Video: Audi R8 GT v R8 LMS |  |
- Video: Audi R8 GT v R8 LMS
- Audi urban concept for Frankfurt IAA in September
- First Test: 2012 Audi R8 GT
- WIRED: A Peek Inside the Lamborghini Factory
- ALMS GTC Road America debut for Porsche Napleton Racing and David Heinemeier Hansson
| Posted: 09 Aug 2011 03:21 PM PDT
With a price of £145,645 ($236,000), a power output of 552bhp and a 0-62mph time of just 3.6 seconds the Audi R8 GT is the most extreme road-going version of the R8 to date. However, it’s not the most extreme version of the R8 that you can buy. That title belongs to the R8 LMS. In the same way that Porsche sells its RSR 911s, Audi is offering this GT3 race spec R8 to customers for around €300,000 ($486,000). To find out what it’s like, Marino Franchitti took us for a few laps around Blyton Park… - Evo Magazine Related posts:
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| Audi urban concept for Frankfurt IAA in September Posted: 09 Aug 2011 10:28 AM PDT
Audi is once again opening up new horizons: the Audi urban concept is a 1+1-seat, ultra-light car for congested urban spaces. The technical study does not fit under any of the conventional categories – the Audi urban concept combines elements of a racing car, a fun car and an urban car into one radical new concept. The Audi urban concept is not based on any previous model – its development is solely oriented on the strict principles of lightweight construction, efficiency and reduction. The result is a concept car with no unnecessary weight, and one that concentrates on the pure essence of sporty motion.
The Audi urban concept has a sleek body. The wheels are free-standing, their surrounding protective plates feature blinking strips of LED lights. The highly concentrated look of the technical study, with its forward-urging lines, is dynamic and emotional – it lends Audi’s design language a completely new impetus. On board there is room for two people, their position slightly staggered and at a sporty, low level. All controls and materials are subject to the dictates of ultra-lightweight construction in order to ensure they convey a completely unique, sensory allure. The driver can adjust the steering wheel and pedals to his own body measurements. Entry to the car is via the tailgate. The roof is designed to be maneuverable and slides to the rear to open.
The technology in the Audi urban concept reflects the full capabilities of the brand, especially when it comes to ultra-lightweight construction. The cockpit consists of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, which integrates the undercarriage of both seats. The Audi urban concept rolls on wheels with a 21-inch diameter. Two e-tron electric motors provide the propulsion – providing the ultra-light Audi urban concept with the ability to accelerate powerfully. A lithium-ion battery supplies the energy – ideal for extended city tours.
- Audi Related posts: Audi urban concept for Frankfurt IAA in September
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| Posted: 09 Aug 2011 08:12 AM PDT
Enthusiasts always seem to think what they want in a sports car is a mildly detuned race car. They want to be just like the guys on TV: banging around, scraping the pavement, arms thrashing with every bump. These are guys who have never actually spent time in a race car getting beat up, cooked, and otherwise abused while driving. Truth is, real competition cars are built with driver comfort near the bottom of the priority list. What everyday drivers really want is a car with all the flash and raw sensation of pounding around Circuit de la Sarthe, but with all the comfort they have come to expect in their family transport. Audi has gotten a pretty good handle on this desire and has built an R8 to scratch that itch. Head over to Motor Trend for the complete review. Related posts:
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| WIRED: A Peek Inside the Lamborghini Factory Posted: 09 Aug 2011 06:30 AM PDT
Not long ago, the phrase “Lamborghini quality” was as laughable as the phrase “monogamous Berlusconi.” The Italian automaker founded in 1963 by feisty Ferrari hater Ferruccio Lamborghini built a long line of swoopy exotics that demanded passionate, dedicated drivers — with an equally passionate and dedicated mechanic on speed dial. Several ownership changes over the years, including an ill-fated union with Chrysler in the 1980s didn’t help the cause. Lamborghinis inspired lust, but consistency of build and reliability proved elusive. Until the Germans got involved. Audi’s takeover of the company in 1998 instigated dramatic changes in how the famed cars from Sant’Agata Bolognese were conceived, developed and constructed. Eager to retain the brand’s “Italianness,” the Germans kept company headquarters in Sant’Agata, much like how Bugatti remained stationed in Molsheim, France, and Bentley didn’t stray from Crewe, England, once Volkswagen took over. Check out the full story on WIRED Related posts: WIRED: A Peek Inside the Lamborghini Factory
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| ALMS GTC Road America debut for Porsche Napleton Racing and David Heinemeier Hansson Posted: 09 Aug 2011 05:15 AM PDT
