Audi RS5 Cabriolet

The rumour mill is always turning and while they can never be taken as a sure sign of things to come some of the stories this month have some signs of certainty.

For example, it is only a matter of time before we see a convertible version of the latest Porsche 911 (of which the Coupé debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show) or the monstrous Jaguar XKR-S. History tells us that these cars are just around the corner and spy photos of testing at the Nurburgring confirm it. There were suspicions that the Porsche 911 Cabriolet may break convention and use a folding hardtop but the spy photos suggest that a fabric soft-top will be once again on the way. We’d expect to see both of these cars in their completed form at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2012.

There are other clues that new cars may be on the way. Spanish site Autoblog en Español reports that Audi have registered designs for an Audi RS5 Cabriolet with the European Patent Office. It sounds likely if as long as Audi consider the world economy to be strong enough to generate enough sales for this top of the line car. Judging by the other cars in the range it would be easy to conclude that an Audi RS5 Cabriolet would be powered by the same 4.2 litre V8 as the Coupé and share the same same fabric soft-top roof as the A5 and S5.

Finally there are people tempting us with exotic looking graphics. Coventry Prototype Panels (CPP) a coachbuilding company owned by Russian entrepreneur Vladimir Antonov have announced their intention to revive the Jensen brand. This new venture should not however be confused with Jensen International Automotive – builder of the Jensen Interceptor R. The proposed launch car is based on the Jensen Interceptor grand tourer and if it ever reaches production we can imagine that like the original, a convertible won’t be far behind. CPP have also already bought Land Rover tuners Bowler and is a major shareholder of Spyker Cars is currently attempting to buy Zagato. Of all the rumours here take this one with the biggest pinch of salt.

UPDATE: The deal with CCP to purchase Spyker fell through and a deal has now been struck for the sports car company with American private equity firm North Street Capital.