Alfa will show the windy version of the 8C at this year's Geneva show. Not surprisingly, it's as beautiful as the coupe.
The convertible is powered by the same 450-hp, 4.7-liter V-8 engine used in the Competizione, with gear changes handled by an equally familiar automated six-speed manual transmission. Production numbers will mirror those of the coupe at 500 copies.
Click the links below for high-resolution 8C Spider images, as well as our drive of the Spider concept.
2009 Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet
Arriving at a high-school prom, it's hard to miss the popular girls - stunning in their ruby dresses, hair twirled high enough to expose delectable silver hoops.
Now, imagine bringing the other prom date - outfitted in the same jeans and Abercrombie tee she wore last Tuesday.But no worries, Jenny did throw on the latest shade from Maybelline.
Like that embarrassing prom partner, the restyled North American Ford Focus (with Sync) is the date you reluctantly hold hands with, while across the dance floor, Ford Europe gets the goods - a Focus RS high-performance model and now an all-new Focus Coupe-Cabriolet.
It just doesn't seem fair.
Debuting at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet parades Pininfarina design, a new front end, and, of course, a retractable hardtop. Inside the Italian-flavored body, Ford says the Coupe-Cabriolet makes use of high quality finishes, hard-wearing materials, and a new "binocular"-style instrument cluster.
Power for the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet will come from a choice of three engines: a base 100-hp, 1.6-liter Duratec engine; a peppy 2.0-liter with 145 hp; and a 2.0-liter TDCi diesel good for 136 hp.
As with other European Focus models, the Coupe-Cabriolet can be ordered with options such as keyless start and entry, a navigation system, and a tire-pressure monitoring system. A "sport" pack offers buyers an upgraded suspension, special 17-inch alloy wheels, and tinted headlamp housings, while a "Titanium" option package gives buyers leather seats.
Hopefully, European Focus buyers will tell their North American counterparts what a great prom experience is like.
Please, no bragging.
2009 Volvo XC60
We got our first glimpse of the XC60 in concept guise at the 2007 Detroit show just over a year ago. The S40-based utility will make its production debut in Geneva next month.
The 2009 XC60 will be the brand's first foray into the increasingly crowded small premium crossover segment - it will join other alphanumeric utes like the BMW X3, Acura RDX, Land Rover LR2, and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLK. Volvo hopes to appeal to current customers with the XC60 and sees it as the next step up for C30 buyers.
U.S.-bound XC60s will get motivation from Volvo's turbocharged inline-six T6 engine, which produces 281 hp. All-wheel drive will be standard.
The expected host of Volvo safety features is joined on the XC60 by a system called City Safe. When driving at low speeds the car will automatically apply the brakes if it senses an imminent collision. Volvo claims this is the first vehicle to offer such anti-rear-ending technology as standard. President and CEO Fredrik Arp even went as far as saying that this is "the safest Volvo ever."
The styling is a toned-down version of what we saw on the concept with a profile that Volvo describes as coupe-like (a la BMW's X6). The interior has the same Swedish cleanliness we're used to.
The XC60 should arrive in the U.S. in early 2009 and we'll give you more details once Volvo officially announces the vehicle in Geneva.
Click the links below for high-resolution XC60 images, as well as coverage of the 2007 concept.
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