|
Browse by Tags
All Tags » Audi » Feature ( RSS)
-
|
Welcome to Down On The Street , where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Today we're going to prove that DOTS isn't just about old cars, nor is it just about daily drivers or beaters with potatoes for gas caps. If it's parked in public within the city limits of Alameda, it's fair game. And whaddya know- here's a shiny new Gumpert Apollo Type S, parked in front of one of the hangars at the former Alameda Naval Air Station! galleryPost('DOTSGumpertTop', 9, '2008 Gumpert Apollo Down On The Street Part 1'); All right, I didn't just find it. This Apollo was brought into the country by Mr Mota , the gentleman you see above. He deals in European exotics, but this one's not for sale; it's going to be driving in the Gumball 3000 , which starts in San Francisco this Saturday (hence all the stickers). One of his business partners was on the SSPP22 Volvo 780 Bertone team that pitted...
|
-
|
Did you ever notice how big badges on the front of cars are getting these days? Have you ever wondered whether it's out of a need for automakers to "compensate" for their prospective buyers lack of size? We did. So, trusty ruler in hand, we hit the dealer lots at the mega-motor-mall up the street to find out whether size really does matter and to answer the important question: Which automaker has the biggest badges, and do they correspond to the bulge in the pants of the male members of the target buying demographic? Let's find out. For starters, we've set up some ground rules: 1) Measurements are taken across the major axis of the badge vertically or horizontally, none of that diagonal baloney. 2) Script logos where not considered. Spreading letters out is too easy. So sorry Hummer, Jeep, GMC, Land Rover and others with the name spelled out in long-hand, get a real badge. 3) Only vehicles on the dealer lot of the Troy Motor Mall in Troy, MI where considered. Thus...
|
-
|
One of the more interesting but overlooked facts from the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans was that the Audi R10 TDI cars not only ran, but won, on a mixture of Shell V-Power Gas-To-Liquid (GTL) racing diesel and a newly designed Biomass-to-Diesel (BTL) fuel. We've been fascinated with prospects of biomass diesel since taking a trip to the Sears Tower in the algae van , as BTL offers cleaner output, has no fossil-fuel base and doesn't interfere with the food chain. The version used in the race cars was also 90% cleaner than American low-sulfur diesel. We talked with Audi of America's Christian Bokich about his experience at Le Mans with the winning diesel team. galleryPost('08lemansaudi', 6, 'Audis Galore At Le Mans'); galleryPost('audir10lm08', 6, 'Audi R10 TDI Running At Le Mans'); Why biodiesel in a racing car? Christian Bokich: We're racing to show people what's coming in our future cars, and to show that we're leaders in diesel. It has...
|
-
|
Someone in the know over at Audiblog.nl has spilled forth a detailed list of all Audi brand engines for all models through the 2011 calender year — and the release dates for new models. In addition to the big engine news, the leakers claim that we'll be seeing the rumored Audi A7 model in June of 2010, as well as an S7 version following that fall, and a return to form for the next generation Audi S4 . Look below for a detail look at what's coming up for Audi in the next three years. Audi A1 Starting at the bottom of the grid, the Audi A1 will maintain the currently planned 1.4 TFSI, but will get an 86 HP 1.2-liter TFSI good for a little less power but will be quite a bit easier on European wallets. Audi S4 It seems the B8 Audi S4 will be returning to its twin-turbo V6 roots, as early as this coming November. News of this respite from V8 shenanigans comes with virtually all positive notes, considering the engine is to displace 3.0 L but grunt out 330 HP, only 10 shy of the...
|
-
|
Here it is, folks, the long-awaited sequel to Audi R8, Part 1 ! Some rumors have been making the rounds among our more conspiratorially-minded readers that the long delay was due to my imprisonment at an Audi-run rendition facility at an unnamed Eastern European location, on the orders of Audi brass enraged by my mentioning a '92 Honda Civic in the same breath as their übercar. Not true! The reality is less exciting (and more lame) than that: I just haven't had time to finish the damn thing. OK? Right, now let's head over to Infineon Raceway ! See, Audi has this swank setup at The Racetrack Formerly Known As Sears Point; it's all part of their Audi Driving Experience program, in which Audi owners get to hoon it up on the track under the supervision of pro drivers. As a certified Doctor of Automotive Journalism, I was permitted entrance to the sacred confines of Audi Driving Experience HQ... ...where they have this eat-off-the-floor-clean garage full of European-spec Audi...
|
-
|
The automotive industry is controlled by a bunch of old grey-haired men sitting around board room tables in Germany or begging on a Detroit street corner because their homes are worth the same as a cardboard box. Oh yea...let's not forget Japan (that's for you Wert). These elderly men are the authorities in the major car corporations and when they say something, albeit important or not, every car blog and magazine not only runs with it but pimps it out until the next guy says something different. If you haven't figured this out yet, go read DUB Magazine. Take, for example, the recent news out from Quattro GmbH. Earlier this summer, several R8 mules were catching fire while under testing near or on the Nürburgring. The roll cages and testing habits immediately indicated that these R8s were the prototypes for what we will soon be calling the RS8. OMGHI2 to the internet rumor mill as we at Fast Lane Daily like to call it. Quattro GmbH director Wener Frowein recently revealed the...
|
-
|
Yes, folks, you read that right: Audi, well, they got a little funny in the head, and they went and handed me the keys to a shiny new R8. I, the least likely Jalop to ever buy any sort of new car- or, in fact, any used car new enough that I can't find plenty of parts for it in my local self-service junkyard- shall be reviewing Audi's new supercar for you today! [ Maybe they mistook you for me . Wait, that's just me making myself feel better and trying not to believe Audi is reveling in my pain. -Ed. ] galleryPost('R8ReviewTop', 8, 'Audi R8 Gallery Part 1'); This story began when Audi decided to do an event for journalists in the Wine Country of Northern California, at which they'd show off their trio of hot V8 machines: the RS4, the S5, and the R8. Since I'm the only Jalop in the area- and since (as The Loverman so cruelly puts it) I don't know what it's like to drive a fast car not built in some bullet-riddled-appliance-filled back yard, using...
|
-
|
Those of you following closely may have noticed Ray is maybe a tiny bit obsessed with the Audi R8 . We can't be sure, but this could be the first sign of a developing mental illness. It could be R8itis, or Ray Wert's Disease, as we're sure it's soon to...
|
|
|
|