Monday, October 30, 2006

2008 Audi TT Roadster 3.2 Quattro
The face of the new Audi TT Roadster has an expressive feel. Wing-shaped plastic elements are embedded into the slanted, sharply tapered headlights to emphasise the three-dimensional depth of the lamp units. At the rear of the car, it is the large tailpipes and the wide diffuser which stand out. The tube-shapedreflectors seem to hover inside the tail light units. As on the Coupé, an electrically powered spoiler rises up out of the boot lid when the speed reaches 120 km/h.
Soft TopAudi made a conscious decision to keep the cloth hood for the new TT Roadster. The soft top concept fits in perfectly with the philosophy of puristic open-top motoring and also offers a number of benefits over a folding steel hard top.
The cloth hood, incorporating reinforcements made from steel and aluminium as well as a large glass rear window, has a very lightweight construction – not only does this reduce the overall weight of the TT Roadster, it lowers its centre of gravity too. It sleekly blends in with the car's lines and takes up only a small amount of space when folded down. Thanks to the new Z-fold, the front section of the roof lies on top of the cloth like a cover. It locks into place to lie flush with the body, dispensing with the need for a tonneau cover. The soft top is available in the colours black and dark grey.
The TT Roadster 3.2 quattro comes as standard with an electrohydraulically powered soft top. This version of the soft top opens in just 12 seconds at the push of a button, and can even be operated on the move at speeds of up to 50 km/h. The fully automatic hood incorporates an additional layer of soundproofing beneath the black headliner for even better acoustic and thermal insulation.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Sheer sportiness, a genuine driving experience plus high power reserves – cue the new TT Roadster from Audi. The open-top sports car retains the distinctive lines of its tremendously successful predecessor, but instils them with even greater emotion, performance and dynamism.
The chassis of the new Roadster is also built for impressive sporty performance. Its highlight is Audi magnetic ride, the optional suspension damping technology that allows drivers to choose between an uncompromisingly dynamic ride or more comfort-orientated characteristics.To mirror the puristic character of open-top motoring, the boldly styled body is crowned by a lightweight cloth hood. The TT Roadster 3.2 quattro comes as standard with a quick-action, fully automatic softtop. With its rigorous geometry and clarity, the design of the first TT Roadster elevated it to the status of a cult classic. Audi has preserved the charismatic design idiom and carefully honed it for the new model.Whereas the tail end and the roof section seem to flow into one another at the rear of the TT Coupé, the soft top of the TT Roadster forms a clear contrast that gives the overall design a more geometric look. The body's lines brim with power and forward thrust. This impression is underscored by the athletic curves of the vehicle's flanks just as much as by the rising dynamic line above the sill area and the taut, muscular shoulder line. The eye-catching fuel filler cap positioned above the rear right wheel sports a classic aluminium design.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

BMW tuner Hamann of Laupheim took an adventurous look at the modification of the BMW M6 and turned the beautiful vehicle into an uncompromising sports car. The crowning for the M6 is the new Hamann wide body-kit "Race Edition", which ensures that nobody will cast doubts on the power of this splendorous high-performance automobile
Hamann offers its clients three different engine tuning options. The high revving 5-litre V10 with 507 bhp and 384 lb-ft is limited to 155 mph as standard. By removing the engine limiter, the racy Bavarian can reach a top speed of 186 mph, depending on the wheel and tyre combination. The second option is made up of a combination of removing the engine limiter and optimising the engine characteristics by reprogramming the standard engine computer. Hamann manages to tease an additional 30 bhp and 11 lb-ft out of the V10 engine. The “HM/M +60" sport kit provides even better performance. The kit is made up of high-performance headers, metallic sports catalytic converters, a sports rear silencer, a sports air filter, an engine map optimisation and the removal of engine restrictions. As the name of the sports kit already suggests, the engine then provides around an additional 60 bhp and can provide an extra 40 lb-ft of torque, meaning that a notably faster top speed of up to 198 mph can be reached.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Two attractive S line packages are available and add an even more dynamic touch to the new Audi TT Coupe, the brand's sports car icon. Both feature an array of visual and functional optional extras that offer additional sporty highlights in performance and design.
Silver stitching lends an ultra-stylish note to the otherwise black interior. A shortened gear lever reduces shift travel on the manual version; the gear knob is trimmed in perforated leather. Also included in the sports package: the S line leather sports steering wheel, extended aluminium look for the interior and the S line logo on the door sill trims and front wings. The exclusive exterior colours Misano Red and Avus Silver can be ordered with the sports package at the same price as metallic / pearl effect paintwork.
