This is a good day to be in Detroit, especially if you like to go topless.

Porsche unveiled its 2012 911 Carrera Cabriolet today at the Detroit Auto Show, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to creating some of the sleekest, sportiest cars on the road today. Sharing the same updates given to the Carrera and the Carrera S for the new year, this beauty looks fantastic with the top down – as if it were made for the open road on a sunny day. (Which, technically, I guess it was!) The top offers smooth, superbly easy retraction with a touch of a button below the gear selector, but it can also be dropped through the use of the remote key fob. It’s a beauty to behold, but as we all know – even with global warming, that top has to come back up at some point.

And that’s where the Cabriolet truly distinguishes itself. While most convertibles lose their sleekness once the cloth top returns, the Carrera Cabriolet is designed to incorporate the car’s innate sleekness into the design of the convertible top. Gone is the boxy, bulky look that makes us keep those convertibles hidden in cooler months; the sleek new design integrates the look of a hard-top into the easy grace of a lightweight fabric top. In fact, the Cabriolet’s soft-top arch is so well designed that it looks almost as good with the top up as with the top down.

Almost.

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When the Dodge Viper first hit the road in the early 1990s, it was pretty much the most amazing racecar ever to be sold as a street car. With a V10 engine and more than 400 horsepower, this thing was an absolute beast under the hood, and a feast for the eyes.

In the years that followed, Dodge continued giving more muscle to this car, constantly tinkering with a vehicle that owners immediately fell in love with. Delivering both brawn and beauty, the Viper kept bulking up with more power while getting sleeker with nicer interior appointments. Oh, and Dodge also improved the safety and performance of the car. (Seriously, who thought it was a good idea to make a car like this without airbags?!)

By 2010, the Viper was on its Fourth Generation model and had evolved into a cult classic, with a relatively small but loyal following. Owners I knew loved this car like a child that was hard to handle at times, but worth the fuss. And the first time I sat in the cockpit and felt the car come to life, I understood completely.

Dodge began making its “Final Edition” Viper in February 2010, with only 50 models available. At the time, CEO Ralph Gilles announced they would be the last of the Vipers, and the last car rolled off the line on July 1.

But there’s a happy ending to this story; Chrysler has announced it’s bringing back the Viper for 2013. They’re dropping the Dodge badge and rechristening it the SRT Viper, according to Gilles. They’ve had a couple of years to think about how to pack more performance into the V-10, and the new SRT Viper will have in excess of 600 horsepower. It is rumored to possibly be making an appearance at next month’s Detroit Auto Show.

I don’t know about you, but I get weak in the knees just thinking about it.

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My very first experience with the Dodge Dart came in high school, when my best friend’s dad bestowed one upon her as her first car. With four doors and a dated look, it wasn’t exactly the car of her dreams, and the fact that it was green didn’t do it any favors. (She quickly saved enough money to buy a much hipper Volkswagen Beetle.)

I thought the Dart was in my rear-view mirror for good once she upgraded to the VW, but fate has a funny sense of humor. (That’s funny odd, not funny ha-ha, just for the record.)

I was in college when an unexpected turn of events left me without a car, and a friend of the family stepped up and graciously donated her daily driver to me. She had just upgraded to a station wagon and no longer needed her 1967 Dodge Dart Swinger.

The car was not going to win any beauty contests. It was white, with a rear view mirror that had some sort of adhesive issue, as it failed to stick to the windshield when the temperature got above 85 degrees. The seats were torn in a couple of places, and it had a few other cosmetic failings that would simply sound like nit-picking this many years later. Still, it drove like a tank – which was bad for racing but great for durability. I lived in Kansas at the time, and cars were usually no match for the icy winter roads. But my Dodge Dart Swinger took them like a champ! On at least two occasions I slid helplessly across black ice into the waiting trunk of a tree, hitting it head first. Each time, I managed to drive away with a new dent but no real damage.

To say I drove the car hard was an understatement; I literally drove her to death.

We parted ways one night when I was driving back to the dorm after working the late shift at a fast-food restaurant. Yes, I saw the traffic barricades where they were doing road work, but I had been slipping past those barricades for days while they prepped the road for whatever it was they were going to do. This time, as I maneuvered around them, I was surprised to learn that, apparently, what they were going to do was remove the concrete. My durable Dodge Dart Swinger and I plunged into the black hole where once a road had been, and as I heard the poor old gal emit a steely groan, something told me we’d had our last adventure.

