Mar 11, 2010

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ABT R8 GT R: less weight, more power


While everyone is pretty familiar with the beauty of the Audi R8 these days, it’s nothing until you see the ABT R8 GTR. This “sculpture” was almost totally reworked. The use of carbon fiber is just enormous. Their mission was trim down the weight, and with this much carbon fiber, they were actually able to take 220 pounds of the car’s weight.

They have also given it more power. The 5.2-liter V10 is now rated at 620 horsepower, which can do a 0-100 km/h sprint in just 3.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 202 mph. Other performance upgrades include an adjustable sport suspension, ceramic brake system, lightweight 18-inch wheels and Michelin Sport Cup tires.

If you’ve fallen in love with this supercar, like I have, then you better hurry, since there will only be 25 of these masterpieces available.

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Jan 11, 2010

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Audi e-tron electric drive at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show


In the past four months, Audi has put out three electric vehicle (EV) concepts that boast Audi’s essence. The first e-tron was revealed in Frankfurt, the second in LA, and the latest also arguably the best, in Detroit.

Comprised of an aluminum spaceframe coupled with a smattering of carbon fiber bodywork, the e-tron tips the scales at 2,976 pounds (550 pounds less than the previous concepts). With its reduced weight, more refined packaging and reworked drivetrain, the e-tron hits 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and – more tellingly – dispatches the run from 37 to 75 in 5.1 seconds. Audi claims the e-tron can run on a single charge for 155 miles after topping up from a 230-volt socket for 11 hours.

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Dec 22, 2009

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Audi e-tron electric drive puts out 3,319 lb ft?!?


Audi is standing by it’s claim that the e-tron elective drive supercar has 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 lb ft) of torque. The guys over at Automotive Magazine didn’t believe that claim, so they did some of their own calculations and came up with 252 lb-ft. Now that’s a huge discrepancy, no matter how you look at it. The main difference is how Audi measure the torque output. The astronomical 3,319 is the torque as measured at the wheels after being geared down and multiplied. So, why the disparity between the actual torque of the motors and the figure espoused by Audi to the motoring press?

Well, besides the obvious answer that 3,319 lb-ft at the wheels sounds much more impressive, Audi’s engineers apparently thought the larger number was more indicative of the actual feeling of all the push generated by the four electric motors when accelerating from a dead stop, as the maximum torque figure is achieved right from zero RPM.

No matter what the torque is, the concept, based on the current R8, looks absolutely fantastic. Let’s hope we’ll actually see it hit production in the new few years.

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