Oettinger tunes the TT
Filed under: Audi Author:
German tuner Oettinger plans to show what it can do with the new Audi TT 2.0 T-FSI at the Essen Motor Show. The Oettinger makeover consists of a more aggressive body kit as well as upgraded performance for this all-new Audi coupe.
Besides the revised snout, tail and sills, the Oettinger folks have remapped the engine, modified the fuel-injection pump, and updated the K04 turbo to boost horsepower to 350. A "high-gloss polished exhaust system in stainless steel" and a "sports converter" are also used to help breathing and achieve the higher output. Helping to manage the extra power is a reinforced clutch system. The Essen car also features custom Alcantara leather sports seats.
A final touch on the outside of the show car is the use of new Oettinger 20" type RXX wheels wrapped in 245/30/20 rubber. With these upgrades, Oettinger claims their TT will complete the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds, and a reach a top speed of around 270 km/h (168 mph). Oettinger is also promising less radical powerplants for the new TT rated at 230, 280, and 310 hp, for those who want more, but not that much more.
[Source: WorldCarFans]
We Have Ignition: Audi R8 featured at Design Miami/2006
Filed under: Audi Author:
Click to enlarge
So, next week in Miami, Audi, as one of the principal sponsors of
Design Miami/2006, has
developed a new sculptural installation that will be a part of the exhibits on display. Ignition R8 features teardrop-shaped arrows that "shoot across the room" to "express the impulsiveness, speed and potency" of the R8, as it showcases the Ignition, or "Big Bang of dynamism."
Translated into English: Audi is sponsoring a big design dog & pony show in Miami, and because they know that The Beautiful People With Money will be legion, they dropped a new R8 on a display with designer stalagmites growing out of it, deemed it art, and named it Ignition R8. In case that somehow doesn't grab your attention, they have arrows pointing at the car suspended midair to make sure you don't miss it.
Make no mistake: Contrary to the official explanation, this puppy's designed to help "ignite" a "Big Bang" of sales once the R8 hits dealers.
(Press release after the jump)
[Source: Audi]
PRESS RELEASE:
Audi at the "Design Miami/2006" exhibition in Florida, USA The "big bang" of dynamism
* Spectacular exhibit within the framework of an exclusive event
* Audi as part of the progressive design scene
Audi is presenting the brand new R8 at a unique international design scene venue with a spectacular exhibit. The "Ignition R8" installation, based on the mid-engine sports car, is one of the highlights of "Design Miami/2006", which will take place in Miami, Florida from 7 to 10 December.
"Our new sports car will become part of the design and art scene by way of an object that expresses the ultimate sportiness of the R8 in a sophisticated, artistic way", says Walter de'Silva, Head of Design for the Audi brand group.
The ignition, the "big bang" of dynamism, the moment when power is created and transformed into motion – this is the theme of the approximately ten-metre-high sculpture. Teardrop-shaped arrows aimed at the silver sports car shoot across the room, expressing the impulsiveness and speed and conveying some of the potency of the R8.
Audi will be the first automotive manufacturer to be an exhibitor in Miami. Unlike most companies that function solely as financial partners at events of this kind, the brand with the four rings is itself providing creative input.
"We are appearing at Design Miami/2006 with an extraordinary exhibit within a vast installation, not only as a sponsor but also as an element of the international design scene", says Bernhard Neumann, Head of International Exhibitions at AUDI AG, emphasising the significance of this event
Audi TT receives award for innovative body
Filed under: Audi Author:
We like Audi styling as much as the next person, but sometimes we have to acknowledge that beauty is more than skin deep. And we aren't the only ones to notice. Audi just captured the EuroCarBody Award from theAutomotive Circle International for its innovative structure used onthe new Audi TT.
Besting 13 competitors from around the world to take the award, the coupe was singled out for its groundbreaking Audi Space Frame (ASF) technology. ASF was first introduced in the early '90s on the Audi A8. But the TT represents the first use of ASF on a hybrid aluminum and steel structure.
The EuroCarBody Award recognizes the ASF technology and the people who managed to perfect it. The award shouldn't really come as much of a surprise as the TT is just another advancement on the A8 ASF that won the award in 2003. The read link will take you to Fourtitude and give you all of the technical data on how this composition works, but suffice it to say that it is very sophisticated and especially impressive when you see the beautifully athletic shape that sits atop the engineering innovations.
The Audi beat out the second place Citroën Xsara PICASSO and the new Jaguar XK, which finished third. Last year the Mercedes S-Class claimed the prize.
[Source: Fourtitude]
Audi's SUV gets a makeover by PPI
Filed under: Audi Author:
The Audi Q7 is the embodiment of being fashionably late, having arrived on the scene at the tail end of the SUV bubble looking like a million bucks. No doubt it will still win customers with its combination of expensive looks and performance above and beyond what traditional utes offer. Still, the aftermarket loves to tinker and the Q7 is a willing canvas. The newest body kit to be offered for Audi's SUV is the PS Q7 by PPI, a German tuning company you might remember for the single-frame grilles they sell for last-gen Audis and the monster 600-hp Audi A8 Executive sedan.