The characteristic features of the S line exterior package are the distinctive bumpers at the front and rear and side ventilation grilles at the front. The diffuser insert at the rear and the centre front spoiler lip are in colour-contrasting platinum grey. S line logos are also included in the exterior package.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Christmas is coming early this year, as BMW and Neiman Marcus partner to create the ultimate driving fantasy. BMW is offering, exclusively through the legendary Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, the 2007 Limited Edition Individual M6 Convertible. The luxury convertible comes with a custom Ruby Black exterior finish accented with an interior with Piano Black trim elements, power sports seats wrapped in our custom Gold Brown shade of supple BMW Individual Merino leather, and M-radial spoke alloy wheel. The car also comes fully equipped with an incredible 11-speaker Surround Sound stereo and six-disc CD changer. Only 50 of these custom-made automobiles, including the once-in-a-lifetime driving experience, will be available for purchase in this year's Christmas Book for $139,000.
Bold and uncompromising, the BMW Individual M6 Convertible stands alone. The unmistakable roar of its 5.0-liter, V-10 engine delivering 500 horsepower at your command and the precision handling, M Variable Differential Lock, and Electronic Damping Control make every trip extraordinary. Its on-board computer, GPS navigation, and Voice Command System merge driver and auto into one intelligent entity. At the heart of this incredible machine is a Formula 1 inspired, V-10 engine with 10 individual throttle butterflies capable of revving up to 8,250 rpm thanks to its sophisticated design and knock control systems.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has further advanced its VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control System) technology with the development of the Advanced VTEC engine, which achieves high performance along with outstanding fuel economy and lower emissions. The new engine combines continuously variable valve lift and timing control with the continuously variable phase control of VTC (Variable Timing Control). Honda plans to release a production vehicle equipped with the new engine within three years.
This new system permits optimum control over intake valve lift and phase in response to driving conditions, achieving improved charging efficiency for a significant increase in torque at all engine speeds. Under low to medium load levels, the valves are set for low lift and early closure to reduce pumping losses and improve fuel economy.
In combination with optimized intake components, these advances in control technology result in world-class dynamic performance along with approximately 13 percent* improvement in fuel economy.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Exterior - Audi R8
Even at first glance, the caliber of the car is plain to see. The Audi R8 sits wide and low on the road, the strongly accentuated rear end appearing to flex its muscles like a sprinter ready for the off.The characteristic proportions of the vehicle are dictated by the location of the engine behind the cockpit. This layout is a typical feature of race cars. One of the most striking examples of this design – and as such one of the legitimate antecedents of the Audi R8 – was, and still is, the Auto Union Type C Grand Prix car. The central position of the engine is above all a boon to driving dynamics, as it allows for a weight distribution, as on the R8, of 44 percent to the front and 56 percent to the rear.The car's body is highly compact in appearance. The front end and the gently curved roof arc are drawn in a sweeping line; a line which immediately marks the two-seater out as an Audi.The side view also reveals familiar contours. The dynamic line above the wheel arches and the shoulder line interlink the front end, side and rear, imbue the doors and the transition to the side air vent with a strong presence, and even more emphatically highlight the typical Audi rounded wheel housings accommodating the big wheels.The cabin of the Audi R8 is pushed far forward – a typical feature of a mid-engined sports car, and as such a visual cue linking it to the race car of the same name. Behind the cabin, positioned in front of the rear axle, is the V8 FSI engine, a sculptured piece of engineering visible both through the large, shield-shaped rear window and from inside the car.74.8 inches wide but just 174.4 inches long and 49.2 inches high: these are the proportions of a true sports car. The 104.3-inch wheelbase offers room for the astonishingly spacious cabin and the longitudinally mounted engine behind it. Behind the doors, a large-surface "sideblade" air deflector sweeps between the wheel arch and the roof section, delivering air for the V8 to breathe as well as for cooling. The paint finish of the sideblades is coordinated with the body color.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Audi has incorporated the name and the genes of the five-time Le Mans winner, the Audi R8, into a spectacular sports car. Three years after the unveiling of the Audi Le Mans quattro concept car, the production version made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in the guise of the new Audi R8 mid-engined sports model. It is a fascinating driving machine and the sporty pinnacle of the Audi brand. The mid-mounted 420 hp V8 FSI engine, quattro permanent all-wheel drive and Audi Space Frame aluminum body form the basis for truly outstanding driving dynamics.As the first Audi mid-engined sports car, the R8 combines Audi's experience gained from numerous motorsport triumphs with groundbreaking design and the acknowledged technological expertise of the brand. This expertise has led to the slogan "Vorsprung durch Technik" becoming a byword for leading-edge technology both on the race track and on the road.