ence between a merely competent steed and the legendary Seabiscuit, there’s quick and then there’s quick. If you’re a driver looking for breathtaking performance in an ultra-performance sport sedan, then there’s little need to look further than the Audi RS4. Gobbling distance with ruthless speed and efficiency, the RS4 is endowed with all the traits that leave enthusiasts salivating like babies.


Other German manufacturers have performed like straight-A students in this segment, but the RS4 indicates that Audi did its homework. Ridiculously powerful engine? Check. The RS4 sedan came ready for the smackdown thanks to a V8 that, with more than 400 horsepower, offered more muscle than a WWE cage match — just what you’d expect from a car in this rarefied class. Superior ride and handling? Check. Audi’s runner even managed to best the rear-wheel-drive competition by a nose thanks to its all-wheel-drive system. And the RS4’s extraordinarily supportive seats meant your back wouldn’t ever beg you to plead “time out” from all the festivities.

Downsides? The RS4’s compact dimensions added welcome nimbleness, but they also resulted in rear seats that were somewhat on the cramped side. And then there was its rarity, as it was sold for just two years. With patience, though, one will certainly be able to find a used model. Price? Well, it’s expensive. But don’t let that stop you. Retirement plan, plan. An object of desire if ever there was one, the Audi RS4 is the type of sport sedan that puts the fun in reckless spending.

The Audi RS4 sport sedan was sold in North America for the 2007 and ‘08 model years and was a product of  Audi’s performance division. (There’s some inherent confusion here, as Audi brands its all-wheel-drive systes well.) Essentially, the RS4 was an amplified version of the S4 sedan, itself already a performance variant of the third-generation Audi A4 sold from 2006-’08. Highlights included a higher-output V8, specific suspension tuning with Dynamic Ride Control, modified all-wheel-drive components, more powerful brakes, special 19-inch wheels and high-performance tires. Identifying the RS4 was more aggressive exterior styling, including flared fenders and a unique rear deck lid spoiler. Overall, this super sport sedan had a look that said “performance” without shouting it.

The RS4 came in just one well-equipped trim level. Heated leather seats, dual-zone automatic climate control and bi-HID headlights all make an appearance on its standard features list. Motivating the Audi RS4 was a high-performance 4.2-liter V8 good for 420 hp and 317 pound-feet of torque; the engine offered 80 more horsepower than you’d find in the S4. Only one transmission was offered: apeed manual. Audi’s wheel-drive system made sure the wheels never broke their kiss with the road.

This Audi’s cabin placed an emphasis on clean lines. Though there was the requisite supple leather, plushness wasn’t the focus; rather, the car’s interior championed a pared-down aesthetic that favored sleekness over opulence. The RS4’s sport seats looked good and felt good, offering bolstering that cradled you in the corners without ever being too overwhelming. There was ample room for those in front, but rear seat passengers typically found their accommodations a bit cramped.

But of course, this sport sedan was all about performance. At its debut, the Audi RS4 seemed to have a couple of strikes against it. Weighing in at about 4,000 pounds, it was one of the more porcine players in the class. And its design placed the V8 engine heavily over its front axle, compromising steering feel and weight distribution. But somehow the RS4 managed to transcend all this the way a Teflon politician transcends a scandal.

Certainly helping matters was the Dynamic Ride Control system linked the diagonally opposite front and rear dampers with a gas-charged reservoir to allow more compliance when front and rear dampers were compressed at the same time, ensuring a comfortable highway ride with minimal compromise during performance driving.

In reviews, we found that the RS4’s handling was near perfect, with the sort of steely composure that remains undaunted no matter what. Acceleration was explosive, shifts were quick and a broad torque band ensured that there was ample power underfoot for all situations. In testing, we measured amph time

poker-faced Porsche engineer riding shotgun, traffic begins to cluster on the horizon. Not willing to risk our seven-figure prototype, I gently roll off the accelerator, at which point a funny thing happens: Without warning, the tachometer needle dies, unceremoniously plunging to zero RPM. The supercharged, 3.0-liter V6 ahead of us has gone stone dead, yet our Porsche Cayenne continues to waft along unruffled. We are coasting along on the Autobahn, with only a modest bit of wind noise and tire roar as our soundtrack.

