Tag Archives: audi

driving gloves quest: Audi vs. BMW vs Porsche

Well i bought some superb Dunhill driving gloves last year, however i lost one of them; a true tragedy in my petrolhead bubbleworld.

So about6 months ago, being the Audi fanboy i am; i ordered a pair of Audi driving gloves through the Audi Collection.  I really like them.  Very soft and well made.  $49.00

For you BMW fanboys, BMW is selling driving gloves as well, through their BMW Lifestyle section.  They look pretty good.  $40.00

Porsche Design has also come out with a set of driving gloves; they are clearly the flashiest and pose-y out of the bunch…but they look pretty good.  $190.00

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is VW trying to buy Alfa Romeo (!?)

Well this is a hell of a rumour, that has been getting louder and louder over the past few months.  Fiat has been whining about Alfa Romeo not making any money for the company for a LONG time now….and according to several articles I have been reading as of late, it seems that Walter De Silva (ex-Alfa Romeo design chief, now VW/Audi design chief) has been urging Martin Winterkorn to really go after buying Alfa Romeo should Fiat decide to sell the brand.  Walter De Silva is so excited about this all, that according to one article i found, it states: “Given what is assumingly the passion for Alfa design, de Silva has in thoughts already about 8 models for Alfa, along with designs as well as drawings.” Easy boy!

To be honest, as someone who is REALLY into Audis and their philosophy, I have been seeing Audi as the new Alfa Romeo for the past few years…..they’re making the cars that Alfa should be making….and the Volkswagen group buying Alfa Romeo could REALLY rejuvenate the brand.

Is there any truth to this? we’ll have to see!  It could just be substance-less, gossip…..or it could be the real thing.  Knowing the way Volkswagen works, i wouldn’t doubt they are after the brand.

here are some articles about it:

http://www.alfaamore.com/news/vw_aquisition

http://www.autosnewspaper.com/2010/08/01/volkswagen-to-squeeze-alfa-romeo-marchionne-to-sell-to-germans/

http://www.motobullet.com/news.php?id=10344

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friday evening rock and roll, IEDEI style.

You may or may not know that i also play music, in a project known as The Bavarian Druglords.  Over the past few years, one of my favourite new bands to come out of the UK are a band called Exit Calm, who I was going to try to do a split 7″ single with last year—however it never came to fruition.

Anyways, i’m pleased to report that the latest Exit Calm release is a full length album, entitled “Exit Calm” was released last month, and it’s brilliant. so go listen to it.

Here’s a video from their album…for a song called “Hearts & Minds”…..but petrolheads, don’t worry! THERE is a car in the video! (an Audi Coupe GT)

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Audi & the design of “inward flow”

CLICK TO ENLARGE ANY FOTOS

Well i gotta give it to Audi, not just because they are my favourite car company, but because they are the only company I can think of who are currently designing cars which will look classic in 10, 20, or 30 years from now (pardon me Alfa Romeo, but you’re kinda losing it).  They are the only company I can think of who have attention to detail.  The evidence for this is in the brand new Audi A7 introduced this past week in Germany.   The rear end of the new A7 has been getting under my skin since the introduction….and now i know why.

The back end flows inwards, going back towards the body.  Sure there is a bumper, however this inward flow hasn’t been used in many modern cars….until now. They have brought back the inward flow of the rear end!  I know Alfa Romeo have used this ‘inward flow’ (as i refer to it) in their 8c Competizione, however it was a bit overdone with the weird round tail light, but i’m not complaining! The 8c was a stunningly designed car.  I think Corvettes and special edition cars like the Ford GT also used this, but when have you recently seen it on a production sedan? i can’t remember any car in the last 10 or 20 years with this….production sedan, shall is say.

Alfa Romeo has a long history of sports cars with this inward flow, I generally recollect one of my favourite Alfa Romeos, the superb Montreal:

Audi claims their inspiration for the new style rear-end comes from them analyzing the 1970s Audi 100 Coupes and i can definitely see what they were looking at…..in fact, i think this new car has more similarity to that design than any other current Audi.

