by Zack K

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. My slightly cynical brain has observed enough people making and breaking them to know that just because Ryan Seacrest takes a break from giving Mario Lopez hand jobs to watch a big, lit-up ball drop it won’t make you stick to your diet. I did, however, make a “to do” list for 2012, and one of the things on it is to drive over 200 MPH. Somewhere, sometime, don’t care, needs to happen.

That goal is why I think this car, and the videos below, are so damn awesome. Jeff Gerner took a 1992 Audi S4, jammed 32 lbs of boost into it and brought it to Bonneville. Make the jump to find out the whys and hows, and watch this humble-looking (ok, aside from the stickers) sedan run near Veyron speeds.

A quick background on Jeff: He’s been working with cars and engines his whole life. He started drag racing a ’68 Camaro when he was 18, and then built a purpose-built dragster at 19. He spent his working career as an automotive fleet maintenance manager. Since “retirement” he started a race shop, http://fourringperformance.com/, which focuses on Audi/VW engines. But the guy can build pretty much anything. Basically, he’s been making things go fast since high school.

He chose a 1992 Audi S4, because his daily driver is a 1994 S4. He had already “tested” the high speed abilities and found that it was stable at 160MPH. He also knew the famous 20-valve I-5 motor would be up to the task. He explains:

“For those new to the Audi fold, this engine was originally developed for Audi’s legendary Group B rally cars. It was then used in Audi’s all conquering SCCA Trans Am and IMSA GTO class entries which were so dominant, in the late eighties and early ninety’s, that they were eventually kicked out of both series by the sanctioning bodies. They could not be beaten and all the other manufacturers were going to quit, so they kicked Audi out! How cool is that? So I wanted that engine to have a world speed record as well.”

I’ve known about the strength of the 20V ever since a friend co-worker bought one in college. In layman terms, they’re the Supra motors of Germany, as proven by the insanely high-powered Group B rally cars. Jeff took this one and shoved all his knowledge into it, ending with a car that made about 1100HP at 29 psi.(down form 32 for safety).

He also liked the car for it’s sturdy engineering:

“Additionally, I knew the UR S4′s were built like a tank and that it would hold up in a high speed crash as well or better than any other car I could choose.”

I don’t know how strong metal can be at 240 MPH but I’m glad he didn’t have to find out.  So he built this S4. And build it he did. He spent thousands of hours on the car, putting in safety systems like a cage, fire suppression and the awesome-sounding “inertia activated fuel shutoff.”

(2009 run where he set a class record of 222.996MPH, on the stock block at 9500 RPM.)

I tend to operate cars with a little bravado, probably too much at times. My policy is, if someone else has driven a car X miles per hour- and lived- it’s safe (in the right situation). I’ve topped out every car I’ve owned without incident. (I know it’s illegal and all that, but no one who reads this site has obeyed every law since age 16, so keep it to yourself). This doesn’t mean you can drive fast without focus and skill, but as people like Brock Yates and Alex Roy have proved, high-speed travel can be safe if done in proper cars, by capable drivers.

But speeds like this in a home-built car is a whole different game. Reading his interview I learn Jeff had to put the same kind of thought into his 20-year old car that Bugatti engineers did. The laws of physics are laws, and they don’t care if you’re driving something that cost $1M or $1. Jeff had to account for things I hadn’t thought of; the exhaust pressure exiting under the car possibly causing lift, for example. Cars in his class can’t have after-market aero, so he used the suspension to give the car a natural wedge shape. The stock roof rails were actually extended slightly to provide side to side stability, like a rudder. Jeff left no stone unturned, no foreseeable problem was passed over.
The video is not able to embed, so click the picture to jump to the vimeo page.

The World’s Fastest Audi – Landspeed record attempt in a 1992 Audi S4 from QuattroWorld.com on Vimeo.

Just plain awesome. Jeff has said this car accelerated harder than his old 600HP, 1973 drag car. It’s so powerful, you can’t give it full throttle until the top of 4th gear. Do it wrong and you get wheel-spin at all four corners, even at 190MPH. That’s gotta be interesting.

I hope I can do something like this one day. And while achieving that speed in anything- Veyron or Zonda or Koenigsegg, etc- would be incredible, there’s another element that comes from doing it in something that was never built to go that fast. Jeff Gerner had a dream, set a goal, built this car himself and then successfully ran it. Unfortunately, the motor blew on his follow-up run, ending his chance at an official record. It blew because Jeff wanted to set the record with the stock oil pump, which failed. This guy really loves the 20V motor, doesn’t he? But he’s fixing that issue, and he’ll be back at Bonneville soon. With his expertise and attention to details, i have no doubt he’ll do it. And QuattroWorld promised to be there.

Big thanks to QuattroWord for a great interview and video, and Hooniverse for finding it.

Source: Hooniverse

Original story: Quattro World

by Zack K

This is the Audi Group S Prototype. If you haven’t seen it before it’s because it wasn’t supposed to exist. After a photographer spilled the top-secret beans with a picture of a test run the Audi big wigs forced Roland Gumpert‘s team (yes, that Gumpert) to dismantle them, while his highness Ferdinand Piech personally watched. Thankfully, Mr. Gumpert had another one stashed away. Jamal from Hellafunctional.com found this car’s story in an old mag and it’s quite a story. The hyper-light, 1000hp mid-engined car could have been a trophy-laying goose for Audi if they hadn’t scrapped it. Make the jump to learn about this insane little car that never got its shot.

In 1980, Audi introduced its Quattro to the World Rally stage and AWD has been the drive-train of choice ever since. Getting in early they were rewarded with a few years of success, but in 1984 the competition had caught back up. The 5-cylinder engine in the Quattro was mounted way up front and although it was very fast and handled long sweepers well it tended to plow in slow corners. Peugot’s 205 Turbo 16 and Lancia’s Delta S4 were both mid-engined cars, making them more balanced and thanks to their smaller size, more nimble. The Quattro was too big to be competitive. Gumpert knew this and knew mid-engined was the answer.

But Audi’s fix was the Sport Quattro. They figured if the big Quattro wasn’t good in tight corners, make the car shorter. Apparently it was worse; still nose-heavy but in a smaller, twitchier chassis. Despite it being available, 1984 Champion Stig Blomqvist chose to run his older Quattro A2. That tells you something.

Roland’s team knew they needed a mid-engined car, but that annoyed the marketing people. They were building the Audi brand on the back of the front-engined, AWD Quattro. To change the layout now would have made ze Don von Drapers angry. Rumor is Piech gave Roland off-the-record approval, but the cars would have to be built in secret. And I mean secret. They took the project out of Germany to a facility in Desna in the Czech Republic. Cars were shipped from Audi’s factory in miss-marked containers so the people at Audi didn’t even know what was going on. In turn for an in-flow of cash to Desna, the locals were told to keep quiet, which they did.

The test cars looked like Sport Quattros, but the frame and mid-engine were all Prototype. It had the same 5-cylinder from the Sport Quattro, capable of 1000HP.  Gee, I wonder why the unlimited rally classes were dangerous?

Gumpert noticed the handling improvement from the new layout immediately and it didn’t take much tweaking before it was deemed ready for a drive by his awesomeness, Walter Rohrl (1982 WRC Champion and current ‘Ring driver for Porsche). They had set up a test drive on a gravel road but the location had been leaked and it was crawling with press. Gumpert turned the trucks around, ditched the gig and drove back into Germany. They found a small tarmac road and let Rohrl loose. He said the car was fantastic. Happening upon a police road block he asked if they had been tipped off. No. The car’s loud exhaust had gotten their attention. To get out of a picture, they required a “proper race start.” Those cops rock.

But someone did get a picture. A lone photographer found them, and ran a picture the next week. And that was it. The calls came down from on high, and 48 hours later Ferdinand Piech himself stood there while Gumpert’s team took apart all the Prototypes.

But Gumpert is a sneaky fuck, and I mean that in the best way. To quote him, “All the cars that were officially built were destroyed.” Keeping it off the books, I like it. This wasn’t even kept at the Desna factory. (There’s rumor of another “lost” car.) That’s why it’s here, sitting in smooth, light fiberglass glory at the Ingolstadt Museum. It’s actually kind of a pretty car, with a smooth, round shape that seems more shrunken super car than rally brawler. The Peugot and Lancias were Rubic’s cubes compared to this.