When I heard that Dodge was resurrecting the Dart, I admit that I was suspicious. I recalled its boxy shape and less-than-sporty interior. How could Dodge – which has put the muscle back in the muscle car – consider smearing its reputation this way? Then I saw glimpses of the new and vastly improved Dart, which will be introduced next month at the 2012 North American International Auto Show.

This time around, the Dart is based on Alfa Romeo‘s Giulietta platform, and the design is muscular, sleek and sexy. Smooth curves have replaced sharp angles, and drivers will have three options of how they’d like the four-cylinder engine: as a 2.0-liter (base model), a turbocharged 1.4-liter or a  2.4-liter. Dodge has yet to unveil the car – we’ll have to wait until next month for that – but just the glimpses of what’s to come are enough to make me stand in line for a test drive. The truth be told, a Dodge Dart hasn’t made my heart race like that since the last time I clutched its steering wheel as I plummeted into a gaping hole where once the road had been.

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It’s not often that you get to see a dozen supercars in one place, and even more rare to see them piled up on the side of the road. But that rare sight was exactly what Japanese drivers saw Monday on the rain-slicked Chugoku Expressway in Yamaguchi.

A convoy of luxury cars driving from Kyushu Island to Hiroshima took a turn for the worse when the driver of one of the Ferraris tried changing lanes. But instead, he hit a median barrier and as the other cars swerved to avoid him, they collided with each other. The damaged cars included eight Ferraris, three Mercedes-Benz (no word on which model) and a Lamborghini Diablo. Two Toyotas were also involved in the chain-reaction crash.

Damage is estimated at more than $1 million.

None of the drivers were women. Just sayin’.

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Billy Joel, rejoice – Cadillac claims there’s a crash-proof car just around the corner. If so, drivers like the Piano Man – who famously mangled three cars in just two years – just might be able to keep it between the ditches…without even trying!

Cadillac announced last week that coming technologies could include in-vehicle Doppler radar, which will let you avoid traffic jams and roadblocks. Even further down the road, the company is predicting self-driving vehicles that can actually communicate with each other, traffic signals and buildings. (Now, if only they could put some of that communication technology into men!!)

Some of the early forms of these technologies are already in place in Cadillac’s 2010 DTS Platinum, which starts at around $46,280. So if you can’t wait for the future, here are some of the features you’ll find on the Platinum:

- A lane departure warning, which relies upon a camera mounted near the inside mirror to identify traffic lane markings. If you cross the line, it instantly alerts you. (I am sure the camera’s warning is MUCH less annoying than when your mother-in-law does it…)

- Blind spot alert, which uses twin radar beacons to detect an object in a vehicle’s blind zone. It then offers a visual warning in the outside side mirror.

- Adaptive cruise control, in which sensors detect objects in a vehicle’s path and slow the vehicle down to avoid a collision.

Add these new features from Cadillac with components like Lexus’ self-parking system, Mercedes-Benz’s radar sensor controls that allow automated emergency braking, and today’s intelligent distance-keeping cruise control systems, and it adds up to cars that are kind of like teenagers: They don’t need us for anything more than money to keep the gas tank full.

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In 2003, Mercedes did one of the things it does best: It introduced a vehicle that was so unique that it actually created a completely new category. The CLS-Class, which combined the elegance of a coupe with the functionality of a sedan, became the only four-door coupe in its class and once again raised the bar on style.

On September 30, Mercedes-Benz will unveil the 2012 CLS-Class at the Paris Motor Show. Once again, we’re promised a vehicle that is much like the perfect date: Sporty but refined, and is just as suitable for a night out on the town as it it is for a business dinner.

Expect to be impressed with the new lines of this car. It’s less athletic looking than its predecessors, going instead for a long, sloping silhouette that is played out in countless smaller details in the car’s design.

Mercedes also had fun with the LED headlamps, displaying innovative use of LEDs by creating three arrow-shaped layers of LED lights from top to bottom for the indicator, side light and main beam. A total of 71 LEDs provide a unique night-time design that won’t go unnoticed on the road.