Apparently, this was a very conscious effort to consider ‘older’ designs when designing the A7.  Check out this drawing that Audi issued to the press about the influences of the A7 design.

It seems though, that Lamborghini has been flirting with this idea for a while!  Well at least in concept form.  Check out the Lamborghini Estoque Concept and the Lamborghini Miura Concept from the past several years.  Same indented inward flow rear end.  Lamborghini, however, is a company essentially operated by Audi, so this isn’t surprising at all….

So what do you guys think about this? will this set a trend and bring this design sense back into the currently lackluster japanese & korean-influenced automotive design world? Can Audi influence other car makers to bring something new & old back into design?  Alfa Romeo from a few years ago (2000-2007) really influenced alot of automotive design, however it didn’t last…..but I feel that Audi has already caused all these companies to use “big grilles”….can they get the rest of the industry to throw a bit of retro in the game? I hope so.

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IEDEI meets the Audi TT-RS.

Found out some info on the TT-RS:

$65-68k, 300-350 cars coming to the US market, all coupes, all manual transmission (unofficial estimates, taken from a couple sources IEDEI has spoken with)

The sound of the 2.5L turbo 5 is amazing.  I saw this car today at Waterfest (VW/Audi gathering in held in New Jersey every year).  It was brought there by the Fourtitude guys and was provided to them by Audi.  It is the only TT-RS in the USA at the moment.  I didn’t get any chance to drive it or drive in it…however the exhaust note is simply animal…love it.

some more pics (sorry about the crappy quality…forgot my camera and took cell phone pics!):

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NSU Ro80. weird or wonderful?

I can never really decide.  The design of the NSU Ro80 always leaves me feeling weird….on one side, i find its proportions to be utterly fascinating and awkward (in a good way)…..on the other side, i find it to be very dysfunctional and awkward (in a bad way).

There is no denying, however, that the Ro80 was WAY ahead when it came to design….considering it was originally launched in 1967 (wow).  A very modern design….which surely influenced alot of cars after it….especially AUDI, the company that some of NSU warped into…

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Audi conquers Le Mans 2010. 1-2-3.

Monsieur Peugeot must be pissed!  Audi delivered their TDI power reliably, taking on an defeating Peugeot on their home turf.  Audi is now tied with Ferrari for all time wins there, with Porsche leading everybody.

Audi USA have a flickr photostream going on with 100s of photos of the Le Mans weekend.  Here are some of my favourites of the R15 TDI.  See the rest at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/audiusa

a proud day to be an Audiphile as I am.

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Bugatti 16c Galibier: 2013 production

the good folks over at Bugatti Passion are reporting that the supersedan 16c Galibier has received a green light to go into production in 2013.  Supposedly the Veyron ends its production in 2012.  Whether there will be a “GT” version of the Veyron pushing 1300hp (!!!) is still a question mark….but the signs point towards it being a possibility!

The price of the next Bugatti supersedan? $1.4 milion.  I’ll wait for the CPO one on discount, thanksverymuch.

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MTM Audi S3 for sale in Michigan!

Auto Europe in Birmingham, Michigan (a few miles from where i grew up!) has a 2009 Audi S3 MTM for sale at the moment with less than 5,000 miles.  I have inquired about the car and it comes with a full factory warranty (or remainder of), and is priced at $49,000.

After IEDEI brought you an exclusive article about Horschaus/MTM bringing european RS models into the US, it seems that this one is a US-spec Audi A3 2.0T Quattro which has been officially been converted from Germany to S3-spec.  MTM offers such an S3 conversion, which upgrades everything from suspension to wheels (MTM Bimoto wheels! sweet) to exhaust and even down to the S3 trim (door sills, badges, etc.).

What you end up with is a 270+ hp equivelant to a euro spec Audi S3.  Not bad at all!  $49k isn’t a bad price either, considering that IF the S3 did ever make it to the US officially, it would likely start in the mid-$40k range anyway.