It’s a shame it never got to run. This little fireball looks more like Le Mans car than a rally car. It’s like an Ultima GTR with a tiny Veyron motor in it. My pea-sized brain thinks that sounds fun. I’d even call it half-pretty, a rarity in rally. And with 1000HP and a mid-engine setup this thing would have danced, shook and screamed through forests and over hills. Rohrl loved it, the engineers loved it and they were all confident it would have shown the world Audi could build the best rally car.

Perhaps one day they’ll dust it off and let it run. I think the Goodwood Festival of Speed would be open to an appearance.

Read the original article here: IEDEI via Hellafunctional

Thad (legendary TST camera operator and Head of our Dept. for Super Smart/Crazy Ideas)  sent me a link to this ebay auction, with the subject line: “Bad daily driver?” Hopefully he’s being facetious or I would answer that with a blank stare of disbelief, silently communicating disappointment and pity. No Thad, a 1981 Audi Ur-Quattro is not a bad choice for a daily driver. It’s an awesome daily driver, as long as you live anywhere that has weather. Let the record show Thad is from Florida.

This car is a straight up bad ass. A sharp, angular coupe with AWD and a inline-5 turbo. Audi was the manufacturer first to take advantage of the rule change allowing all-wheel drive vehicles in rally racing. Ya think that was an advantage?  For the next 2 years it killed it.

For sale is the road version, the 1981 Audi Ur-Quattro. “Ur” stands for “original”. They used it to separate the “Quattro” car from the “quattro” drive-train system. This one was imported in 1981 by a man in Chicago. It has European lights, bumpers and gauges; better have the conversion formula for Km/h to MPH memorized. The turbo-charged 2.1L I-5 cylinder was good for 200HP and 210 tq.

The original owner kept the car for 30 years. At one he took it in to have the clutch and turbo replaced, suspension upgraded, add a bolt-in roll cage, better brakes and other parts. Other, more noticeable changes were the flared fenders, wheels, tires and lights. He created his own homage to the Group 4 car; perfect for a highly-efficient winter commute.

It’s shape would make you think somewhere a giant door has just accidentally shut and it’s as wide and flat as Texas but who cares when your car looks like it just pulled out of a stage rally. This car was the genesis of AWD rally cars and Audi’s quattro system itself. If I had to pick between driving this up I-70 or a modern car with a part-time system (see link) I choose this. How fun would a drive on a snow-covered city be in this car? With those knobby tires and 8 kagillion candle power practically melting the snow in front of you?  It’s a piece of history that comes with racing seats, harnesses, a fire extinguisher and more gauges than your average low-income Honda owner packing a new Kragen Auto credit card. Beats the hell out of the Liberty Bell.

The power isn’t much compared to today’s rally descendants but I like anything that’s AWD and turbo-charged. With a curb weight around 2,900 lbs this is a recipe for winter happiness.

My only experience with an early Audi was quite good. The model escapes me but it was a big pre-90s sedan. It was a snowy day heading into the Rockies and the car was stable and smooth. The weight shoved our snow tires in with authority and we cruised past SUVs and trucks alike. Yes, the owner learned a lot about Audi repair maintenance very quickly but the car felt special. This car is that times 10. Looks like a fireball, has a stadium’s worth of lights on the front and tires that could grind a whole cow. Why wouldn’t you buy it?

- Zack K

The Smoking Tire’s Tom Morningstar was fortunate enough to attend the coolest race ever that no one’s heard of: The 24 Hours of Dubai. Held at the Dubai Autodrome, surrounded by unfinished buildings and general nothingness, the endurance race features privateer racing teams fielding such cool race cars as the Audi R8 LMS, SLS AMG GT3, Porsche 911 Cup, Aston Martin Vantage GT3, and more. Check out the video to see Tom doing what he does best: getting great shots of cars.

(Sorry about the link before, we had to take the video down to fix the music credits and it disappeared)

The Group B rally series ran from 1982 to 1987 and featured some of the wildest and most powerful rally cars ever made. The regulations on the cars were simple: There were none. Manufacturers had free reign on power output, boost, weight, materials, and speed. This amazing series spawned cars like the Audi Quattro, one of the most dominant cars of its time and platform from which the current Audi cars have grown, it popularized new technology like all-wheel drive, and it brought into focus the limits of both man and machine on the rally stage. Watch videos of a Group B race, and it seems like the drivers are having to thread their way through crowds of spectators practically standing in the middle of the road as the cars hammer their way through.

The demise of Group B was caused by the very thing that made it so appealing; danger. After several fatal crashes, some involving both drivers and spectators, the FIA shutdown Group B racing in 1987. Since then, it has been succeeded by the WRC and other rallying series, but none have been able to match Group B for its outrageous machinery. If given the chance, here are the Group B cars we’d tuck into the TST Dream Garage.

Ford RS200

Many times in life, something great is born from failure. In the case of Ford and Group B racing, it was the 1700T, a failed automotive project whose lessons lead to the creation of a successful purpose built rally car: The Ford RS200.

The RS200 was mid-engined, four wheel drive, cranked out around 450 horsepower in racing trim, had a fiberglass body, and a chassis designed by former F1 engineers John Wheeler and Tony Southgate. Like several of the bat-shit crazy cars that competed in Group B, the RS200 was involved in several fatal crashes that helped contributed to the end of the Group B era. Following the end of Group B, the RS200 competed from 1986 to 1992 in the FIA European Championships, and some were even fielded as circuit racers.

Although it never achieved significant success on the Group B circuit, the road going “Evolution” version of the rally car was without doubt the most exciting flavor of the RS200. Around 24 of the 200 road cars were turned into the Evolution edition which used a modified version of the Ford/Cosworth engine found in the racecar, and rumor has power ranging from 550 to up to a staggering 815 hp. In the right form, the RS200 could put down a high 2 to low 3 second 0-60 time, ridiculous even by today’s standards, never mind the 1980’s. We want one.

Audi Quattro S1

Of all the Group B rally cars, the Audi Quattro S1 is without doubt one of the most iconic. Born from the Audi Sport Quattro of the early eighties, the S1 was introduced in 1985 and is widely regarded as the most powerful rally car ever fielded. Its inline 5-cylinder, turbocharged engine unleashed around 600 horsepower to all four wheels, shattering the 0-60 mph in the low 3 second range. Though brutally powerful, the S1 actually only won once race, the 1985 San Remo rally. Even so, the S1 and its predecessors were absolutely instrumental in helping create rally racing as we know it.

One of the most unique features of the S1 was the recalculating air system for the turbocharger. This ingenious system kept the turbo spinning at high rpm’s when the throttle was closed so that when the power came back on, power delivery would be crushing and nearly instantaneous. Later generations of this technology are still used today, known as “anti-lag.” The gearbox that iy used was the precursor to today’s DSG system.

Another distinct characteristic of the S1 was the sound. No, let me rephrase that. It was the S1’s SOUND. Think of a savage, un-muted exhaust, with one of the most intense wastegates ever. It reminds one of Top Gear from a few seasons back when Jeremy Clarkson tested the Prodrive P2. “It sounds like squirrels are being pushed into the engine.”

If you’ve never seen videos of the S1 in action, stop reading this and go find one. Many of the classic rally film clips from this area will be of the wide, square bodied S1 unleashing on some legendary course some where. Are you still reading?

Lancia 037 and Delta S4

The Lancia 037 made its Group B rally debut in 1982 at the Rally Costa Smeralda in Italy. Rear-wheel drive, with a supercharged 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine making 300+ horsepower, the 037 it won the 1983 World Championships with the legendary Walter Rohl in the driver’s seat and Finnish Markku Alen as co-driver. Lancia fitted the car with Kevlar body panels, independent double wishbone suspension both front and rear and dual shock absorbers at the back to deal with the punishment rally racing could inflict.

But, the introduction of all-wheel drive and the dominance of machines like the Audi S1 and Peugeot’s 205 T16, forced Lancia to upgraded the 037 to an Evolution 2 model, and then introduce an entirely new car in the Delta S4.

