Audi have dominated the world of endurance racing for over a decade. The Germans have won the famous Le Mans 24 hour 12 times and it would have been 9 times in a row if it were not for pesky Peugeot in 2009. Audi want to retain their Le Mans crown but with strong competition from Toyota and now Porsche, their 2014 Audi R18 WEC has to be one of the most capable cars racing has ever seen.
Audi revealed to the world their new car in race trim complete with updated livery. However, they have decided to backtrack on a technology that regenerates energy lost through heat. The system, MGU-H, is just like that found on the 2014 specification Formula One cars, but the team will not use it as planned due to reliability issues. Instead they will stick with their tried and tested kinetic energy recovery system that can harvest 2 megajoules over a lap. Their competitors, and in particular Porsche, are expected to be recapturing 6 to 8MJ per lap. This potentially puts Audi at a disadvantage but they say that the increased reliability and fuel efficiency of their new turbocharged 4.0 litre V6 diesel engine will prevail.
The 2014 Audi R18 WEC reignited tradition as it was driven through the streets of Le Mans before being shown to the media.
At the 2014 Geneva motor show Audi unveiled the third generation model. This from the ground up is an all-new car despite being proportionally similar to the one that preceded it, but the Germans take a lot of pride in the engineering potential on their new chassis which is based upon VW’s MQB platform. To show just what the TT is capable of Audi has shown the world an extreme concept variation of their sports car.
Named the Audi TT Quattro Sport Concept, this pumped up model produces 414BHP and 332lb ft of torque from its 2.0 litre turbo petrol engine. That turbo now achieves 1.8bar of boost. The increase in power means that the Audi TT Quattro Sport Concept can get from 0-62MPH in 3.7 second. That is supercar territory! This Quattro Sport is all wheel drive and transfers its power to the ground through a six speed dual clutch gearbox. Now with a fixed rear wing and more aggressive body, let’s see someone call it a hairdressers car.
Inside this TT mimics the 2014 model but adds alcantara for a slightly sportier flare.
The hot hatchback wars are on! In this searing arena of exhaust popping, wheel arch flaring, bangs for your bucks manufacturers have really upped their game in order to be crowned king of the hill. Pocket rockets such as the Renault Clio RS, Seat Ibiza Cupra are boasting impressive numbers, But in our eyes at least, it is the Ford Fiesta ST that is the pick of the bunch. This ASBO inducer won our “2013 Car of the Year Award” for being great value for money and an absolute blast to drive. Looking to steal that crown is Audi and their new weapon of choice. This Audi S1 is a Miniature Monster.
To make its debut at the Geneva motor show, the Audi S1 sure is an angry looking hatch. The testosterone fuelled looks certainly score a big tick in the visuals box, but what about under the bonnet? Powered by a 2.0 litre turbocharged engine, the Audi S1 produces 228BHP and 273lb ft of torque. Cog swapping is done via a six speed manual transmission that gets the power down to all four wheels. Available as a three-door or a Sportback model, the S1 will do 0-62MPH 5.8 seconds.
We all know what a Group-B rally car is. Etched into the minds of every petrol head are images of these 1980’s creations leaping, fire breathing, roaring beasts doing battle with some of the toughest terrain Mother Nature could throw in their path. These machines with close to 1,000BHP in some cases covered ground through snow, ice, gravel and dirt like nothing that came before them. The brave and highly skilled men who piloted now fabled nameplates such as quarto and 037 literally put their lives on the line in the pursuit of speed. Group-B died along with the many lives it took in 1986 and so closed the most deadly, yet exciting chapter of rally history. Or did it? A new class was being devised whilst Group-B was ongoing, a class that would focus on future technologies at the cutting edge of science and engineering. I speak of Group S rally cars, the forgotten class.
Group S became tragic collateral damage when Group-B was abolished. The new class had its regulations laid out and manufacturers had already begun building prototype cars. These machines would never turn a wheel in anger as the governing body very much threw the baby out with the bath water. For Group S only 10 road going variants of a competing car had to be made in order for it to gain entry. Power was to be artificially restricted to around 300BHP, although each car was more than capable of 600BHP. This reduction in power was a bid to reduce the speed at which the cars were travelling, a big factor in how many accidents there were in Group-B. However, the loss in power was to be made up by innovative new materials to save weight and regain an impressive power-to-weight ratio. With new leads in aerodynamics and the use of carbon fibre, these cars after a few seasons of development had the potential to be just as quick as their banned big brothers.