Just as quickly as it began to appear, Stuttgart’s traffic thins, and after gliding along for perhaps 15 or 20 seconds — losing remarkably little velocity — I ease back onto the throttle, at which point the rev counter jumps back to life just as quickly as it had extinguished, and the Cayenne eases back up to 95 mph before I slot in amongst slower traffic in the right lane. Beyond the tachometer’s telltale drop and jump, there is exactly no indication that the engine momentarily packed it up just seconds before. My copilot, Dr. Michael Leiters, project manager for Porsche’s Cayenne Hybrid, allows himself a brief smile.

Far from indicating a mechanical defect, we’ve just witnessed what our Deutsche companion refers to as “segeln” — sailing — a fuel saving maneuver that Porsche says other automakers have written off as impossible without jolting disruptions. Yet beyond the tach needle’s machinations, there has been no drama whatsoever: no untoward thwack in the back, no expensive-sounding noises, no head toss, no coffee spilled, just seamlessly reintroduced acc

inging on the gallows sooner rather than later. According to Ward’s Auto, the gloriously upright off-roader faces an uncertain future amidst slumping sales and ever-tightening federal fuel economy regulations.

Ward’s data indicates that the Xterra has sold just 12,186 units through July, and even that modest figure is well ahead of last year’s glacial pace brought about by the stagnant economy. By comparison, Nissan shipped 88,578 new Xterras off to owners in 2000.

The Xterra hasn’t received more than modest changes since its redesign back in 2005, and although Nissan‘s vice president of advanced product and product planning and stategy, Larry Dominique, says the automaker will try to build the SUpite the Xterra’s likely demise, Ward’s says that the Xterra’s mid-size kin, the Frontier pickup and Pathfinder, don’t appear to be going anywhere, though Dominique seemingly hints that the latter could continue on in a new form, saying “Pathfinder will live on… how it will live on, wait to see. There’s no reason to get rid of a three-row crossover or SUV.” Could Nissan be pondering a shift to a car-based Pathfinder, like the 2011 Ford Explorer and the forthcoming Dodge Durango? We should know within the year.V ‘”as long as we po

remaining notion this was going to be a conventional drive program evaporated the next morning on the freeway out of Puebla, a couple of hours outside Mexico City. Cops in dark blue Policia Federal Dodge Chargers had shepherded our convoy of SLSs out of the chaotic center of town, working with the local cops to block intersections and wave us through red lights. Now, having cleared the city limits, we were rolling in a loose convoy, three or four clusters of SLSs each huddled behind a Charger.

I was still marveling at the fact we were running at maybe 90 mph, with a cop car, lights flashing, clearing the traffic out of the left lane, when the Charger suddenly ducked right. I lifted off the gas, then did a double-take: The officer’s arm was out the window. And he was waving me past. I laughed out loud and nailed the gas. The 563-hp V-8 bellowed and the low-slung coupe surged past as we chased down the lead group of Gullwings casually slipstreaming another Charger at 110 mph or so. I’d never been to Mexico before. Already, I was beginning to like the place.

The cops waved us off the freeway south of Tehuacan and onto Route 125. We’d head south to Huajualpan de Leone, then join Route 135 heading southeast. We’d hit Route 190 just outside of Oaxaca, where we’d stop overnight. The next day, we’d stay on Route 190 almost all the way to Salina Cruz on the Pacific Coast before turning right and driving up the coast to the resort town of Huatulco. Total distance: 500 miles, taking in sections of the original Carrera Panamericana route, as well as roads used on the modern-day recreation event. They would be 500 of the hardest, fastest, most exhilarating road miles I have ever driven. And probably ever likely to drive.

Even by the blood-and-glory standards of big-time 1950s auto racing, the Carrera Panamericana had a fearsome reputation. American John Fitch, who also raced in the 1952 event, recalls three competitors were killed on the single 81 mile section that included the 9800-foot pass between Puebla and Mexico City that year. He’d narrowly avoided going off the road at the same point where French champion Jean Behra had crashed a few minutes earlier. In all, 27 racers died during the five Carreras held from 1950.