The only issues i find with this car is (A) DSG instead of a manual, and (B) those absurd decals on the car (which i’m sure can be removed).  Otherwise, quite a car….and I have minimal experience with DSG, so maybe I can learn to love it as others have.

Check out the photos below, and if you’re interested go to the Auto Europe website linked at the bottom of the post for lots more photos and some specs:

from Auto Europe’s website:

The vehicle was bought via the Audi European Delivery Program and picked up from the factory in Ingolstadt and sent to the nearby MTM facility.  The conversion work was completed and the vehicle was shipped to America.  This particular vehicle has been featured in several magazines and is a very rare vehicle.

Audi Original S3 Bumpers and Side Skirts

Audi Original S3 345 x 30 mm Brakes

MTM 19 x 8.5 Bimoto Wheels with Pirellli P-Zero 235/35/ZR19 91Y

MTM 25mm Lower Springs

MTM Exhaust (Turbo-back, 70 mm stainless steel)

·MTM Chip Tuning (272 HP)

S- Line Trim

DSG Transmission

Panoramic Sunroof


AUTO EUROPE WEBSITE: http://auto-europe-sales.ebizautos.com/webdetail.aspx?iid=4574335

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EXCLUSIVE: MTM Horchaus bringing C6 Audi RS6s (and more) to North America!

Well i’ve been gathering information about this for a few days, straight from Francois over at Horchaus (Official Canadian distributor of MTM (V.A.G. tuning company).

It seems that they have worked out a plan with Audi of Germany to be able to bring Audi RS6s (C6, current) as well as B7 RS4 Avants and R8s to North America directly from Germany! To any other Audi afficianados such as myself—this is HUGE news.  For a very long time, we’ve been stranded by the products being provided to the US market when it comes to ‘special’ Audis.  We did receive the previous generation C5 RS6, but only in sedan form (NO Avant in North America).  We also received the B7 RS4 sedan (NO Avant in North America).  We are not going to receive the C6 RS6 at all——until NOW!

After creating a working agreement with Audi of Germany in Ingolstadt, Francois and Horchaus have found a way for certain cars such as the current RS6 to be modified according to US Spec BY Audi themselves!  After these modifications, the cars are imported into North America (Canada OR the United States) and undergo customs, duty, etc….and are brought here as legal, street-ready versions of these European cars.  Since Horchaus is working directly with Audi to ensure the modifications are done to North American spec, this is a whole new way of getting these cars into the United States legally and safely.  The OEM spec cars will have an AUDI WARRANTY, since they are brand new from the factory.

The prices of these cars vary, however If someone really wants a brand new C6 Generation Audi RS6 Avant, it’s gonna cost them $115,000 CAD (Canadian dollars) and $125,000 CAD with the 730hp MTM upgrade (including  all import, shipping and duty fees).

******As of right now, they have already brought TWO C6 RS6s successfully; one into the US and another into Canada******

At the moment, they have another 4 cars on the way.  one R8 (sold), a B7 RS4 Avant (sold), and one C6 RS6 Avant and a C6 RS6 Sedan; which are both available to purchase.

A further reason to be excited, is that Horchaus is currently also evaluating the possibility of bringing other Audis in the same manner; cars such as the current Audi TT-RS and Audi S3.  Really exciting stuff, and groundbreaking progress in the world of importing Audis.

Stay tuned to IEDEI for further updates about this as I get more information.  So far I only have the pricing for RS6s, when I receive further information about pricing for others I will pass them along! Meanwhile, if you are interested in these cars, follow the link to the MTM/Horchaus website for more information and contact info.

UPDATE: B7 RS4 Avants are CEO company cars, and will be titled as 2nd hand.  They are $70,000 CAD (Canadian dollars) and the R8 V10 is $105,000 CAD (Canadian dollars) which is amazingly good pricing….the R8 V10 turns out to much less than a comparably ordered US version.

UPDATE 2: Some people have been asking “well why wouldn’t Audi bring these cars in the first place????”…..the answer was explained to me by Francois. Audi of Germany wants them to go everywhere, the reason why these cars don’t come to the US or Canada is simple; Audi of America and Audi of Canada don’t believe they have a market and do not readily import them here.

