Piper Pa23 250 Aztec, Aft Tail. on 2040-parts.com

New Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet and Estate delayed

The new Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet - now put back until Spring 2010 Mercedes has done a pretty good job on updating the E-Class, and its been receiving good comments all round. But Mercedes has lost the momentum a bit with the revelation that the E-Class Coupe is actually based on a C-Class chassis. Not that that alone is reason for complaint, but there was a big hoo-haa around the nomenclature for the E-Class Coupe (should it have been the CLK?) so it was a bit disingenuous of Mercedes to reveal the Coupe’s roots after its reveal.

VW Beetle Dune at the Detroit auto show

Of all the production-leaning concept vehicles at the Detroit auto show, the Volkswagen Beetle Dune's the sort of flight of fancy nobody was looking for. Nissan's Sport Sedan heralds the look of the next Maxima, which will likely trickle down in some way to future Altimas, Sentras and Versas. It looks as if Nissan will put one of its techno-retro RWD IDx concepts into production.

2012 Maserati GranTurismo MC to sticker at $143,400 when sales start in August

Pushing 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, the newest member of the Maserati lineup is now the brand's fastest production vehicle in North America. The 2012 GranTurismo MC gets a base price of $143,400--which includes $1,800 in shipping charges and a $1,700 gas-guzzler tax. For full wind-in-your-hair accelerative exposure, the convertible-sport variant starts at $146,300, including the shipping and gas-guzzler charges.