The Carrera Panamericana was three times longer than the storied Mille Miglia, and was held over five days. “The Mille Miglia was at one sitting,” says Fitch, who joined us for dinner at Oaxaca, along with the 300SL Karl Kling had driven to victory in the race (it was the first time since 1952 the car, one of the treasures of the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart, had been back in Mexico). “That makes a big difference. This race, not many people knew the road at all. We were all ten-tenths all the time, however, we adjusted until we knew the radius of the turn. If you blew into the turn blind, and you were over speed, you were out of the race. And maybe you were hurt. Maybe you were dead.”

It wasn’t just the length of the event, or roads that in places “were truly treacherous, climbing and descending at severe angles; sometimes wheeling and reversing like a monster’s rollercoaster, past crevices and sheer cliffs, overhanging rocks, and rock-strewn riverbeds often a thousand feet below,” as Fitch describes in his book, “Racing With Mercedes,” that made the Carrera Panamericana such a unique challenge. Fellow dinner guest, former Formula 1 and Le Mans racer Hans Hermann, who drove a Porsche 550 Spyder to a brilliant class w

nterey, 15th AugusThe “Bugatti Veyron Fbg pa”, revealed to the public at the Geneva
Motor Show in March this year, will be presented on Friday, 15th August at “The Quail,
Gathering” on the Monterey Peninsula. This show has become the highlight in what is a
days of events every August, when car enthusiasts from around the world gather ino celebrate
the ultimate in automotive design and engineering.

This unique version of the “Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès” was first launched in Geneva in complimentary
tones of ebony and étoupe and ebony and brick. In order to give the customer a wider range of options
Hermès and Bugatti have developped four new colours schemes in line with the heritage and the values
of the two houses. Therefore, the “Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès” is now also available in these exclusive
combinations : “indigo blue and vermilion”, “indigo blue and lime green”, ” black and garance red” and
“Prussian blue and blue jean”.

The «Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès” associates Bugatti’s technical performance with the expertise of Hermès
and its craftsmen. In partnership with Hermès, designer Gabriele Pezzini has married the distinctive Hermès
style to the legendary Bugatti Veyron 16.4, magnifying the car’s personality.

This remarkable car features an array of exceptional characteristics: the innovative alliance of a technologically
advanced engine, delivering 1001 horsepower, with an understated yet uncompromising silhouette reflecting
the high performance capacities of state-of-the-art engineering and design, and above all, the pleasure these
inspire in every Bugatti owner.

The fascination exerted by this sports coupé, capable of reaching 407 km/h, is due in large part to its unique
alliance of the very finest motor-racing technology with comfortable handling for everyday driving.

The 16-cylinder “W” configuration engine is fed by four turbochargers and features 64 valves, generating
1001 horsepower at 6000 rpm. The engine draws on its 8-litre displacement to deliver a maximum torque
of 1250 Newton-metres between 2200 and 5500 rpm. With full-time all-wheel drive, the car’s phenomenal
power produces breath-takingly dynamic handling, with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 2.5
seconds. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 benefits from aeronautical and aerospace technologies, making it the
fastest production car ever made. The car also features a braking system designed to deliver unprecedented
powers of deceleration, establishing a new industry benchmark. The carbon-fibre discs provide brake pressure
of up to 180 bars, combined with eight-piston monobloc callipers and titanium pistons fitted with fine steel
heads and ceramic heat protectors. Apply the brakes at speeds above 200 km/h, and the rear wing acts as an
airbrake, positioning itself at an angle of 113 degrees in less than 0.4 seconds, augmenting the Bugatti
already impressive stopping power. The airbrake increases negative lift at the rear of the car
enhancing the braking torque on the rear axle. At 400 km/h, emergency braking will bring the
a complete halt in less than 10 seconds.

sn’t exactly known for its potential to make big power, and saddling it with over two tons of mass means that Crown Vics aren’t exactly feared on the streets unless they’re being driven by a police officer. Sal Mennella from Power Surge Performance (a shop specializing in Ford  tuning) developed a solution for this problem, however, in the form of a supercharged 5.4L that he snagged from Ford’s defunct Lightning sport truck. As delivered from the factory, this engine was usually good for about 330 rear-wheel horsepower - a substantial improvement over the sub-200 RWHP provided by the stock motor.