One of the things that made the Delta 4 unique was its use of both turbocharging and supercharging to help churn out around 480 horsepower. Having both systems gave the car the benefits of each; low-end power with the supercharger, then top-end power from the turbo. When operating a peak performance, the S4 could make an enormous 32 psi of boost. This, combined with AWD, could propel the Delta S4 to a incredible 2.3 second 0-60 mph. On gravel. The S4’s first victory came at the 1985 RAC Rally.

The S4 featured a tubular spaceframe and fully detachable carbon fibre bodywork, so if the car was accidentally planted into a tree, at least changing the body panels wouldn’t be too complicated. Speaking of crashes, the S4’s legacy was tinged with tragedy as it was the car that really signaled the end of Group B. Driver Henri Toivonen and co-driver Sergio Cresto, overcooked a corner at the 1986 Tour de Corse and plunged over a cliff, killing both men. Group B racing continued on for a while longer after this accident, but it proved to be an accelerator for the decline of the series.

Peugeot 205 T16

Peugeot’s entry into Group B racing was the 205 T16, so named because of the car’s turbocharged, 1.8 liter 16 valve engine. In racing trim, this squat, boxy rally monster made around 450 horsepower, and it took the Manufacturer’s titles in 1985 and 1986. Watch videos of the 205 T16 catching air over rolling crests and getting seriously sideways around gravel roads, and it’s easy to see why some people look back on the Group B era as the golden age of rally racing. It was these early rally machines like the 205 T16, that gave birth to today’s rally inspired road rockets like the Subaru WRX STI and Mitsubishi Evolution.

After the end of Group B, Peugeot create the 405 T16, loosely based on the company’s 405 sedan. The 405 T16 competed in and won the famous Paris-Dakar rally, and set a Pike’s Peak hillclimb record that stood for several years before being broken by the legendary hillclimber Rod Millen. The record setting run by driver Ari Vatanen was documented in the award winning film, Climb Dance. Watching Climb Dance will give you an entirely new appreciation for not only Vatanen’s driving skills, but also the incredible road that climbs Pike’s Peak.

Peugeot also campaigned the 405’s for several years in the British Touring Car Championship during the 1990’s, as well as the French Supertourisme Championship, which it won in 1994 and 1995.

Porsche 959

Porsche’s original intent with the legendary 959 was to have it compete in Group B racing. Manufactured from 1986 to 1989, the car was first known as the “Gruppe B”, a pretty obvious hint as to what it purpose was. After the FIA pulled the plug on the series, Porsche turned its focus with the 959 to creating the world’s fastest street car (which it achieved in 1986), as well as a successful competitor in the Paris-Dakar rally and the Le Mans endurance race. There is no question that the 959 became one of the world’s most sought after road cars and it owes it all to Group B.

Besides being gorgeous, wickedly fast and wildly rare, the 959 was really a technological showcase. It was the first high performance vehicle to use an advanced all-wheel drive system, capable of managing the torque distribution between the front and rear wheels, a precursor to the systems that can be found on a lot of modern cars. The 2.5-liter flat six engine featured sequential turbochargers and made around 450 horsepower. The price in the crazy 80’s for this dream machine? About $225,000 for each of the 337 cars made, with several later examples made in the early 90’s selling for far more than that.

At the time it was launched, the 959 went head to head with iconic machines like the Ferrari F40. While the F40 was a pared down racecar for the road, the 959 was classically Porsche; it created staggering performance through exquisite engineering, precision, and state-of-the-art technology. The 959 became the platform for which much of the systems and technology found in Porsche’s 911 series came from. Das ist gut.

Lancia Stratos

Like the Porsche 959, the Lancia Stratos was never actually a Group B competitor, but it helped set the stage for the monstrous Group B machines by defining what rally racing had the potential to be.

Three years in a row, from 1974 to 1976, the Stratos took the rally championship crown. Its distinct wedge shape was powered by a mid-mounted Ferrari V6 and made roughly 300 horsepower in naturally aspirated form, and well north of 500 horsepower in forced induction guise. Unlike some other rally cars which began life as a street car and were reengineered into rally cars, the Stratos was the first car designed from the ground up to be a rally machine. Only 492 examples were originally built with numerous others produced by imitators as kit cars. But as the interwebs have thoroughly documented, the real Lancia Stratos is experiencing something of a revival.

Funded by wealthy German businessman Michael Stoschek, the new Stratos has the underpinnings (engine, chassis) of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, and promises to be one exciting machine. Its design was started by Jason Castriota of Pininfarina and Stile Bertone fame, and pulls many of the elements of the old car into its fantastic design – the low stance, distinct shape, short front and rear overhangs. And like the old car, the new Stratos will have an exclusive limited production run and will very likely to be bought up by eager enthusiast and collectors quicker than it can make the sprint to 60 mph. Considering it accomplishes that in a shade over 3 seconds, the new car is almost guaranteed to make the Stratos name a legend for the second time.

Seeing the iconic Stratos brought back to life is incredibly exicting. That’s why we’d have the old and the new car in its green and white livery parked side by side in the Dream Garage. Now all we have to do is talk to Stoschek and convince him to give one up.

-Doran Dal Pra

We’ve tested a few different Audi R8′s on the show, and it seems that each one has been better than the last. We took a 4.2L V8 car on a frozen lake. I needed a substitute driver for our V10 5.2FSI review, but ripped my cast off and drove anyway. And we took to the track in a Supercharged 4.2L R8 in the second highest-viewed TST video ever.

Now, STaSIS has turned over the keys to the fastest R8 around: a 5.2L V10 Spyder running 7.5 psi of boost from a twin-scroll supercharger. This 710-horsepower beast can barely keep traction on our secret, closed canyon, and breaks Matt down into complete giggles, as a proper supercar should. Hit the jump to see what happens when Matt learns that when you have all-wheel-drive, no amount of power is ever too much.

Hit the jump to see the video.

We tested the Audi TT-S back in February, and found it to be an awesomely fun car with a very high price tag and a minimal amount of practicality. Audi fans in Europe, however, get an even hotter version of the TT, the RS. The TT-RS doesn’t just have more boost, it’s got an extra cylinder. The 2.5L 5-cylinder Turbocharged engine in this quickest of TT’s makes 340 horsepower and 332 lb/ft of torque (More than a Porsche Cayman S!), and is mated to Audi’s Quattro system through a DSG gearbox. Why are we talking about TT’s right now? Well, one of Audi’s not-so-well kept secrets is the TT is based on the A3/Golf platform, so pretty much anything you can do to one, you can do to the others.

Which brings us to this car, Audi’s new RS3 Sportback. Take that same 340 hp 5-cylinder, same all wheel drive system, and same dual-clutch tranny, and simply drop a 5-door body on top if it. Honestly, this sounds fucking brilliant. Running 17 pounds of boost, the RS3 will fly by the sixty mark in 4.6 seconds, which puts it a tenth quicker than the E46 BMW M3 and C5 Corvette. Audi also minimized the amount of unsprung weight on the car (mainly wheels, brakes, and suspension components) by maximizing its use of aluminum and other lightweight materials.

Sadly, we shouldn’t be holding our breath, as the odds we’ll be seeing the RS3 on our shores are quite minimal. But for our European readers, it will be selling for right around 49,000 Euros ($68,000 USD non-adjusted).

Nurburgring delivery anyone?

Quattrophiles rejoice! The drop-dead gorgeous Audi Quattro coupe concept was spotted cruising the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, and its driver let slip a tasty nugget of information: the coupe has been greenlit for a limited production build.

A Jalopnik reader took these photos of the Quattro at a gas station in Malibu, concept license plates, concept interior and all, being escorted by the California Highway Patrol. Along with it, heading for a photo shoot but not pictured, was a classic 1980′s Audi Quattro coupe. Given the original Quattro’s racing credibility, the new coupe has a large set of tires to fill, but we’re confident that with Audi’s commitment to performance, it won’t disappoint.

We especially like the juxtaposition of the S5-like profile curves and wheel arches with the throwback rear end and wing treatment. We’ll send a free The Smoking Tire T-shirt to the first tuner company that turns one of these into a Group-B Rally tribute racer.