Porsche Napleton Racing (PNR) and lead driver David Heinemeier Hansson will make their American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron debut in the No. 97 PNR/37signals Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at the upcoming Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase event at Road America, August 18-20. Hansson and PNR will compete in the GT Challenge class and have signed international sports car talent Dominik Farnbacher to co-drive in Saturday’s featured four-hour race. The step up to the premier ALMS championship follows back-to-back successful showings by PNR and Hansson in the team’s last two rounds of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama, including a third-place finish in the most recent race at Lime Rock last month. That strong result, the team’s first career podium showing, followed an eighth-place run earlier that same day in the first race of the Lime Rock doubleheader event. In the team’s race prior to Lime Rock, PNR and Hansson finished fourth at Miller Motorsports in early May. “We had a great run at Lime Rock with a podium finish and that’s just the momentum we need for the step into ALMS GTC,” Hansson said. “I’m very excited to be going out on track with all the professional drivers of ALMS.” Although he will co-drive with Hansson for the first time, Farnbacher is well familiar with PNR, parent company Napleton Porsche of Westmont and its General Manager and Team Principal Ron Barnaba. “I haven’t met David yet, but I heard only good things of him,” Farnbacher said. “He seems to be a super good upcoming talent in the U.S. racing soil. I can’t wait to meet him, work with him in the race, and PNR is familiar to me. I worked together with Ron a few years ago when I used to race in ALMS with a Porsche team, we cooperated with Ron and took his customers out for track days at the Autobahn circuit in Chicago. I met a lot of fantastic people who I still talk to today, and I am glad Ron now has his own team. That can mean only good things. He is a smart businessman, and I am sure he has only the best people working with him.” Hansson and Farnbacher will be supported by a PNR crew led by winning Team Manager and Crew Chief Tim Olsen and accomplished Race Engineer Marc Manning, both of whom led the GT3 Cup effort. “That we managed to land Dominik Farnbacher as my co-driver on the team is just icing on the cake,” said Hansson, who is coached by Porsche driver Patrick Long. “We already have a stellar team of mechanics and engineering to put a contender car on the grid, so with a great pro by my side, I think we have everything lined up to do really well”.
Farnbacher has been a frequent Ferrari competitor in international sports car competition the last couple of years, but he has just as much experience behind the wheel of Porsche GT3s. He scored multiple victories and finished second in the 2008 ALMS GT2 championship, and was also on the pole for this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona in a Porsche 911 GT3. “I grew up driving only Porsches in my young years,” said Farnbacher, who also joined Wolf Henzler in leading his Porsche GT3 team to victory in the 2005 Rolex 24. “After driving the Ferrari a lot lately, people think I am used to driving only a Ferrari and can’t handle a Porsche anymore. But driving to the pole position in Daytona this year I showed that I can still drive a Porsche. The new Porsche Cup car is real race car and great car to drive, so it will be pleasure racing it. In my spare time I also coach racers in Porsche cars so I also get a lot of seat time on top of it.” Although the current focus is solely on Road America, Hansson and PNR are also planning on running additional ALMS races this year, including the season-ending Petit Le Mans powered by MAZDA at Road Atlanta. “I love endurance racing and I love the mix of classes that ALMS offers, so it’s going to be a great time,” Hansson said. Along with Porsche Cars North America and Flying Lizard Motorsports, Napleton Porsche of Westmont will host a pre-race reception at its Chicago-area dealership, Wednesday, August 17, from 6-8 p.m. Several high-performance and racing Porsches will be on display, including a Flying Lizard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, and drivers Hansson, Farnbacher, Long and Joerg Bergmeister are scheduled to attend for autographs and photo opportunities. The Time Warner Road Race Showcase is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 20 with ABC airing the race starting at 4 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT) on Sunday, August 21. Live video coverage on race day will be available at 3:45 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com in the US, and americanlemans.com for international viewers. Canadian fans may also watch live coverage on Rogers Sportsnet. Worldwide radio coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio at americanlemans.com. For more information on the broadcasts, go to americanlemans.com/tv. Visit the American Le Mans Series’ schedule page for information on tickets and area accommodations. You can follow the Series on Twitter (almsnotes), on our Facebook page and the official YouTube channel. ABOUT 37signals Porsche Napleton Racing (PNR) Related posts: ALMS GTC Road America debut for Porsche Napleton Racing and David Heinemeier Hansson
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