300hp. 3080 lbs. quattro. beautiful interior. 0-60 in 5.1 s. I AM SOLD. Reserve me a black one with DSG, please.
The 4-door sedan version of this S3 (5-door will likely not be returning to the US market, unfortunately) will be arriving to the US in mid-late 2013. I will be in line for one.
and a promo video:
Since really cutting back on my intake of automobile-related news and interests (more about the details of that at a later time) as of a few months ago, they have been replaced by a burning love for photography and cameras. After recently buying my Leica M8.1, i have been turned on to the magical world of rangefinder cameras. New and old. Eventually I would like to buy a nice Leica M5 and fool around with film photography; however my primary love of cameras is around digital photography. Part of this may be due to the fact that I am impulsive and need to see my photos within 24 hours, but mainly due to the fact that I really don’t have the time to dedicate to film photography. Digital photography, while saturated in this day of iPhone-photographers, can still be beautiful.
Today at Photokina in Cologne, Germany; Leica revealed the new lineup of Leica M cameras. The much anticipated ‘next step’ in the Leica M range is actually going to NOT be called the Leica M10; but instead called simply Leica M.
Bigger screen, video recording (in a Leica??), focus assist (in a Leica??), optional electronic viewfinder, 24mp CMOS full-frame sensor, and a familiar body with likely beautiful construction and materials as all Leicas generally have. The M will cost $6950 in the US.
then there’s the Leica M-E; essentially the same camera as the outgoing Leica M9P, however recoloured in a beautiful anthracite and debadged to be a bit more stealthy! Same exact specs as the prior M9P. Oh and the price has been slashed to $5450.
will these make you a ‘great photographer”? NO. Will this help inspire you to be more creative and understand the fundamentals of photography? probably YES. Well, at least the M8 has done that for me…..now, time to save up for a Leica M-Monochrome (announced as still in production).
Leica M-Monochrome (Leica MM):
src: L-Camera
the past week through my eyes…
tools: Leica M8.1 and Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 (except for “doorway”, taken by a Leica D-Lux3)
Lately i’m FAR more interested in modern cars than classics, and my appreciation of living in the now has created this buzz within me. I’ve never owned a VW Golf, however i’ve come very close to by owning a MK1 Audi TT and an Audi A3—both of which share chassis with their respective Golf counterparts. This new MK7 Golf looks SUPERB and has an exciting, crisp, and modern design without all the Korean/Japanese ‘overdesign’ elements flooding the automotive world. What surprises me most, though, is how this MK7 takes cues from older Golfs more than the MK5 or MK6 did. In fact, i see a lot of MK4 in the rear end. Very interesting!
There’s nothing better than a nice, balanced hot hatch in my books. Affordable, fun, and without care of status or pomp. I am really excited about the new A3 and i’m also excited about this new Golf. Here’s waiting for the S/RS and GTI/R versions of these cars!
Globally….it’s probably one of the most important car launches this year. The Golf is truly an international car, and what a great overall car it is.
oh…and it’s 220 pounds lighter than the last generation (!!!).
src: egm
During my massive research spree prior to getting my M8, i spent several weeks reading forums, articles, and watching videos. One of the most entertaining discoveries I made was a series of videos on YouTube by a lad named Kai Wong for DigitalRev.com. Who would have thought that Jeremy Clarkson would have had a young bastard asian child!? That’s pretty much what Kai Wong is—while most of the other camera reviews and videos are about as exciting as lifting the toilet seat up, Kai does something unique. He instills his thrill and enthusiasm into cameras and photography in the same way that Jeremy Clarkson instills his enthusiasm into automobiles.
Since that time, I’ve found myself watching lots of DigitalRev videos hosted by Kai—not because I really want the cameras he is reviewing, but because I find the videos very entertaining. Good on ya, Kai! You may not be entirely original, but you’re doing a great job nonetheless. (BTW, Kai also uses an M8 as one of his primary tools)
This is one of my favourite videos—which played a role (along with people like Drew from MotoringConBrio) in convincing me of the magical powers of rangefinder cameras.
Well this ad is a bit of a farce now, as there are plenty of people who dream about getting a Mitsubishi Evo. Nissan, not so much. If anything this ad is a reminder of how lackluster the 80s/early 90s were for affordable performance cars and how few options people had to finding one. These days, If one cannot afford a new Porsche 911—there are plenty of enjoyable automobiles one can buy to at least enjoy themselves—hell i’d have a Cayman R (as long as it’s PDK) or an Audi TT-RS (as long as it’s DSG) over a 911, so even Porsche realised they could do better.
src: blogAnubis
A few years back, i got really into IDM/glitch music. One of my favourite artists were Funckarma from the Netherlands. I didn’t really stay into glitch for very long—but i still have a soft spot for many of the artists from that time. This is from Roel Funcken (half of Funckarma) and his new album “Mercury Retrograde”. Digging the video quite very much.