[Source: Jalopnik]

The Audi RS4 is a wonderful car, powered by one of the best V8 engines ever built. Its Quattro system helps the RS4 get around corners as fast as humanly possible, regardless of the weather. But sadly, the RS4 is becoming outdated, having been out of production for two years now. But alas! VF Engineering has come to the rescue, with a twin-scroll supercharger package for Quattrophiles to tack on some horsepower: 550 of them. Hit the jump to see how this scary-fast car sounds and feels on the track.

For more information about VF Engineering’s Supercharger systems, visit: www.vf-engineering.com

VF Engineering knows power. By strapping superchargers on everything from Porsche 911′s to BMW M3′s, they know how to give an otherwise stock car a major power increase without compromising any other part of the car. We’ve sampled all their Supercharger packages at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, and we filmed mini-segments with each of them. This is the 560 horsepower, Supercharged Audi R8 4.2. Video below.

For more information, visit www.vf-engineering.com

In this episode of The Smoking Tire, we decide to test Audi’s version of an economy car to its limits, by attempting to drive to the Grand Canyon from Redondo Beach, CA, 550 miles, on a single 14.6 gallon tank of diesel fuel. We then take the Audi to Adams Motorsports Park for a timed lap to see if it’s a sporty economy car or an economical sports car. Video after the jump.

Welcome to Interactive Car Reviews, where we ask our readers what they would like to know about the car as soon as it arrives in our garage, and over the course of our week-long evaluation, we try to answer those questions as best we can. In our first installment, we discussed the Mercedes-Benz E550 Coupe.

This week, in The Smoking Tire garage is the 2010 Audi A3 TDI (that’s diesel for all our acronymally challenged readers). It’s 2-liter turbodiesel engine is rated at 140hp and can return 30/42 mpg, but the number we’re most interested in is the 236 lb/ft of available torque!

The problem with cars that get good fuel economy is that, for the most part, they aren’t any fun to drive. At least, that’s what most Americans think. In Europe, however, automakers have been building fun-t0-drive, economical diesels for a while. Audi hopes to bring that formula to America with its TDI “Clean Diesel” series of cars and SUV’s. We’ve driven the Q7 TDI extensively and loved it, so now it’s time to see what the A3 TDI can do.

So, what do you want to know about the Audi A3 TDI? Leave a comment….

Despite the energy crisis and a recession, supercars seem to be getting better at an exponential rate. The future of the automobile is uncertain, making the future of the super-automobile even more shaky. Companies are fighting for a shrinking pie, one that got even smaller with the economic shit-storm of 2009.  But like the raging bull that graces the front of a Lamborghini, no one is going down easy. Each passing year is like another prick from the matador, only infuriating the bull and making it fight harder.

In 2010 the fight shows no signs of waning. There are handfuls of incredibly fast, beautiful and powerful cars coming our way. They are all so good, yet so different, the only answer I can think of to, “Which would you buy?” is “All of them!” And that got me thinking, what would I-or you-buy?

Today I’ve put together a list of 6 of the newest and best supercars of 2010. They all cost $200-250,000, are street legal, go like stink and are true supercars. I want you to read the list. Now close your eyes, and imagine someone just placed $250,000 on the table in front of you, and you have to use that money to buy one of these cars. (You can imagine they have a gun if it helps.)

You can only choose one, and it has to be from the list. I don’t want you to say “I’d buy 2 ZR1′s.” or “I’d buy a Hyundai Accent and invest the rest in moderate-return IRA’s and use that to purchase petroleum opt…” Yes you could build a GTR that’s faster, or a used 996 turbo and build it up to 1000hp. That’s not the point. What would you pick from this list of cars coming to us  in 2010, if you had the cash. Yeah, you better imagine I have a gun…

1. Audi R8 GT

First on the casting couch is Audi’s upcoming R8 GT. Think of this as an R8 “superleggera.” It makes 35 more horsepower than the R8 V10 but thanks to CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) body panels it also weighs 220lbs less the standard V10.  Thanks to the standard AWD it rockets to 60mph in only 3.5 seconds and tops out at 200mph.

There are a ton of track-oriented options available like a full roll cage, kill switch, cup tires and 6 piston ceramic brakes. Sadly no amount of money will get you a 6-speed manual, as this car is only offered with the R-Tronic transmission. Audi has taken the car that set a new standard for daily-driven supercars and simply turned the “super” knob up a little bit. It’s $256,000 of brilliant engineering that has only perfected it’s racing skill set.

2. Aston Martin V-12 Vantage

Originally Aston Martin had no intention of sending the V12 Vantage to the U.S. Odd, considering we are their biggest market. However enough customers sent enough gift baskets and now it’s headed here. It would have been a travesty to keep it from us. The V12 Vantage was described by Aston’s CEO as their “most agile car with their most powerful engine ever.” It won it’s class at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring while being piloted by the CEO and a team of engineers. People say Astons are filled with passion and soul, and I think that race is a clue as to why.

It has the classic long hood of a true sports car. The 510hp/420 tq. V-12 uses a 6-speed manual transmission to send power to the rear wheels only. Those 2 factors make this the “purist” car in the lineup. 0-60 happens in a brisk 4.1 seconds and the fun doesn’t stop until 190mph. The interior is beautiful without going soft.

The price is $250,000, or for another $13k in bragging rights  you can get the Carbon Black Limited Edition. It may not lap a track as fast as some of the others, and at 3700 lbs it’s also the heaviest, but it is stunning inside and out and you can’t argue with a V12 and a 6 speed.

3. Porsche GT2 RS

If people think the new Cayennes aren’t “Porsche enough” this car should balance that out. The standard GT2 is a 530hp, temperamental beast. It’s essentially the RWD purity of the GT3RS with the engine of a turbo, and the result was terrifying. If that car was scary, this one will simply cause drivers to go into catatonic shock. 620hp. 3,020lbs. 0-60 in 3.4 and the 747-like thrust doesn’t stop until 205mph. It’s simply the most powerful and fastest Porsche ever made, faster even than the Carrera GT.

Upgrades from the regular GT2 include a carbon fiber hood, wing, front splitter and intakes. It has a revised PSM (Porsche Stability Management) system, suspension and brakes. Special tires were made just for this car to handle the combination of grip and acceleration. This car calls back to the “glory” days of Porsche when they had lots of power, no amenities and could rip your head off if you looked at them wrong. It may not burble comfortably around town like a Turbo, but it’s time of 7:18 beat an Enzo around the ‘Ring. It’s like a Carrera GT without the sex appeal and-at $245,000-half the price. (Check out the video.)

4. Ferrari 458 Italia

Although I didn’t love the headlights when it first came out, I will now admit this is the best-looking car in this lineup. It’s angular yet supple, combing the sexy with the sinister. It’s 4.5 liter V8 makes 560hp at a sonorous 9,000RPM, yet somehow manages to make 80% of it’s 400 tq. at only 3,250RPM. Simply incredible. Of course it’s also the nerd of the group, with Ferrari’s E-Diff and F1 Traction Control. All this comes together in the form of 3.35 seconds to 60 and a 202mph top speed.

The interior is very modern-looking combination of creature comforts and racing tools. You can flip through the various settings with the manettino switch on the wheel, changing everything from how soft the shocks are to how hard the 7-speed DCT transmission shifts. You can also listen to music while directed by the SAT NAV.

The 458 is supercar technology at it’s highest, from the biggest name in the business. At $230,000 it seems like a bargain, but you’ll have to hire body guards to watch it 24/7 so you can sleep at night, and don’t forget about those maintenance costs.

5. Mercedes SLS AMG  Gullwing

The SLS was one of the most talked about and followed cars of recent years. Spy shots and speculation were blanketed on magazines and rumors about specs were more prevalent than HPV. Now it’s here, and what a car it is. The boys from Jalopnik put it bes; they expected a luxury car with some track ability, but got a track car that was also luxurious.

The outside, of course, is a call back to the original SL. The nose is longer than Mrs. Streisand’s but makes the overall shape downright gorgeous. I think it’s 2nd in the looks department only to the 458.  I was actually surprised it was priced at $200,000.

