According to English Russia, this symbol of ostentatious wealth - American cars are exponentially more expensive there thanks to taxes and import costs - was set on fire by Ukrainians unimpressed with the Vette's giant-slaying performance. [via English Russia]

The new design looks to feature a ZR1-style side scoop design, but unfortunately, due to a lack of rear shots, we've no idea whether the rear gets the same googly-eyed taillights as the last model. n2a's bringing both a coupe and a convertible version of the Anteros, with the black convertible built using a stock 2009 Corvette donor car. The drop-top features the 430 HP, 424 lb-ft of torque LS3 V8 under the hood. The silver coupe, pictured above and below, goes a bit farther up the performance stream, thanks to the donor body — a 2009 Corvette Z06, modified with Lingenfelter’s 630 HP performance package. All base models include a carbon composite body, hand-stitched leather interior, three-piece aluminum wheels, and a custom cat-back exhaust system. The best part? Chevrolet’s 100,000 mile powertrain warranty remains completely intact and the Anteros can be serviced at any GM dealership. Pricing for the turnkey Anteros coupe starts at $149,500 and the Anteros convertible starts at $154,500. Want to go for the high-powered version? Anteros coupes built on the Z06 platform start at $176,500. Performance packages ranging from 525-1000+ horsepower are available for an additional cost. Full press release below.

SANTA ANA, California, November 10, 2008 – n2a Motors, Inc. announced today that it will debut its latest model, the Anteros, at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 21st.

Continuing a tradition of unique styling and impressive performance, the Anteros is built on the new 2009 Corvette platform and features a body reminiscent of iconic Italian designs. Built from modern lightweight carbon fiber, the Anteros is available with a variety of performance and appearance options. n2a Motors is taking orders for January 2009 deliveries.

n2a Motors will be displaying the first production convertible and coupe versions of the Anteros in their exhibit. The black convertible is built using a stock 2009 Corvette donor car, featuring the 430 hp/424 lb.-ft. torque LS3 V8 engine that gets 16 MPG city and 26 MPG highway. The silver coupe is based on a 2009 Corvette Z06 and is modified with Lingenfelter’s 630 horsepower performance package. All base models include a carbon composite body, hand-stitched leather interior, three-piece aluminum wheels, and a custom cat back exhaust. Chevrolet’s 100,000 mile powertrain warranty remains completely intact and the Anteros can be serviced at any GM dealership.

Each Anteros takes approximately 12 weeks to build from the time of order. n2a Motors starts by removing the donor Corvette’s body panels and installing the new carbon-composite Anteros body, a process that takes nearly 800 hours for n2a’s coachbuilding craftsmen to complete. The interior is entirely new with re-contoured leather seats, leather dash, Italian carpeting, and leather-wrapped interior panels, while the wheels and exhaust are removed and replaced with n2a’s custom-made components. The turnkey Anteros Coupe starts at $149,500 and the Anteros Convertible starts at $154,500. Anteros Coupes built on the Z06 platform start at $176,500. Performance packages ranging from 525-1000+ horsepower are available for an additional cost.

The Anteros is the follow-up to n2a Motors’ 789 model that debuted to critical acclaim at the New York International Auto Show in March 2008. Inspired by the designs of the 1957, 58, and 59 Chevrolets, the 789 was hailed as “merely the coolest car…on the planet” by the New York Times. The 789 is also built on the C6 Corvette platform and utilizes a carbon composite body. Coupe 789 models start at $139,500 and the convertible base model is $144,500. A convertible 789 will also be on display at the LA Auto Show.

The LA Auto Show is held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from November 21-30, 2008. n2a Motors can be found at the LA Auto Show in booth number K-620 in the Kentia Hall.

This C6 Corvette ragtop rear-ended a Mercedes E-Class in Ventura county on the morning of September 5th. No one was hurt, but you have to be impressed by the structural integrity of a convertible Corvette, considering that it drove under the Benz. You also have to wonder how the Vette driver felt after it was all over, staring up at the Mercedes' driveshaft. [Ventura County Star via Corvette Blogger]

The GTR is the natural progression of Specter Werkes existing product line, which was previously topped out with the Group 6 model. When we first saw the new GTR, the car had just finished primary sculpting, meaning one half of the car had been carved out of clay and the full design was given the green light. As might be expected, half a custom car would only raise the ire of enthusiasts, so duplicating the work for the other side was the order of the day when we visited. The working buck was raised on static stands underneath a 4-axis CNC machine designed to scan one side of the car and duplicate it on the other. This is the kind of stuff the big boys do — so there'd be no corners cut here. The CNC tech has the job of fiddling with the the surface model program, setting it to execute, and then making sure the machine doesn't gouge a huge hole out in the progress. It's calm and quiet work requiring an eye for detail, and the ability to tweak software when needed. Normally it's not.

The car emerging from that massive hunk of clay is looking pretty sick. We've heard complaints about the C6 Corvette that despite lacking the giant-rear-end syndrome of its predesessor, it's without a certain je ne sais quoi in the aggressiveness department. The Specter Werkes GTR certainly gets rid of any of those complaints. The crazy aggressively angular body work will be complimented by exclusive Michelin PS2 Zero Pressure tires as wide as your arm is long, at 335/25R20 mounted to 20x12.5" Forgeline wheels in the back and 285/30R19 on 19x10 wheels up front. In case you weren't paying attention right there, that's a crap load of rubber. Carbon fiber bits and pieces will be scattered around in such components as the diffusers and the headlights. We were impressed to find out Specter is working directly with the Tier 1 supplier, Visteon, on getting those headlights directly from the source. These won't be crap aftermarket products.

We're eager to see the GTR #1 at its unveiling next month and we're pretty sure Rollie Purifoy Chevrolet in Lupton, Colorado is excited as well, considering their name is on the papers for that first car off the line. One of these days we might get out to the track to see just what these things will do. Fear not, we'll bring you along for the ride. [Spektor Werks]