This is a beautiful installation done by rANDOM international.
An interesting video. Occasionally borders on cliche, however covers a topic which I often think about. The subtlety by which influencers pass on information to their environment and the people around them is fascinating. This video often deals a bit too much about goods and services, however I feel some of the same principles would apply to philosophical, ideological, and even political ideas.
All types of wonderful. In a sea of beautiful MK1 TTs is this ultra-sweet yellow Audi S3 that’s had a 3.2 V6 transplant and turbocharging.
src: Storm
I’m still really excited about my Leica M8.1, however I always wondered how these cameras are made. Leica always states these are hand assembled, and this fantastic video shows the M8 successor, the M9 in its assembling phases. Very cool attention to detail, and this is part of the reason why their products cost so much. The factory (laboratory?) is also very very german….which is a good thing!
Unfortunately the embedding function does not work on this video (not sure why)…but click through this link to watch: http://vimeo.com/6551861
This painting is by William Roberts and entitled “The Vorticists at The Restaurant De La Tour Eiffel”, from 1915—holding their copy of the Vorticist magazine “Blast” (issue #1).
src: Articles & Texticles
A modern classic. The Audi RS5.
Thanks to Honer (QW) for these pics he took of his new ride.
what kind of state of mind am i in these days? this video does a good job at capturing the atmosphere!
Not too far away is the beauty of the winter. Find a friend with another Bugatti Veyron and a brisk drive through the winter boulevards and twisties!
This photograph is beautiful and ridiculous at the same time—-but still wonderful!
src: the game gtr
I am intrigued by Wyndham Lewis; the founder of the Vorticism movement of the early 1910s in the UK. It’s been less than 24 hours since I discovered the art and writings of this fine man, yet I am thoroughly fascinated. I have always been taken by the exhuberant Italian Futurism movement of those times, and Mr. Lewis’ adventures seem like the UK’s answer to those Futurist claims. In addition to being a superb artist, Lewis also wrote several books and literary pieces. More on Wyndham Lewis in a future IEDEI post.
this painting is entitled “The Crowd”:
IEDEI is returning.
However, there are some changes.
The automotive archive for the past 4 years will remain, however this site is evolving into a site about much more than just automobiles. My thoughts are evolving, and so IEDEI will also evolve. From the beginning, the site was never meant to turn into a site only about the automobile—however unfortunately that is what happened to the site. There will occasionally be articles about automobiles, however if one is expecting to find petrol being pumped through your monitor on every visit; this will not be the case. There is much to see, much to appreciate, and much to investigate. Onwards and onwards!
I hope you enjoy the new IEDEI. If you ever want to contribute or if you have something fascinating (remember, not just automobile related)—please email me at IEDEIblog@gmail.com
I also want to thank the many of you who took the time to e-mail you all the kind words and wishes in regards to the blog ending a couple of months ago. It was very nice to read your mails, and i’m still catching up on writing you all back. I felt it was time to ‘start a new idea’….however i felt this site was already so developed and had such a lovely title and image, that it would just be more interesting to start a ‘2nd phase’ of this.
(the photo above was published in a 1931 copy of The Country Gentleman was a prediction of how a farmer will control his crops in the year 2030. Nice flat screen TV design, huh?)
It is with a heavy heart that i’ve decided to discontinue updating IEDEI. I have thoroughly enjoyed posting over the last nearly 4 years and have enjoyed talking and meeting many of you. I am only one person, and simply do not have the capacity to go on posting. It is unfortunate at a time when the blog has been rapidly gaining popularity—-however I simply do not have the time, emotion, or capacity to research and update as I would like. Many posts I make are not simply uploading a photo or linking to outside places. To find that content takes time…..it takes passion….and it takes effort.
With all of this being said…it’s possible that in the future I may re-start this site, however at this time I am not thinking about it. I’ve loved cars since the age of 2…however I’ve also realised that over time—things change.
As a fitting final post….i would like to leave you with a simply wonderful video of 2 cars I love—-and one of which is the center of which everything on this blog was inspired by: the Alpine A110.
Please feel free to email me at IEDEIblog@gmail.com if you’d ever like to collaborate on any projects, or if you’d like me to write an article….or if you just want to talk. The IEDEI site will remain online for the time being, as an archive for people to find and enjoy.
Much love to the gear shifting brothas. This video is for you.
Fantastica. See the full set of donut photos in sequence of the brilliant Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept at Le Container.
I’ve seen these wire-based car sculptures before, but I love that this VW Beetle wire sculpture is in the middle of the road!
This video is beautiful. Epic bite the back of your hand beautiful. The essence of Le Mans in 2012——i’m still buzzing over the race, and this slow-motion “Ultra Motion” video that Eurosport was using during their coverage really shines through when set to shoegazing background music.
thanks to Don for the tip!
IEDEI 