That money gets you 571hp and 480 tq. sent through a 7 speed trans-axle and shoved into a 3,571lb box. Its 0-60 time of 3.8s puts it in 5th place, but the top speed of 197 is on par with everyone else. It’s not as razor-sharp as the GT2, but is still fast on uneven roads, something the GT2 RS stumbles on. The soundtrack from the side pipes circles perfection. Gorgeous inside and out, and with doors that will elicit stares from any bystander, this car can turn heads and break necks.

6. Lamborghini LP560-4

Fittingly, the final contestant is a raging bull itself; the LP560-4. It won countless magazine showdowns when it hit the roads, combining beauty, brawn and brains into one incredible package. And because it’s a Lamborghini, it comes with a VIP card of mystique that goes back decades. Because it gets a lot of it’s parts from Audi (trades, rather) it also means the stuff all works. So you can go from 0 to 62 in 3.7 seconds all day long, instead of twice. Like the others, top speed is 200mph.

The body has the angular, aggressive face we’ve come to expect from Lamborghini, and it looks incredible. It’s low and short, and the AWD adds confidence to its agility, a deadly combo. It also comes with a 6 speed, so you can’t call it a video game. At $200,000 it may seem like the best choice; Italian looks and appeal, Audi reliability and serious performance. But it won’t be cheap for long. The options list is longer than the health care bill, and if you pick the wrong (or right?) paint color you’re looking at another $25,000. Just ordering the E-Gear tacks on $10,000. Still, an R8 V10 in an Italian body is difficult to walk past.

So there you have it, 6 of the best cars you can buy for about $250,000. Post below which one you would want, and tell us why. And don’t forget about the gun.

-Zack K

The Smoking Tire heads out to the mountains of Malibu to tear up two of Audi’s finest sports sedans: the 2010 Audi S4 and the 2007 Audi RS4. We talk about some of the finer points of each car, as well as a few, say, quibbles.

“This is the most orange car I’ve ever seen.”

“Wow, you are soooo getting pulled over in that.”

“What do they think this thing is, a Lamborghini?”

-Reactions from my girlfriend, cameraman, and intern upon seeing the Solar Orange 2010 Audi TT-S pull into the driveway.

I was immediately smitten. I’d never thought much about the TT before; it’s always been kind of a girl’s car, the kind of car someone my size looks very silly driving. Its miniature, curved body, short overhangs, low roofline, and small engine make the perfect up-and-coming female executive’s car. It’s stylish, but those who really thought about driving dynamics (read: men) would traditionally be looking elsewhere, like to the TT’s bigger brothers, the S4, S5, or Porsche Cayman.

But wait, I hear the TT-S is fast. Can adding a bit of flair, more boost, and some orange paint turn the “secretary’s Audi” into a real man’s corner carving dream? More importantly, is it fast enough to justify the color? Hit the jump to find out.

I loved the first-generation TT. That car was the best example of retro-future styling I had ever seen up to that point, and the chrome-ringed interior, light weight, and free-revving turbocharged engine made it an absolute joy to drive. The second generation lost me, and didn’t win me back until the Orange Julius showed up in my driveway, wearing the 2010 S4’s 19” wheels, LED lights, and flared fenders. This car looks good.

The TT-S may appear small, but it’s really just an illusion based on the low roofline, and short overhangs. It’s bigger than a Mini Cooper, but smaller than a Nissan Z. Despite the low roof, it’s very easy to get in and out of, and once inside, you realize how roomy they have managed to make the interior. There’s more headroom than the Genesis Coupe, more legroom than my girlfriend’s Volvo V70, and more shoulder space than a Porsche Cayman. There is a back seat, but discussing it would simply lead me to references about midgets and amputees, and you’ve heard it all before. On the other hand, folding down that back seat reveals a Corvette-rivaling trunk volume. Never once did I want for additional room. Speaking of the trunk, Audi’s cargo net is brilliant, holding my meats and produce in place no matter how ridiculously fast I drove home from the grocery store.

The TT-S’s seats and steering wheel come straight out of the R8, and both are best in class. Steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters used to bother me, but with dual clutch transmissions and all wheel drive, there’s no reason not to be shifting mid-corner anymore. The seats are firm, bolstered, and very adjustable, and keep you in place without feeling cramped or pinched. Ergonomics in the TT are second to none, with every function, button, and control well within reach and exactly where you’d expect it to be, with two exceptions: After driving the A4 and S4 for the past 2 weeks, going back to the TT-S’s last-gen radio/navigation controls really did feel like a step backwards in design. The 2011 refresh of the TT will most certainly update that feature. And I really would like to see a real armrest, not just a piece of padding on top of the parking brake handle.

The TT-S is powered by a 2.0L, 265 horsepower, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, mated to Audi’s DSG dual-clutch 6-speed gearbox, and of course, Quattro all wheel drive. 265 horsepower may not sound like much for a $52,000 (as tested) car, but the relatively low curb weight of 3,200 pounds, seamless shifting, and endless amounts of boost at high revs make the TT-S feel much faster than the sum of its parts. Sixty comes in 4.9 seconds if you use Audi’s launch control system, which you must, because if you don’t, you may as well measure acceleration with an hourglass. If you don’t use launch control, the TT-S is dangerously slow from a stop. NOTHING happens below 3,500 RPM in this engine. Zero to twenty takes about 4 seconds, so leave plenty of room pulling out into traffic. On the other hand, once the turbo spools up, hold on to your license, because the TT-S will be rocketing down the road at extra-legal speeds in no time. That 3,500 RPM mark on the tachometer may as well be an on/off switch. Audi says the car is limited to 155 mph, but I can tell you that it also runs out of gear at the same time it hits the limiter. On the other hand, the car is rock solid at that speed, and it’s just so easy to drive fast, that I was able to average 94 mph for over 2 hours on a recent road trip. The acceleration from 75 to 155 is amazing, on par with much more expensive cars, and reinforcing my opinion that Audi’s are designed for the Autobahn, not the dragstrip.

The window sticker claims the TT-S can achieve 21/29 fuel economy, which it can, but only if you leave the shifter in “D-automatic,” which is Audi-speak for “never go into boost, ever.” If you are planning on spending $50,000 on a sports car and driving in this mode, I have one word for you: don’t. Even if you floor it, the eco-mode requires THREE downshifts to get into boost. By then, you’ve been rear-ended by a road-rage-filled Prius driver. Then there’s “S-automatic” mode, which keeps the engine in boost all the time. Great, if you don’t want to shift on a country backroad, but around town, having the engine in boost all the time makes this car go waaaay too fast, and you’ll find yourself slamming on the brakes at every red light, after realizing you’re going 85 in a 30. Fortunately, the brakes in the TT are nothing south of stellar.

After day 1, I found myself driving in manual shift mode all the time, because it was the only way I could keep the lag vs. boost under control. Shifts come immediately and with a satisfying burble from the quad-exhaust tips, and before you know it, you’re going 120 mph shifting into 6^th at redline. The result of my “spirited” driving style? 16.4 miles per gallon of Premium fuel. The TT-S can easily burn through a full tank in under 200 miles if boost is your friend.

In the twisties, keeping the engine right on the edge of boost while entering a corner will allow you to get back on the gas way early, and the car will spool up right as the Quattro system is pulling it through the corner. It’s a fantastic feeling, and the TT-S makes a great corner-carving companion. If you live in the mountains, this car is for you.

At the end of the day, I wouldn’t buy this car though. Why? Because I know that there’s a TT-RS out there, with a 5-cylinder engine, 80 extra horsepower, and 70 extra lb/ft of torque. I have no doubts that the TT-RS cures everything I don’t like about the TT-S, and possibly some of the things that I haven’t even thought of yet. The TT isn’t enough, and the TT-RS isn’t available in the US (so far). Which leaves the TT-S in a middle ground between two non-options.

Kind of a shame really, because beating the snot out of this thing is damn fun.