As if that wasn’t enough, the stock Eaton blower was replaced with the substantially more efficient Whipple supercharger to provide more boost. The stock heads and throttle body remain, though, as do the stock cast iron exhaust manifolds. This combination produces nearly 540 horsepower at the rear wheels, as well as a dead-flat torque curve that maintains more than 500 lb-ft over the entire duration of the dyno pull.

A4 will be offered with a total of five diesel and gasoline engines, though U.S. models will likely continue to be offered only with the 2.0-liter turbo four and 3.2-liter V-6. The output of the V-6 gets bumped to 264 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque, allowing the V-6-equipped A4 to make the sprint from 0-to-62 mph in 6.2 seconds. Transmission choices consist of a six-speed manual, six-speed automatic, and multitronic CVT. Audi’s famous quattro all-wheel drive is available once again, but has been recalibrated to send 60 percent of its power to the rear wheels under cruising conditions instead of the previous 50 percent to better match the rear-drive dynamics of its competitors. Brakes are 12.6 inches in diameter up front and 11.8 in the rear.

Handling is one of the areas Audi focused on when designing the 2009 A4, and the car’s performance is enhanced by a new lightweight suspension and variable-ratio steering. There are two default sport settings for the car, and the new Audi drive select system allows the driver to select one of three preset modes — comfort, auto, or dynamic — or manually change individual settings like accelerator response, shift points for the automatic transmission, amount of power steering assistance, steering ratio, the electronically adjustable shock absorbers, and a number of other chassis settings using the “individual” mode.

Safety systems include six airbags, with the front airbags linked to sensors in the front seats that record the exact position of the seat to limit the force of the airbag and seatbelt tensioners. An additional pair of side airbags for the rear seats are available as an option. The A4 also will be offered with Audi’s lane-departure-warning system and a rear backup sensor. Stability control is standard as we

ast October I’ve seen more and more white cars on the road. For instance, a white BMW M3 and a white Audinow both live on the same estate as me. This time last year I couldn’t remember ever seeing a new white car anywhere. Not only that but more and more new cars and concepts are being launched in white. So naturally I thought the only logical thing to do was to update my previous “white car” post with some new pictures. I’ve combined them both below into 50 shining examples of white gorgeousness!

Let’s start as we mean to go on. The TechArt Porsche Cayenne Magnum. Ugly or full of character? I have to be honest I’m not normally a fan of the Cayenne but I love what TechArt have done with the beast. Just look at those white wheels

he sedan & hatch variant of the Chevrolet Cruze have been made official by GM, a station wagon is also in the works. Now there are many more body styles that the Cruze could be offered in, in the future. One of the most probable ones is a Cruze convertible. Even before GM could do the basic design of the car, theophilus chin has beat them to it.

The general styling of theophilus chin’s Cruze convertible is the same, all the lines and creases are identical to the sedan version but the convertible gets 2 doors. The rendering looks very sleek & eye catchy and even in this form the Cruze looks a stunner. With a powerful engine and those looks, this car could bring in many walk-ins to Chevrolet dealers in America, Britain and Europe where convertibles hold a lot of relevance.

A soft-top will not justify its styling, a hard top would do the job much better. This Chevrolet Cruze convertible could very well be in the works considering h

e realm of “networked vehicles”. One of the major challenges here lies in how to link up the multimedia devices - which come onto the market in quick succession - to the car in a user-friendly way. Having integrated a mobile device into the car, there needs to be a control system in place inside the passenger compartment which ensures that it can be operated intuitively, without causing distraction and in an ergonomically sound manner. The application itself and customer-specificn addition to the convenience offered by the straightforward and direct usability of these devices inside the car, the benefits to the customer include enhanced security and assistance in using the integrated technology in accordance with driving laws. In BMW Group vehicles these benefits are already possible for music playback - using an Apple iPod (or many other music players) through the USB audio interface - and for wireless hands-free mobile phone calls via Bluetooth, for example. The BMW Group is monitoring and looking into a variety of different data transfer technologies to enable the widest possible future utilisation of mobile devices offering attractive and useful applications without the need for data remain within the mobile device, while its op

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