It seems to answer a question nobody asked, but southern California’s Newport Convertible Engineering has created an open-top Nissan GT-R.

Turns out, at least a few of NCE’s clients did indeed ask, and company head Al Zadeh delivered. According to Autoblog, the idea was conceived when some of Zadeh’s customers from Abu Dhabi inquired about a topless Godzilla.

Zadeh developed three versions, all of them employing a folding fabric-top. The cheapest option costs $29,500 and hides the open top under a rigid, body-colored tonneau cover, as seen on the white example in the gallery above. The next selection offers twin roll-hoops in body color behind the driver and passenger seats, as seen on the silver example. Lastly, there’s a dual nacelle version reminiscent of speedsters and monoposto race cars, as seen on the black example.

The latter two conversions cost $49,000 each, and you must supply your own GT-R. The metamorphoses effectively turn the GT-R into two-seaters and take about eight weeks to finish. While some of them look passable with the roof open, in the raised position the fabric canopies appear awkward and anachronistic for such a high-tech machine. No word on how it holds up during Nurburgring runs.

NCE specializes in open top conversions, and has given haircuts to such cars as Aston Martin Rapide, Mercedes G55, Jaguar XJ, Lexus LX 570, Porsche Panamera, and many more.

Fiat will travel to next week’s Geneva Motor Show to unveil updated versions of the 500 and 500C city cars.

The most noteworthy upgrade for 2014 is a seven-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) screen that replaces the analog instrument cluster on all but the lowest trim levels. In addition to providing vital information about the car, the screen can be configured to display navigation information, real-time gas mileage and miscellaneous warning messages.

The visual updates are fabulously minor and largely limited to new trim on the front fascia, revised headlights, three new exterior colors as well as additional 15- and 16-inch alloy wheel designs.

2014 also marks the arrival of a new range-topping trim level called Cult. Only offered in Europe for the time being, the Cult trim adds a panoramic glass roof, model-specific 16-inch alloy wheels and gloss black trim all around. The interior comes standard with either black, red or tobacco leather upholstery, a body-colored dashboard and the aforementioned TFT screen.

The 2014 Fiat 500 and 500C will go on sale across Europe in the second quarter of this year, and the performance-focused Abarth-tuned models are expected to get the new TFT instrument cluster before next fall. Fiat has not announced when the updated 500 will land in the United States.

BMW has confirmed the production variant of the X4 Concept will greet the public for the first time at next week’s Geneva Motor Show.

BMW is keeping its lips sealed about its next crossover coupe but rumors indicate the X4 will be nearly identical to the X4 Concept that bowed at the Shanghai Motor Show last April. Just as the X6 is a more stylish (and less practical) version of the midsize X5, the X4 will be the compact X3′s slinkier sibling.

Based on what we’ve been told, it’s safe to assume the entry-level X4 will be powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that will generate about 240 horsepower. More expensive models will utilize a 300-horsepower 3.0-liter six-cylinder mill, and a gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid variant is a very real possibility later in the production run.

In Europe, the X4 will get a range of gas and diesel engines of the four- and six-cylinder varieties, while gearbox choices will include a traditional six-speed manual, a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and a conventional eight-speed automatic. Because they aren’t offered in the U.S.-market X3, it’s unlikely (though still possible) that the X4 will be offered stateside with a manual transmission or diesel engine. Do, however, expect a range-topping X4 M with a turbocharged inline-six similar to that of the upcoming M3.

The production version of the X4 will be built alongside the X5, X6 and X3 in BMW’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Look for the crossover to greet the public for the first time at next April’s New York Motor Show and land in showrooms shortly after as a 2015 model.

The X4 will carry a price premium over its more utilitarian X3 sibling; whereas the X3 starts at $39,395, an Autoweek report suggests that the X4 will carry a base price of $42,000.

Even as Lexus get ready to unveil the its new RC F GT3 race cars at the Geneva Motor Show, similarly bodied race cars bound for Japan’s Super GT series are already undergoing testing.

For the 2014 Super GT season, Lexus will campaign no less than six teams in the GT500 class, all of them using the RC F body. Unlike Europe’s GT3 racers, however, these will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injection four-cylinder to meet new regulations for the 2014 season. The new mills are still expected to develop power in excess of 500 hp, a similar output to that of the 3.4-liter V8s that dominated the league since 2010.

Like the engine, the car itself has rather little in common with the road-going version of the RC F. The body is a tubular-frame chassis and most of the body panels are carbon-fiber. Base weight of the 2013 cars came in at approximately 2,424 pounds, but running mass depends on the weight penalties applied to the cars a la NASCAR.

Photos of the ZENT RC F to be driven by Yuji Tachikawa and Kohei Hirate testing at Okayama International Circuit have been circulated by Lexus UK. Images of the ENEOS RC F to be piloted by Kazuya Oshima and Yuji Kunimoto were shared by Oshima himself on Facebook.

Until now, Lexus has participated in Super GT with cars bodied in the shape of the long-defunct SC 430. The RC F GT500 finally allows Toyota to go head-to-head with a modern silhouette against Nissan’s GT-R and Honda’s NSX. The 2014 season kicks off at Okayama International Circuit on April 5.