[Edit: On the last day of testing, the TT-S showed a TPMS, or Tire Pressure Monitoring System fault. All 4 tires have plenty of air in them, but the car is convinced there is a flat. This is the second electrical problem encountered in the last three Audi’s we’ve driven. The first was a major electronic transmission control problem in the A4 Avant, which Zack experienced as “being confused into neutral” and I experienced as “the engine will not rev over 4,000 RPM after shifting into 3^rd at redline while in manual mode. I was not able to rectify the problem by restarting the car or disconnecting the battery for a few minutes, and told the issue to Audi, who claims to be working on it. I hope that Audi is not falling victim to “Toyota Synrdome” and quality control of the electronic systems in these brand new cars will remain reliable.]

Audi provided the car, a tank of gas, and insurance for this review.

Americans shy away from wagons like they are the smelly kid at school. “Too bad it’s a wagon.” is the same as, “He’s cool but he smells.” Wagons were around long before the SUV showed up, and then watched as Americans scooped them up by the dozens and took them home to a nice warm garage, leaving the wagon outside in the cold thinking, “But I can carry all that stuff, and I’m more fun to drive.”

We passed wagons by when SUVs showed up, and now the “crossover” has come along to try and steal the much-deserved thunder again. Not on my watch. Make the jump for my review of the brilliant 2010 Audi A4 2.0 TFSI Avant.

The American disdain for the wagon is something I do not understand. Perhaps it’s because when I was 12, a family friend owned a 1955 Chevy Nomad Wagon. It had a healthy (and loud) 350 under the hood, a great stance, 5 spokes and a gorgeous baby blue/white paint job. I just saw it as another sweet hot rod, not a wagon.

That attitude has stuck with me. You will never hear me say, “It’s a good car, too bad it’s a wagon.” In fact, looks aside, if two cars drive identically I would prefer the wagon. It has more space, more versatility and gives you more options. If you want to drive 3 friends to the beach, and bring your German Shepherd with you, you can. In a sedan, your friends would have to ride in the trunk. (YOU try telling that dog to get in the trunk.)

So when Matt gave me the keys for the 2010 Audi A4 Avant in the driveway, I approached it not with the common attitude of, “I’ll just leave my testicles at home.” but with the excitement that comes from knowing 1. Audi cars are generally a pleasure to drive. and 2. “Wagon” does not have to mean “boring.” If you don’t believe me go for a ride in an RS6, and call me after they pull your tongue out of your throat.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and it’s true here. The headlights on this car look like those of hawk; intimidating and completely focused on their target, even when sitting still. Audi has been doing a wonderful job of balancing smooth lines and sharp edges, resulting in refined aggression. The Avant is a perfect example. The nose is familiar Audi, with a slight freshening on the fascia that moves closer to the RS4′s face without causing confusion between the two. All the lines of the headlights, lip, and LEDs flow toward the large, black grill and the 4 rings. It’s not as in-your-face as the Lancer’s shark face, but it’s far from mundane.

The profile brings us back to the subtle athleticism. Gone are the days of flat-backed wagons that looked like a sedan with a fish tank sitting on the trunk. The long nose and laid-back windshield make it look low and slippery. From there there’s a constant drop to the D pillar, where the car slopes quickly but smoothly to the bumper. The shape alone makes the car look like its only mission is flowing through the Autobahn like a torpedo.

It also drives like it was made for the Autobahn. It only has a 2.0 liter, 4 cylinder engine but with Audi’s TFSI fuel system and a healthy turbo charger it makes 211hp and a respectable 258 ft lbs of torque at only 1500 RPM. That kind of grunt makes this feel much faster around town than the 0-60 time of 6.3 seconds sounds. With fast spool-up and great throttle response, this car feels much smaller and more nimble in LA traffic than I thought possible. The acceleration dwindles at higher speeds, but I never felt bored and I doubt most customers will complain. Unfortunately, the engine has far less bark than it does bite. Windows up or down, you barely hear more than muffled intake. I appreciate a quiet car, but this was quieter than Pamela Anderson was with Kid Rock. I’d like the exhaust note to be a little more like Tommy Lee.

Aiding the runabout is the Tiptronic transmission. In automatic mode the system works perfectly. It selects the highest gear possible, enabling the A4 to get  21/27mpg city/highway. I did, however, encounter a problem; this automatic is easily confused. As I was gently accelerating it tried to move from 2nd into a higher gear, but at the same moment I pressed the gas a little more. I wasn’t trying to confused the system, I just wanted to go a bit faster. This confused the transmission, leaving me in a weird form of neutral. More gas did nothing, but neither did lifting. After a few seconds the car picked a gear, but had I been turning across traffic I would have been at minimum peeved, at worst, dead. I’ll gladly take a small hit on gas mileage to ensure the car continues forward motion. Call me old fashioned, I like my car to do that.

But no matter, because it’s more fun (and apparently safer) to pick the gears yourself.  Our car came with the $1450 Sport Package, which meant along with 18 inch wheels and a better steering wheel it had shift paddles. Click it over to Sport mode and your fingertip’s wish is the car’s command. Drop a few gears and mash the throttle and the car pulls forward with smooth determination. I felt like the conductor of a high-speed train, so smooth and drama-free was the acceleration, that only a look to the speedometer clued me in to my actual speed.

Even better than the engine is the handling. The car corners flat except when at the extreme limit, which is no surprise considering this car can attain an incredible .92g on a skid pad. That is well above it’s competition from Volvo or BMW. Audi is really hitting it’s stride in handling dynamics. The 3,850lb Avant is no 9 year old Chinese gymnast (oh sorry, 16, right.) but it feels like a lighter car. Directional changes happen as fast as you can turn the wheel, and the Quattro system provides complete confidence.

Inside you’re in the intuitive and brilliant cocoon that has become Audi’s forte. Audi makes the best interiors in the business, and I’d be tired of saying it if I didn’t like them so damn much. Almost all the materials in the cabin are top-notch, or at least look it. The balance of black rubber, leather and quality plastic contrasting with bright aluminum is great. In between the tach and speedo is a small screen that can be changed from radio to NAV, fuel econ, or phone functions. The window switches were a little flat-looking, and it was easy to notice the fake aluminum dash when it’s sitting right above the drilled aluminum surrounding the shifter, but I’m nit-picking. It’s a sharp-looking cockpit, everything is where you want it, and it feels great (the wheel is particularly nice. Ahem, Hyundai.)

It’s not what they’re equipped with, but how it’s done. For example, within minutes of sitting in this car (and without even seeing a manual) I had synched my phone with the in-car BlueTooth and was making phone calls. The menus of the MMI system are very easy to use and smartly organized. It’s packed with the usual fancy features you expect of a car in this class; Sat NAV, BlueTooth, iPod, Satellite Radio, Smart Phone interaction, radio and car features. But my favorite part were the shortcut buttons surrounding the MMI wheel.

Say I’m driving down the highway, flipping through the Satellite radio stations, trying to find a song without Lil Wayne in it (Check NPR, mayyybe a country station. No guarantees.) and I realize there’s a 15-highway interchange coming up and I have no idea where to go. Rather than fumble with the wheel looking for the “back” button, I just hit the “NAV” button and the NAV screen pops right up in place of the radio stations. Simple, easy, brilliant. There’s buttons for each menu, and there’s 4 more buttons closest to the MMI wheel that have different functions depending on what menu you’re in. It makes using the system effortless.

The back seat is comfortable enough, but the leg room won’t keep you happy on a long road trip. The back seats are bolstered like Kate Hudson, so passengers will be making good use of those door handles during “spirited” errands. The cargo area is again, smart. There’s 6 metal anchor points, as well as a DC plug (The 3rd in the car). And if you fold those seats flat, you have as much cargo space as a Mercedes GLK or Audi Q5. Why’d you buy that SUV again?