The cockpit benefits from the sloping design, and optional touches like black piano lacquer or carbon fiber trim elements ensure that this car is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside.

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Some disturbing news was released last week – and, for a change, that announcement doesn’t have the name “BP” attached to it!

In the grand scheme of things, this news is much more innocuous, but it also strikes me as being rather curious. A recent study by TrueCar.com of more than 13 million car registrations reveals that, even though women comprise more than half the population (51 percent), we account for just over one-third of new car registrations (36 percent).

Not surprisingly, the registrations that were made by women tended to focus on value and safety, with names like Volvo, Honda and Volkswagen ranking high on the women’s list. For men, new purchases were highest in the truck and exotic car market.

In fact, women accounted for 10 percent or less of the new registrations for such exotic brands as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Tesla (pictured above), Aston Martin and Lotus.

And not a single new Bugatti was registered to a female buyer!

Is this the best we can do? I think not! It’s time to put on our shopping shoes.

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Alright, ladies – we now officially have something new to lust after. And no, I’m not talking about the latest Taylor Lautner pics.

Instead, the new object of our desire comes from the well-known name of Don Panoz, founder of the Panoz Auto Devolopment Company. In the past, Panoz has brought us such great rides as the Esperante GT and the racetrack-only Panoz GTS. Now, Panoz has raised the bar with the breathtaking Panoz Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans.”

The car will be officially unveiled next month at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France – an event that Panoz won four years ago. As a nod to the revered race, Panoz is producing just 81 Abruzzi models – the same number of Le Mans races since its inception in 1923 until the race in 2013. Each automobile is linked to a specific Le Mans race, with the chassis number also containing that specific race date, the initials of the winning drivers and the history of that year.

Of course, the first thing to catch your eye is the stunning design. While this 600-horsepower front-engine machine looks like it means business, its sleek and sexy design also promises pleasure.

And this limited edition masterpiece isn’t just easy on the eyes, it’s easy on the environment as well. The Abruzzi’s environmental design and construction includes the implementation of the REAMS® – Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System – which marks the first time REAMS has been used on a road-going automobile. The multi-layer composite system is lighter than carbon fiber, but just as strong, and is dent-resistant, shatter-proof and recyclable.

And honestly, isn’t that what we’re all looking for: Something that’s strong, sexy, handles well – and can be recycled when we’re done with it?

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In the interest of full disclosure, first let me say that I’ve never been inside of a Kia. In fact, until the Korean-based auto manufacturer introduced the Soul in 2009, I’d never given their cars so much as a passing glance.

So no one was more surprised than I was when the introduction of their new concept hybrid completely stopped me in my tracks.

The Ray, which is making its debut at the Chicago Auto Show right now, shows a promising future for hybrids. While I’m still chomping at the bit to see a sleek and sexy electric car go into mass production (Tesla, are you listening?), hybrids are going to play a major role in our acceptance of non-gasoline-powered autos. And with Ray, Kia shows it is on the right track.

While its eco-friendly design speaks directly to the heart of environmentally conscious consumers, it’s the Ray’s style that is even more surprising. I’m not saying that their previous vehicles have been uninspired, but let’s just say they’ve had a tendency to blend in with the rest of the cars on the road. They began changing that with the Soul, which has given Nissan’s Cube a run for its money, and now they’ve stepped it up to a new level.

Even though it’s a four-seater, Kia’s Ray bears faint resemblance to any of its four-door family sedans. (The lines are clean and flowing; this car looks faster standing still than many of its models look on the road!) Riding low to the ground, it’s curvaceous and aerodynamic, giving a great blend of form and function. Inside, the white interior is designed to reflect the sunlight rather than absorb it, and the eco-friendly recycled materials used within are also designed to keep interior temperatures low and reduce air-conditioner use.

The “green” features on this car are extensive and impressive, going beyond its gas/electric power combination. If there’s a downside at all to this car, it would be that it is only a concept, so we’ll have to wait for this one to go into production. From its solar cell-powered lighting and climate control systems to its “cool car” technology to reduce air conditioning load and greenhouse emissions, the Ray shows a lot of promise.

You just might call it a Ray of hope.

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