Back in May we learned an Audi R8 V10 and an empty El Toro Marine Base were a match made in heaven. Now, we get an encore performance. Bravo, I hear you say.
WebRidesTV have published this behind the scenes footage to YouTube and rather than reading more padding here, just take the jump and watch the clip for yourself right now!
There’s been a bit of chatter around the tubes this morning about the Audi S1. Mostly there’s nothing new being said, other than this from Audi boss Ruper Stadler, “Sportiness is a core value for the Audi brand and we have some clear ideas [for the A1] in this direction.”
So, we’re still expecting around 132kW from a twincharged 1.4 litre engine to be powering the front wheels. Like the Polo GTI, there’s been no talk of a manual transmission either, so a 7-speed DSG is likely to be the only option there.
However, one tidbit that has been revealed is that the 155kW 2.0 litre engine found in the Golf GTI, among others, can just squeeze into the engine bay of the A1. That information came via an Audi engineer at the A1’s recent European launch. Were we given an innocent insight into future plans for the S1, or even an über RS1?
AUSmotive has heard a bit of a whisper that quattro has been approved for the A1 platform, but it’s not really much more than a whisper. If the A1 and its derivatives do remain front-wheel drive only, you’d have to think an RS1 model could be ruled out. An “S” model without Audi’s famous all-wheel drive is one thing, but surely they wouldn’t adorn the “RS” badge on a front driver.
[via Top Gear]
Audi’s very svelte and very attractive S5 Sportback went on sale last week. Audi has set the list pricing for this car at $129,300.
For your money you get the same excellent 3.0 litre supercharged V6 engine from the S4 saloon. With that comes the same power specs, too; 245kW and 440Nm of torque.
It’s a ripping engine that offers plenty of poke through the entire rev range. In the S4, at least, it’s also well matched the the 7-speed S tronic transmission. Which is a good thing, because there is no conventional manual box on offer for S5 Sportback in the Australian market.
Mr Uwe Hagen, Managing Director of Audi Australia, said “the S5 Sportback is a great addition to our unique A5 Sportback range. It is not only practical enough for daily use, it is also sporty and fun to drive.”
Audi has modest sales expectations for the S5 Sportback, hoping to to sell around 10 per month. Full details and a nice gallery of local images have been kindly offered by Audi Australia and you can see them all after the break.
After endless teasing, it now appears certain that Audi will make an RS3 hyper hatch following the sighting of this test mule at the Nürburgring recently. If the deep TT RS inspired front grille wasn’t enough of a giveaway, then take a peak at the back of the car. There you will see the possibility of a high-mount air brake. In the lower valance you can see a crude cut-out on the right hand side likely to house one of the twin exhaust tips featured in Audi RS models.
There doesn’t seem to be much else in terms of pure speculation about the RS3 just yet, but expect more news to filter out soon. We can only assume an RS3 would be powered by the cracking 2.5 litre five cylinder from the TT RS. It’s also interesting to note the supposed RS3 mules spotted to date have all been five door Sportback versions. With talk the next RS4 could return to an Avant only layout, perhaps we can begin to assume the RS3 will not be available in three door coupé form.
There’s some good pics available over at Autoblog, so make sure you pop on over for a squiz.
[Source: Autoblog]
The latest RS talk from Audi has centred around the RS5 coupé. However, news is now emerging of a return for the famed RS4 badge. This rendering was published to the carspyshots website quite some time ago and clearly shows an RS4 sedan.
But, according to a recent post on Fourtitude, the RS4 will be Avant only. Given AUSmotive’s love for all things Euro and wagon this makes me a very happy bunny. Unofficially, I had heard the future for the RS4 might not be good, especially following the launch of the RS5.
Although, with BMW offering a sedan version of their all conquering M3 you can’t imagine Audi leaving this niche unexplored; the previous B7 model RS4 was widely acclaimed as the best RS4 yet. So, will the RS4 be back at all? Will it be wagon only? And do we really have to wait until 2013 to discover the answers?
[Source: Fourtitude]
You may recall Audi hired the services of Justin Timberlake as a brand ambassador to help promote its new A1 premium hatch. Well, it would now appear Audi thinks they’ve found the next Jason Bourne.
After watching this six-part series, though, it would seem Matt Damon’s honour remains in tact. For Timberlake, not so much. Indeed, if I were a casting agent it’d be a case of “don’t call me, I’ll call you”.
All six clips of The next big thing can be seen after the jump. They’re around 3 1/2 minutes in length on average, so it’s not too taxing to check them out in one sitting.
So what about the A1, it’s supposed to be the star of the show, right? It looks good enough on camera, and the stunts are performed with competence. In the end, though, you don’t come away from watching these short films thinking the bar has been raised in any way. It’s clichéd popcorn for the masses. I give it two and half stars. What did you think Margaret?
Audi clinched an historic ninth Le Mans victory yesterday. They now join Ferrari at second position on the list of all-time Le Mans winners. Porsche tops the list with 16 wins.
