Archive for April, 2008
30th April 2008
Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Wagons/Estates, Volkswagen, UK
Click on the image for more high-res shots of the Passat R36
Volkswagen’s most powerful Passat ever, the R36, which we’ve been hearing about for over a year, is finally on sale in the U.K. in both sedan and wagon versions. Featuring a 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system to put the 300 horses and 258 lb. ft. of torque to the ground, VeeDub claims that the sedan can get to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) in 5.6 seconds. The wagon is a few hundredths slower in the sprint to sixty, but both boast a top speed limited to 155 mph.
Besides the powertrain updates, the R36 gets a unique body kit, Bi-Xenon headlights and a new grille. Chassis enhancements include 18-inch rims, new brake calipers and most importantly, a 20mm lowering of the ride height. A blindingly bright turned-aluminum dash applique matches the new allow pedals and sill plates, while new seats promise a snug fit. The £30,990 base-price is encroaching on Audi territory, though not one featuring 300 horsepower. Now that Volvo’s V70R is no longer available, the £32,150 estate model (that’s wagon to us yanks) offers lots of performance and utility in a much more refined manner than your typical SUV. No word on a Stateside offering as of yet, but we won’t give up the hope.
[Source: Volkswagen]
Continue reading VW Passat R36 goes on sale in UK
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30th April 2008
Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupes, Videos, Supercars, BMW, Misc. Auto Shows
Click above image to view video after the jump
Truth be told, the Autoblog team is split on whether or not we like the M1 Hommage Concept that was unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este this past weekend. Some of us claim that it’s genius baked in a car-shaped pan, while the rest would rather stare at flame surfacing, Chris Bangle’s ignominious contribution to automotive design, until their eyes start bleeding. Regardless, it creates discussion, and to facilitate the talk we have BMW Design Director Adrian van Hooydonk on camera after the jump talking about the car and its inspiration, the original M1.
Though the video after the jump is over eight minutes long, you’ll want to watch it all the way through to catch footage of the original M1 that was used for the photo shoot being thrashed on-track.
[Source: BMW]
Continue reading VIDEO: BMW Design Director on M1 Hommage Concept
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30th April 2008
Filed under: Concept Cars, Supercars, Misc. Auto Shows
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Spada Codatronca concept.
We knew it was true, but we still can’t believe it. The Spada Codatronca is slated for production, with 20 examples due to be built in the near future and priced somewhere north of £200,000. As reported previously, the Dark Knight’s weekend driver is packing a supercharged LS7 V8, producing 600 hp in “entry-level” TS guise and can be upgraded to a track-ready version producing 700 hp and dropping 0-60 times to a mind-boggling 2.7 seconds. Unfortunately, we’ve yet to see any photos of the “production” version that was unveiled at the Top Marques show this past weekend, so we’ll just have to wait and see if the sinister sled makes a successful transition from concept to production.
[Source: Top Gear]
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30th April 2008
Filed under: Motorsports, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Bentley
Click above for gallery of the Bentley Continental DC
We can’t imagine being an apprentice at Bentley leaves you a lot of spare time, what with your full class load on how to stitch the perfect steering wheel, match wood grains and build twin-turbo V8s with your bare hands. A team of nine apprentices comprising the Bentley Greenpower Team, however, have found the time over the past ten months to build an exceptional little electrical vehicle for the Greenpower Corporate Challenge that kicked off at the Goodwood race circuit yesterday.
Their car, dubbed the Continental DC, was developed using the same CAD software that Bentley uses for its own cars, and is powered by two 12-volt batteries and a 24-volt motor that’s required by competition rules. The body is also based on Bentley’s 2004 Goodwood soap box racer and is basically invisible to wind resistance. The use of carbon fiber to keep weight down is extensive, to say the least. The body, chassis, wheels and even a specially designed suspension with carbon fiber beams under tension are all made from the exotic weave. Despite being green as can be, the Continental DC still sports some flare from Crewe thanks to a single leather Bentley seat with a four-point harness, a custom Bentley-inspired steering wheel and Bentley “dashboard”.
[Source: Bentley]
Continue reading Bentley goes green with Continental DC
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30th April 2008
Filed under: Convertibles, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Euro, Audi
Click either image for high-res galleries of Audi’s two new TTs
Audi has gone ahead and released all it knows about the two newest versions of the TT. The first is the TTS, the most hotted-up version of Audi’s sports car brandishing a 2.0L TFSI (turbo, direct-inject) four-cylinder that produces 272 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It features a magnetic ride adaptive damping system on its suspension, and 0-62 mph takes 5.2 seconds in the just-over 3,000 lbs. coupe thanks to a structure made predominantly from aluminum. An S tronic dual-clutch transmission is optional for snicking through gears quickly without the aid of your left foot, and quattro all-wheel-drive is, of course, standard. For those in Europe, the TTS Coupe starts at €44,900 and the Roadster version will go for €47,750. For us in the U.S., November 2008 is the ETA.
The second iteration of the TT may not be as quick as the TTS, but it’s just as exciting. The TT TDI comes with the first application of a diesel engine in Audi’s attractive sportster. Said engine is Audi’s 2.0L four-cylinder diesel producing 170 hp that’s backed by 258 pound-feet of torque. That makes the oil burning Audi good for a 7.5-second run to 62 mph while returning 44.38 mpg on the combined European cycle. Both Coupe and Roadster versions are available, though the Roadster is heavier and less frugal with the fuel as a result. They are much cheaper than the TTS, however, with prices starting at €34,850 for the Coupe and €35,900 for the drop top. There are no official plans to bring the TT TDI to the U.S. yet, but man do we wish there were.
Check out a couple new press releases from Audi after the break, as well as new high-res photography of both cars in the galleries below.
[Source: Audi]
Continue reading Audi gets official with TTS and TT TDI
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