The PS Q7 is adorned with aggressive cosmetic enhancements that include a new front bumper with large air intakes, four small fog lamps, and a matte carbon fiber splitter below the big Audi grille. The new bumper also reportedly reduces lift on the front axles at speed. Side sills with small exhaust vents behind the front wheels take up residence on the Q7's flanks while a new rear bumper with two cutouts for PPI's 4 pipe stainless steel exhaust dress up the rump. A tasteful rear spoiler is also located above the rear window.
PPI placed 22-inch one-piece alloy wheels at each corner, which are tucked under each fender thanks to the PPI sport module, a chip that allows the Q7's air suspension to go lower than stock. A big brake kit has also been installed to scrub off speed that the PS Q7 accumulates from its various stages of tune. The top Stage II package increases the power of Audi's 4.2-liter V8 all the way up to 600 horsepower, just like the A8 Exec express.
[Source: Fourtitude]
PHOTO GALLERY:
H&R bringing 24k gold springs, 216mph A4 to Essen Motor Show
Filed under: Audi Author:
Click to enlarge
The Essen Motor Show is Europe's big tuner showcase, and like SEMA, it seems that companies trout out the bling to wow the masses. Take H&R, for example. The makers of suspension equipment will be showing off their -- we aren't making this up -- 24-karat gold-covered springs at the show. H&R calls the look "extravagant." We're betting "tacky" is slightly closer to reality, and will make our final ruling after we see photos of the things at Essen. The blingification process tacks an additional €2,000 onto the cost of your springs, and naturally, some rich guy in Dubai is already sporting them on his Ferrari. Sounds classy. Like gold teeth.
Of greater interest to our readers might be the Audi A4 H&R will have displayed. The Hohenester HS650 Nardo puts out 650 horsepower (hence the name) and 531 lb ft of torque and hit 343.9 kph (216 mph) while lapping the Nardo test track last month. It's equipped with H&R coilovers, which is why they'll be showing it at Essen. In the photos, note the aero grille cover the car wore to help make that top speed run. Neato.
In either case, there'll be a couple of interesting things to see in the H&R booth: the gold springs, which should be appealing in a train-wreck sort of way, and the Hohnester Audi, which possesses a legitimate "wow" factor.
(Press release, more Hohnester HS650 photos after the jump)
[Source: H&R]
HOHNESTER HS650 NARDO:
Click images to enlarge
PRESS RELEASE:
Pressemitteilung / Press Release 2006
Live at H&R at the ESSEN-MOTOR-SHOW 2006
H&R GOLD: 24-Carat Gold
Suspension Springs343.9 km/h with H&R Sport
Suspension: The Fastest Audi A4 in the WorldMISSION 400 PLUS - Come and Be
Amazed!
H&R at the ESSEN-MOTOR-SHOW - this tradition continues at the
2006 edition of the world's most important tuning expo. As one of the world's leading manufacturers of sporty suspension systems H&R presents numerous spectacular world debuts. And as official supplier to the DTM racing series H&R also exhibits the victorious race cars from Audi and Mercedes-Benz on its expo stand in hall 10.
H&R GOLD
The first order came from the owner of a Ferrari 430 Spider from Dubai. H&R GOLD: In a world debut H&R presents sport springs with genuine 24-carat hard gold coating at the ESSEN-MOTOR-SHOW 2006. Now the most luxurious suspension components of all time are also available for all other car makes and models.
This debut of the especially exclusive kind combines the typical H&R attributes of sporty handling, optimized active safety and highest quality with extravagant looks.
The GOLD option is available for all H&R sport springs for an additional charge of around 2,000 Euros for the set, depending on the size of the springs.
343.9 km/h: The World's Fastest Audi A4
On October 22, 2006 the Hohenester HS650 Nardo circled the high-speed test track at a speed of 343.9 km/h. On December 1, 2006 the world's fastest Audi A4, equipped with an H&R coil-over sport suspension, celebrates its public world debut on the H&R stand at the ESSEN-MOTOR-SHOW 2006.
Tuning specialist Alfons Hohenester installed a twin-turbo V6 engine with an increased displacement of 3 liters under the hood of a visually discretely modified Audi A4 sedan. The engine was tuned by the company-own engine shop and produces a maximum power output of 650 hp / 478 kW at 7,300 rpm and a peak torque of 720 Nm at 3,800 rpm.
That makes the Hohenester HS650 Nardo a force to be reckoned with not only when it comes to top speed: With sprint times of 3.4 seconds from rest to 100 km/h, 10.3 seconds to 200 km/h and 29.8 seconds to the magical 300-km/h barrier the 4x4 delivers performance figures that only a very select few super sports cars can match. And it does so while meeting stringent Euro 4 emission limits.
To make safe use of this performance potential Alfons Hohenester relies on a height-adjustable H&R coil-over suspension: "The uneven and banked track in Nardo places extreme demands on the suspension at speeds above 300 km/h. Together with our development partner H&R we found a great setup that made our HS650 Nardo absolutely safe and easy to drive. It was this combination of professionally tuned suspension, extremely powerful engine and modified aerodynamics that made our record possible."
MISSION 400 PLUS
MISSION 400 PLUS - under this project name H&R will present an especially spectacular world debut at the ESSEN-MOTOR-SHOW 2006.
We don't want to say any more at this time - come visit us on our stand no.
103 in hall 10 and be amazed!