As mentioned before, a handful of manufacturers had already started work on prototypes for Group S. Toyota were working on a mid-engine 2.1 litre car that resembled the MR2. This car was in development before the finished Group S rules were in place and so this turbocharged car actually produced 750BHP. Ford was working on a variation of the RS200 Group-B car as were Peugeot with their 205 T16. Audi planned to bring the Quattro into the new class and use the tier as platform to show-off what technologies the German company intended to filter down into future production cars. Lancia arguably had the most advanced prototype and would likely have been the favourites for the first Group S championship. Their Lancia ECV (Experimental Composites Vehicle) test car was powered by a 600BHP 1.8 litre twin-turbocharged engine. With a focus on reducing weight through the use of composite materials and an entirely carbon fibre chassis, the end result was a rally car weighing just 930KG.
This new breed of car had the potential to keep the excitement and adrenaline of the dangerous Group-B within the sport whilst introducing greater safety for drivers. Crash tests, power restrictions and the banning of flammable materials all factored into the rules. Alas, Group S was swept aside changing the destiny of rallying forever.
It is that time again for another dose of Inside Quattro from Drive. This week the YouTube show focuses on Audi Quattro tradition and goes deep into the origins of the four rings. From Auto Union to Audi, the first use of Quattro through to its rallying success, this instalment is an absolute petrol head geek-fest. Also you will learn about how Porsche got their teeth into the now legendary Audi RS2!
The team over at Drive produce some of the best car related videos on the internet. Be it Christ Harris burning through tyres like there is no tomorrow, or general car chat, it is good petrol-head entertainment. Today they have just launched a new series called “Inside Quattro” where they are to delve deep into the history of Audi’s all wheel drive brand both past and present. This fist video begins with the history of Quattro and is a real treat for those who love the rough and tumble of rallying.
Welcome to the first podcast of 2014! Tyler, Matt and Steve assemble to bring you some of the latest news from the world of motoring. That said, all has been quiet over the winter shut-down and so the boys have searched high and low. Audi are to bring a new Quattro concept to Detroit, Kia are mulling over a sports car and Infiniti show off something of a more sporty nature. Also news of a potentially fictitious launch of the 2016 BMW M1 in the lava palace on the moon. Playing us out this episode is the band MayFlower, check them out on Facebook
Hello and welcome to another episode of Inside Lane “the podcast.” With the frankfurt motor show just around the corner, the boys take a look as some of the new cars that shall be on display. BMW and Lexus show off their hybrid 4X4 aspirations and Audi reveal the new Quattro!!! Also there is all of the latest from the world of WRC and F1.
The Audi Quattro is a very important car in the history of automobiles. Bringing all wheel drive to the masses and then using it to transform the world of rallying, this machine is quite the landmark. A symbol of 80’s cool, Audi first introduced a modern-day interpretation of the Quattro in concept form in 2010, but today that concept comes another step closer to reality.
The rebirth of the Quattro is something fans, and myself, have been crying out for and now our calls are answered in the Audi Sport Quattro. The menacing looking car may still be a concept, but what you see here is a model not too far from a production variant that will sit even above the R8 supercar. How so? Well I think it has something to do with 690BHP being produced by its twin-turbo 4.0 litre engine and an electric motor. Power is sent to all four wheels via an 8 speed transmission. Packing 590lb ft of torque the new Quattro will dart from 0-62MPH in 3.7 seconds. Not only does it impress in terms of speed but other performance benchmarks such as economy. 113MPG is possible, not to mention the capability of running for 30 miles on pure electric power. Not bad for a 190MPH supercar.
The Audi Quattro is a legendary car with all of the prestige and silverware in motorsport to justify its status. The first car in rallying to bring all wheel drive to the table, the Quattro dominated and showroom success soon followed. With staring rolls in T.V. shows such as the BBC’s “Ashes to Ashes,” the Quattro has always been seen as a bit of a hero on four wheels. But what if the Quattro became a villain? What if this powerful machine manifested itself as a bit of a monster? The 2014 Audi Quattro does just that.
Looking like something you drew as an overenthusiastic child, this modern day Quattro in an all wheel drive menace. Spawned from last years Quattro concept, this is Audi’s new halo car. Powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 producing over 600BHP, this car can crack 0-62MOH in under 4 seconds. It will cost more than any other Audi that has gone before it when it goes on sale as a limited production run next year, meaning that it will likely sell out just as fast as the car can accelerate.