This car drives exactly as I expected: wonderfully. It’s comfortable, quiet, agile and as quick or docile as I want. It had every gadget I needed, without needing an ITT Tech degree to work them. It has the safety of AWD, the speed of a sport sedan, and the space of it’s Q5 big brother. And on top of all of that, it’s a hoot to drive. Sure it’s no RWD coupe or freeway monster, but you could pack it with camping gear and rip up to the camp site.
The only negative is the cost. Our car, fitted with the Sport Package, NAV Package and Premium Plus package came to $44,100. At first glance it’s a lot, but when you look at the competition, it’s actually a bargain. A BMW 328i wagon is comparable, but it’s RWD. Cadillac’s new CTS Sport Wagon, with RWD and the V6, starts at $44,055 and quickly crosses into the 50s with options. You could look at on of the new crossover offerings, but even the boring-both to sit in and drive-Toyota Venza has the same MSRP (V6 AWD model). An SUV at this level will cost way more, and get it’s fake machismo handed to it in the twisties. With AWD, 260 ft lbs of torque, a delightful interior and great handling, this is luxurious practicality at a bargain.

Which brings me back to my original thought; why don’t we like wagons? The majority of SUV owners neither off-road nor tow anything. SUVs get worse gas mileage, are slower through corners and generally cost more. There’s a stigma with wagons that they will turn you into a boring person reminiscent of Chevy Chase’ Clark Griswold. That may have been the case in the past, but not here. This car can box with plenty of “sporty” cars, without having to leave half it’s Costco haul in the parking lot. If you were looking for something to fill the gap between sedan and a 4×4, this is it.

- Zack K

They say, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” We’ve all heard that line, and if you’re like me, it’s an infuriating thing to hear. It’s always said to you after something horrible happens. Perhaps an earthquake knocked down your garage…onto your new car…with Megan Fox inside.

This week we had a Nissan 370z Convertible to review. What better environment is there for a convertible sports car than a road trip? So we drove it to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, in Pahrump, NV. We had planned to pit a Ford GT against a Nissan GTR and use a radar gun to see which could reach the highest speed down the back straight.

The radar gun never came.

Had life given us lemons? For a moment we thought our episode was lost. But then a very nice man from Lamborghini of Las Vegas said 7 very exciting words to Matt, “Would you like to drive the Balboni?” No, life had not given us lemons. In this case, life felt bad about the lemons, so it took them and made us lemon sorbet, which it fed to us while giving us a back-rub.

The momentarily-dark day turned into one of the best  yet. The key players? A Lamborghini LP-560-2 Balboni Edition, a 1000hp Ford GT TT by Heffner Performance and a VF Engineering-Supercharged Audi R8. Check back Tuesday to see the incredible footage, and find out who was the fastest. For now, enjoy the behind-the-scenes pictures.

The R8. I haven’t known too many cars that induce drooling and heart palpitations, from so many people, as this car. It’s not just the gear-heads and auto-knowledge ninjas either. I know business women that love them, young kids that have chased them, and retirees that give an informed nod when I mention it. I will skip listing the numerous awards, accolades, press and 849568 posts online-that simply say, “I want one”-we all love it. It is an incredibly brilliant piece of automotive engineering.

The only real complaint anyone had about the car was that it was under-powered. The 4.2 liter V-8 is a great engine, but it was holding the R8 back (a point supported by the introduction of the R8 V10). A number of companies (ABT, MTM, PES Tuning) have years of experience supercharging this motor in the RS4, so naturally supercharger kits came about quickly, with online promotional videos quickly following. The videos were epic (Watch Matt in the PES R8). What was a tame, polished scalpel was now a powerful but precise katana sword. The MTM R8 made 560hp, and had a sound track that shook your ribcage and stirred the soul. What was “the perfect super-car” to the masses had now been perfected for the purists.

But for Jason Heffner, there was another way to skin this cat that hadn’t been explored: turbos.

Yes turbos. Those happy little swirls of metal that give slow cars a pair of balls and fast cars a pair of balls made of Pluto and the moon. Jason Heffner, of Heffner Performance, has been building turbo-charged exotics for over a decade. We showed you their TT LP-640, and they’ve been having equal success with the new Lamborghini LP-560, with a few breaking the 1000hp barrier.

Well if you know how to build a daily driven TT Lamborghini-the equivalent of giving a real bull some HGH and cocaine right before you hop on- you can probably help the R8 with it’s horsepower deficiency. Using the stock motor, Jason fabricated a custom exhaust system that accepted a pair of Performance Turbocharging turbos. The quality of the work is surgical, the design elegant. The custom-made after-cooler looks  clean, simple and beautiful; you would think Audi had built it themselves.

So what are the results from the world’s first twin-turbo Audi R8? At 6 psi, on pump gas, it made 536AWHP (Click to view Dyno chart) Heffner’s R8 basically makes the same power at the wheels as the ABT and MTM cars do at the crank. That is not to say the other cars aren’t incredible, they are. With instant power and torque, they let the R8 to keep it’s V8 “feel”. The Heffner turbo system simply takes this docile supercar and turns it into an absolute weapon. Lag appears to be minimal, and the sound is as good as ever. The sound of the blow-off valve surrounded by a thunderous bombardment of V8 is truly awesome. And if that doesn’t fix your addiction for power, you can pour in some 100 octane juice and transform your car into a 600AWHP, sub-11 second missile.

Whether you prefer turbos or superchargers is a matter of personal preference and the goals you have for the car. But no matter which route you take, adding some extra air to you R8 is a very good thing. What made the R8 the “perfect supercar” was it’s ability to handle any task you wished, whether it was lapping Laguna Seca or getting coffee, with a poise and control not often seen in exotic cars. What the Heffner package does is erase the only complaint ever written in the R8′s work file. It also makes it almost pointless to own anything else. This isn’t merely a daily driver supercar, it’s a daily driver hypercar. With this much power, in this car, there’s no reason to own much else.

-Zack K

Watch the on-road testing here.

The dyno run.

When we drove the PES Tuning Supercharged Audi R8 back in June, many people wondered why they didn’t simply strap a twin-turbo set up on the thing and be done with it. At the time, PES representatives told us that they wanted a more even power delivery throughout the entire powerband, and that turbocharging would make the engine feel “laggy.” I can’t necessarily counter that argument, but with 536 Wheel Horsepower on tap, Heffner Performance’s attempt at a TT setup for the R8 seems to be a total success. Got a 100-octane pump in your neighborhood? That figure jumps all the way up to 600 Wheel Horsepower, or a low-10 second quarter mile time. Yay forced induction!

[Source: WorldCarFans]

VW and Audi are ramping up their clean-diesel technology advertisements. They started out with some print ads, showcasing the AUDI TDI R10 Diesel Race car. This showed people diesel was no longer reserved for UPS trucks or hippies running an ’82 Volvo on old McFries oil. Diesel can be fast and exhilirating, got it. On other side of the coin are the TV ads showing off the excellent gas mileage their Clean Diesel Technology allows. So diesel is for racers and commuters alike, but how could Audi show off how clean and environmentally friendly it is? Like walking behind 5 Philidelphia Eagles fans after lunch, diesel cars were known for fouling the air for anyone behind it with putrid smoke, bad smells, and obnoxious noise. VW/AUDI had to change that, and with the video above, they spell it out very clearly; “Our diesel cars are so clean, we made this timeless standby method of suicide obselete. Buy a gun, because we’re saving the planet.” Leave it to the Germans to turn suicide into a funny, evironmentally-conscious commercial. No doubt we won’t see this commercial in the U.S., because people are so stupid and so greedy they would probably try this, die, and have their family sue Audi.

We hope you enjoyed your Holiday. Whether there were tress, or candles, or an Festivus Pole made of aluminum, we hope you had fun. Whether you were sitting in front of mom’s home-cooked turkey, ham, or Limbaugh-shaped Tofurkey, I’m sure it was nice to put your feet up and relax. Enjoy the undeserved gifts.

Our vacation was horrible. All we did was work. It was rough. Matt had to test an Audi R8 V10, but his leg was hurt, so he couldn’t drive. No movement, doctor’s orders. Now what? He can’t use an intern. That’s like giving Adriana Lima to a virgin; a waste with a disappointing end. What to do? You’ll have to watch the upcoming R8 episode to find out. Until then, here’s a few photos from our horrible, intolerable, incredibly dull Christmas.

Welcome to Ze Germans Know More Than Us, where we take advantage of the fact that Dan, our intern, speaks fluent German and can translate German news! This time, Autobild.de brings us the results of the latest Continental Tires/Autobild Tuner Challenge at the Nardo High-Speed Ring.