Amazingly, Audi’s tally of nine wins have all come since the year 2000. In fact, since their first victory, Audi have won Le Mans every year with the exception of 2003 (Bentley) and 2009 (Peugeot). For Audi drivers Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard and Mike Rockenfeller this win marks their first Le Mans title.
Audi’s success this year was built on reliability. For most of the weekend they were chasing the tails of the Peugeot 908 machines. Indeed, the four 908s in the field all qualified ahead of the R15s from Audi and for much of the race a back-to-back Peugeot victory seemed a formality. But one by one the factory Peugeots succumbed to mechanical issues.
In contrast the Audi Sport Team Joest cars ran like clockwork and were able to make the most of their opponents short comings by making a clean sweep of the podium. The only minor blip came on Saturday when Tom Kristensen was at the wheel of the #7 R15. He got caught up in an incident with the troubled BMW Art Car and was forced into the pits for repair work. The #7 car lost three laps in pitlane and such was the consistency of the winning #9 and second place #8 Audis that the lead #7 machine had no chance of gaining back lost time.
The winning #9 car covered 397 laps which equates to a total distance covered of 5,410 kilometers. This is a new mark and breaks the previous distance record set by the winning Porsche 917 back in 1971.
After the break you can see a full press release from Audi, including driver quotes. Also available is a picture gallery with over 40 images for you to enjoy. A full race report is available at Autosport.
Here’s an interesting video comparison from Autocar. On hand is the awesome Audi R8 V10 being pestered by a (UK market only) buzzing Honda Type R Mugen. Now, at £40K the Mugen is no shortcut to cheap thrills by any means. But asking it to keep up with the £100K R8 is a pointless exercise, isn’t it?
Well watch the video to find out. I guess the real point here is, if you had access to both of these cars and a twisty road, you’d most likely want a piece of the action too. A cracking car is a cracking car, doesn’t matter what company it keeps.
[via The German Car Blog]
Success at Le Mans demands efficiency and Audi have revised their R15 TDI prototype to improve its economy and maintain its power levels, despite new regulations. With eight wins in the last 10 years Audi would have come away from La Sarthe disappointed last year with just a third place finish.
This will be thelast outing for the R15 at Le Mans with new regulations forcing smaller more efficient engines from 2011 onwards. Proving there is no such thing as a rest in motorsport Audi have already begun work on their new R18 racer.
There’s still the small matter of the 2010 race to go first and Tom Kristensen, the most successful driver ever at Le Mans, is very happy with his new R15 plus machine, “Audi has made an important step from the R15 to the R15 plus. The ‘plus’ says that the R15 TDI has been updated in all areas in terms of efficiency and performance. Take the headlights for example. That may sound trivial but in a 24-hour race they’re extremely important.
“And obviously there’s the efficiency of the engine, which has become more powerful but uses less fuel now. Aerodynamics has been improved to generate enough downforce in the turns but without too much aerodynamic drag on the straights.
“The interaction between the suspension and the Michelin tires has been optimized too. Simply everything has been scrutinized and optimized so that the ‘plus’ will help us achieve our big aim at Le Mans.”
An extensive press release follows along with 25 images of the Audi Sport team in preparation. To close out the article there’s a new release from Audi where the drivers talk about various sections of the famous La Sarthe circuit.
Below is a YouTube clip advertising live coverage of the 2010Le Mans 24 hour race this weekend direct from Audi tv. Clearly, the coverage will focus heavily on the three R15 TDI bearing the four rings. But, for those of us with limited access to full race coverage this footage from Audi could be a very valuable thing indeed.
Can Audi win their ninth outright victory, or does Peugeot have what it takes to defend last year’s success?
[via The German Car Blog]
Here’s a bit of goss about the next model Audi A3. Apparently the Ingolstadt crew are being kept so busy with the A1 and imminent Q3 that the next generation A3 has been put on ice for around 12 months. That means Euro markets will be seeing the next Audigolf in late 2011, maybe.
With increased competition from an extended BMW 1 Series range, as well as improved offerings from the Mercedes A and B Class ranges, the new A3 is expected to once again spawn three and five door variants, along with cabrio and Sportback models.
It seems the new-model-has-to-be-bigger phenomenon will see the 2011 A3 grow to a size slightly bigger than the current Golf VI. The rendering above, if correct, indicates the look of the new car will be a definite case of evolution with the Sportback model shown incorporating an A4-inspired lower belt line and new lighting design.
It’s probably not worth speculating too hard on the expected engine line up the next A3 will bring to market, for the simple fact a lot of fuel consumption and CO2 emission numbers are likely to be shed to ensure the Audigolf is one of the cleanest and greenest cars in its class.
[Source: Motor Authority]
Audi have recently given the TT a bit of a spruce up. You know, the usual mid-cycle facelift stuff—a tweak of a front grille here, some new interior trim there and a few improvements in the engine range. Nothing spectacular, but worthwhile changes all the same.
This video runs through the model enhancements. There’s some new wheels and new colours, too. Just make sure you keep a look out for those eyes as Audi pads out their marketing script!