Revealed: Evoque Convertible Concept

Jeremy was right after all. He first revealed the plans for this on the show a couple of weeks back with a childproof pair of scissors and frown of pure concentration, and today it's official. This is the Range Rover Evoque convertible concept.

The drop-top Rangie follows last September's equally stunning Land Rover Defender DC100 Sport concept (an open-topped off-roader), stretching the appeal of Top Gear's Car Of The Year 2011 to new, fresh air highs.

It's a concept for now, but as with the Defender models at Frankfurt, Land Rover has built it to see what the public think when it hits the Geneva motor show next month. We're informed that should reaction prove positive - as it has done for the standard Evoque - you could see this thing within a couple of years.

 

LR design director Gerry McGovern penned the Evoque convertible with an eye on keeping its fabulous lines and shape, including that rising waistline; the retractable roof folds back and stores neatly below it to maintain a clean design.

And on first impressions, he's done a ruddy good job because it looks...cool. Naturally, chopping that much structural metal will require extra weight added to the Evoque's undercarriage: LR engineers reckon on 75kg worth of the stuff to keep it stable, and should it see production, would be offered as either two or four wheel drive.

The convertible would also get the two LR engines, a 2.2-litre diesel with 150bhp and 190bhp, and a 240bhp 2.0-litre petrol unit. Though with that extra weight - an averagely proportioned human, say - acceleration and fuel consumption could suffer fractionally.

We'll have more details once we get to paw over it at Geneva, but does the fashionista inside you ache with joy, or is this Land Rover going too far? Remember, we questioned the Evoque when it was first unveiled. Then we threw it at some sand and snow and road. And promptly ate that question.