical that it’ll be hybridized.

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Next-Generation Nissan Z Sports Auto to Get Targa Roof, Hybrid Power?

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe Z51 Lengthy-Term Logbook: How to Eliminate the Roof

July 25, 2014 at 1:16 pm by Vehicle and Driver | Photography by Michael Simari

“Taking the top off and placing it back on is so effortless. Certainly a one particular-individual, beneath-5-minute job.” — Jennifer Harrington, Copy Editor

Like so numerous Vettes ahead of it, the C7 Stingray coupe’s central roof panel can be removed and stowed beneath the glass rear hatch. Luckily, Ann Arbor’s so-far-mild summer has provided us a lot of opportunity for topless motoring in our extended-term Corvette Stingray Z51 coupe. But just how simple is it to get that lid off? As Harrington states, it is really effortless.

For starters, the roof panel on the C7 coupe is created of carbon fiber, which means it weighs almost nothing: 18 pounds according to our scales. Removal starts with undoing a trio of latches inside the vehicle. Next—and this step is made simpler if you have lowered the windows or have opened each doors and are standing subsequent to the car—lift up the front of the panel with one hand so the pegs rise totally free from their catches and will not scratch something, then guide the panel with your cost-free hand toward the front of the auto till the horizontal rear pegs slide out of their slots. The roof then simply lifts up and away. Simple. Grab a buddy to support, and it’s even easier. (If it is windy, your buddy will be practically imperative, specifically if you care to avoid dropping the lid on the pavement.)

Stowing the panel in the trunk is just as equally straightforward—it’s stored in the same orientation as when it’s fitted in place—but pay close attention to exactly where the front 2 pegs are supposed to rest. There’s a pair of hooklike objects that jut out of the cargo-location floor that can give the impression that the major edge of the roof slides into them. It does not, so do not do that. As an alternative, decrease the front pegs into committed slots ahead of these hooks, then press the tail edge of the roof snugly into the rear mounts. Despite the fact that the panel appears to eradicate all cargo space, it sits a few inches off of the trunk floor, so things can still be loaded underneath, albeit from inside the cabin. Reverse the approach to place the roof back in place: Stick the rear pegs in very first, then reduced the front pegs into their slots and relatch almost everything.

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The Vette is reasonably quiet with the top off, which is to be expected provided how little space is opened. Our only complaint? The sun visors stick up awkwardly into the void left by the roof and appear a tiny dorky. We’ll reside.

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2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe Z51 Lengthy-Term Logbook: How to Eliminate the Roof

The Roof Is On Fire: Chrysler Recalls 895,000 SUVs for Vanity Mirror Fires

July 16, 2014 at 6:18 pm by Clifford Atiyeh | Photography by Michael Simari

Quit looking at your glorious moustache in the mirror, Ron Burgundy—your Dodge Durango’s sun visor may be melting.

Chrysler is recalling the 2011–2014 Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee for electrical shorts within the sun visor’s vanity-mirror lamp circuit. During repairs to the vehicle’s headliner, screws attaching the sun visor can pierce the lamp wiring and trigger a quick if the wires aren’t routed far enough from the screw holes. According to Chrysler and an ongoing investigation by the National Highway Traffic Security Administration that’s been open given that August, there have been 62 reports of shorting wires and at least 38 fires. Owners have reported open flames at the headliner and even fires spreading to the front seats and door panels, which, in one report, broken the sunroof and shattered the glass. At least 3 injuries have been reported.

Chrysler mentioned it first received reports of “sun-visor thermal damage” starting in March 2011 and blamed the difficulty on dealer technicians improperly installing the sun visor soon after a repair. In 3 separate situations among June 2011 and October 2012, Chrysler twice shortened and rerouted new vehicles’ production wiring—which isn’t protected by a fuse—and updated its repair documents. A single of the fires occurred after the latest repair details was sent out, Chrysler stated.

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Dealers will install spacers that’ll route the wires in a new path for all of the 651,130 SUVs in the U.S., whether or not they have received prior repairs involving the headliner. In April, far more than 850,000 2011–2014 Durango and Grand Cherokee models were recalled for faulty brake boosters, and an extra recall for 25,000 of the 2012–2013 models was issued in March for anti-lock brakes. Earlier this month, Chrysler recalled almost 696,000 minivans and crossovers for faulty ignition switches.

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The Roof Is On Fire: Chrysler Recalls 895,000 SUVs for Vanity Mirror Fires