Horchaus Website: http://www.horchaus.com/Car_imports.html

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Audi A4 DTM (B8).

from Quattroworld, via Top Gear

sinister, with the wings…..sinister.


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AUTO UNION!

the sinister glamour of AUTO UNION.

CLICK TO ENLARGE for gorgeous wallpaper.



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Auto Union dealership.

I love this pic…showing a rare photo of an original Auto Union dealership….

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IEDEI Solutions: Hey Volkswagen! Buy Saab!

Yeah, that’s right.  I think VW should buy Saab.  Why? Here are my reasons.

1. SAAB hasn’t made a profit in years, and likely has debts.  VW has a huge amount of money at the moment, and is one of the only companies that can absorb the debt AND has the ability to bring Saab back into the global auto market with shared platforms, new engines, and most of all a brand identity.

2. Volkswagen’s global auto empire.  the Volkswagen Auto Group spans from Germany to Spain to Czech to Italy to all sorts of smaller conglomerates in China and South America, and what better international frontier than Scandinavia.  Yeah, VW needs a Swedish side to it.

3. F*ck Koeniggsegg….BUY THEM AS WELL if you want.

4. Relaunch a Saab 900 on the VW Golf platform, as a smaller, more practical solution built with a SAAB image……and with SAAB personality.

5. Launch the ‘new’ 9-5 (which i love the styling of….) on a VW/AUDI platform (A4 or A6?).

6. Make it a specialized brand with profitability and character.

7. Cancel silly developments like those Saab SUVs that GM was doing….

8. IEDEI told you to.

COME ON VOLKSWAGEN! you know you want some Swedish in yer.

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VW buys out Karmann & plans new car.

Karmann was of course made famous by the strange and interesting Karmann Ghia, which used Beetle underpinnings with a much prettier and more interesting body shell to create something interesting with.  Of course the company went on to build other cars with VW, and with other companies (Let’s try to forget that Karmann built the Chrysler Crossfire convertibles…which were truly terrible).

The company went bust recently, and now VW has announced that they will be buying all of the assets, and also will plan to build a ‘new’ car using their facilities.  Maybe they’ll bring back a ‘modern’ Karmann Ghia? That would be damn interesting.  Most likely suspect is the upcoming Bluesport roadster.

Full article here from Motor Authority:

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1038753_vw-announces-plan-to-buy-karmanns-assets-build-new-car

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1984 Audi 4000s vs. 2009 Audi A4 2.0T S-Line

4000_vs_a4

FOURTITUDE has a great article profiling both cars, along with some great writing about each of these cars.  Some cool photos too!

“While 1984 may have marked the last year for that early B2 bodystyle, fast forwarding 25 years finds the B8 A4 in its first year of production and times have changed. Audi has matured as a car manufacturer and technologies have come a long way. Materials used to build today’s A4 are some of the finest in the industry and the chassis is more capable than any Audi sedan to date. Pricing has gone up considerably from the ’80s but the car has grown in size while power and efficiency have also made great strides.”

Check out the rest of the article with more fotos HERE

http://www.fourtitude.com/news/publish/Features/article_5439.shtml

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Silver Arrows: Auto Union video.

Hosted by Alain De Cadanet, a very cool look into Pre-WW2 Grand Prix race cars made by Auto Union.  Amazing footage in this video….

PART 1

PART 2

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foto of the day.

some random DTM photo…..

click two times to get hi-res foto.

DTM_racing

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Entry-level ‘new” Porsche 356? probable fail.

Based on a VW?? Sounds like another 914, to me….

porsche_356

Motor Authority seems to think it’s gonna happen, and they think it’ll be 356-ish….i think it’s all false.

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1037454_entry-level-porsche-roadster-rumors-hint-at-reborn-356

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art of the day.

“Red Hot” by Mark Spain

On display at the Park Gallery in South Glasgow, Scotland.

audi_tt_art_red_hot_by_mark_spain

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foto of the day.

DTM racing from the late 80s.  Fantastic.

audi_dtm

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