English Summary:

Once a year Auto Bild Sportscars and Continental Tires join forces to bring us one of the greatest automotive events known to enthusiasts. The High Performance Event at Nardo 2009. 18 cars from 13 different tuners in an all out balls-to-the-wall contest of speed. Together, 11,135 horsepower compete to smash all records. [Anyone do that math? That's an AVERAGE of 618 hp - Ed.]

Now, running 155 mph is something most high performance vehicles can easily do nowadays. However after 155, multiple factors come into play in the quest for speed. Not only engine power, wind resistance and vehicle weight come into play, but also little things like asphalt friction. To somewhat level the playing field, all cars were fitted with Continental tires. In the end, the biggest adversary of speed is Resistance. Did they have the power to fight it? Without further delay, this year’s list of cars and tuners after the jump:

We’re not surprised when a Twin-Turbo Corvette goes 213 mph, or when a 700 horsepower Audi RS6 can hit 208. Hell, the Americans can do that! And then, just when we got bored of high-speed testing, German psycho-tuner Brabus shows up with a v12-powered GLK (the stock form of which we tested, and hated, but there are few problems 700+ horsepower engine won’t solve), and proceeds to run 211 mph, securing themselves the record for the world’s fastest ugly SUV. In all honesty, I may have added the ugly part myself. Then, someone shows up with a VW Eurovan and runs 193 mph! Turns out it’s got a a Porsche 997 Turbo drivetrain swap. Nice.

ABT Audi RS6 – 700 hp – 335 km/h – 208 mph
ABT Audi R8 – 560 hp – 314 km/h – 196 mph
AC Schnitzer ACS3 3.5d – 310 hp – 700 Nm – 516 lb. ft. – 289 km/h – 179 mph
AC Schnitzer ACS4 3.0 – 380 hp – 303 km/h – 188 mph
Lorinser C LV8 313 km/h – 194 mph
Steinmetz OPC 395 hp – 287 km/h – 178 mph
Manhart M3 5.0 V10 – 550 hp – 317 km/h – 196 mph
9ff TR 1000 Fastest car at Nardo 2009 – 376 km/h – 233 mph
9ff Panamera PT 55 – 308 km/h – 191 mph
9ff Speed9 – 650 hp – 288 kmh/h – 178 mph
Hohenester A4 HS 50 G (Twin Turbo V6) – 650 hp – 353 km/h – 219 mph
Brabus GLK V12 – 750 hp – 337km/h – 211 mph
Techart Cayenne Turbo S 680 hp – 321 km/h – 199 mph
GeigerCars Corvette (Twin turbo) – 790 hp – 343 km/h – 213 mph
edo competion Gallardo – 600 hp – 339.8 km/h – 211 mph
edo competion Panamera – 305 km/h – 191 mph
MKB SL 65 Black Series – 751 hp – 1250 Nm – 921 lb. ft. – 330 km/h – 205 mph
TH2 RS (essentially VW Eurovan with a Turbo 911 engine in it)- 780 hp – 311 km/h – 193 mph

The Brabus GLK’s Special high speed wheel covers may be carbon fiber and add 20mph

on the top end, but they can’t fix ugly.

It’s been too long since I made an appearance on Fast Lane Daily, so when they came out for the LA Auto Show it was only right that I deliver them a Pizza…. on a $16,000 Moto Guzzi Stelvio 1200QV!

When I was younger, I would spend my weekends hopping from dealership to dealership test-driving cars. I looked older, and dressed the part, which made my lies to salesmen more believable. As I have gotten older, I have gained increasingly more access to test vehicles, and my dealership experience has faded.

But in this series, I go back to my roots and begin to test-drive cars straight off dealership lots, because, well, I gotta get cars somehow. Besides, when you limit yourself to driving only very good sports cars, your perceptions of reality can get a little warped. That’s why, in this series, I’m going to try to stay away from sports cars.

This week, I drove three small, German SUV’s, the Mercedes GLK350, BMW X3 3.0 Xdrive, and Audi Q5 3.2. I hate this class of vehicle, especially since these vehicles offer less sport, and barely more utility than a station wagon, yet cost thousands more.

The Evidence (base price shown)

Audi Q5: $37,200

Audi A4 Avant: $34,500

Mercedes GLK350: $35,475

Mercedes C300 (sedan quoted, wagon available 2011): $33,600

BMW X3 3.0 XDrive: $39,575

BMW 328i Wagon: $35,400

Granted, the SUV’s offer more base power than their wagon counterparts, but with more mass to move, it’s easy to understand why the power is needed. Despite my hatred of the small SUV, we press on with the comparison:

Third Place: Mercedes GLK350

May as well come out and say it: the GLK is impossibly ugly. The exterior styling, while making an effort to be futuristic and edgy, comes off as neither. It looks like someone raised the roof, literally, on a C-class, then hacked off the trunk. Mercedes says that the GLK’s “design language” is based on the G-class, a 30-year old design that, for some reason, continues to sell to overindulgent morons in Hollywood like Megan Fox and Hilary Duff. I don’t see the styling connection, as it looks much more like the GL-class than the original G. Besides, even if it is any good off road, no one will ever know, because no one who knows they will be off-roading when thinking of buying a new car would ever consider the GLK, especially one fitted with the optional 20″ wheels.

My test car’s window sticker read $40,600, the cheapest as-tested price of this group. It included the Premium Package ($3,150), Sport Package ($900), and iPod integration ($375). The car did not have the COMMAND navigation system, which comes with a backup camera and costs another $3,000.

The interior is about what you’d expect: good fit and finish, great visibility out of the car, which makes sense given the upright seating position and generous amount of glass, and comfortable front seats, if lacking bolstering. I was pleasantly surprised to see real brushed aluminum used in the dash and trim, and then that surprise was offset by my shock at how much hard plastic is used in the interior. The dash, door panels, center console, and rear cargo area are all trimmed out in plastic. I was also disappointed in the lack of a better leather option, if you could even call it that. The salesman assured me that it’s real leather, I didn’t believe him for a second, and I have since learned that there will be a better “Upholstery Package” offered in 2010. It couldn’t come soon enough. The front, power operated driver’s seat has plenty of legroom and headroom for my large frame, and rear seat room was a close second in this test, slightly roomier than the Audi and tigher than the BMW. The front passenger seat had full, manual controls, and though it was just as roomy, a car at this price point really should have full power seats. I don’t understand why Mercedes would install a power steering wheel and not a power front seat, when its clear which would be more useful. The rear seats fold flat, a standard in this class, providing plenty of storage space.

Driving the GLK350 could best be described as “bland,” which is probably what the kind of aspirational appliance-seeker who would buy it wants. Its 268hp 3.5L V6 makes more than enough power to get the GLK from A to B, and not nearly enough power to have fun along the way. Its 258 lb/ft of torque are highest in this test, though, and it does scoot off the line with very little pedal effort. The salesman assured me that by putting the 7-speed SelectShift transmission in “sport” and shifting myself, that it would be more fun. It wasn’t. Upshifts took a full “one, Mississippi” count, and throttle-blips on downshifts would be way too much to ask. The GLK is one of those “throw it in D” kind of cars. The brakes work adequately for around-town commuting, though the pedal suffers from a serious case of the squishies. Expected fuel economy is about 18mpg overall, or 22/16 on the EPA scale. Unsurprisingly, Mercedes recommends 91 octane or higher.

Despite the $7,000 as-tested advantage over the other two vehicles in this test, the GLK was a clear dead last. It felt least attached to its luxury heritage, least equipped, and, in my opinion, the worst styling.

Good: You can tell your friends you drive a Mercedes, even if just barely.

Bad: An attempt at an aggressive, sporty SUV resulted in a tall wagon that’s anything but aggressive or sporty.

The Smoking Tire: A Mercury Mariner is more comfortable, just as functional, and better looking, for $10,000 less.

Second Place: BMW X3 3.0 XDrive

The aging X3 is the oldest design of this segment, first appearing on the market in 2004 with the anemic 2.5L engine and lack of performance to match. The good news is that, since then, BMW has decided to paint the trim body color and add the 3.0L 260hp engine to the X3, an improvement of 76hp from the original model. Unfortunately, not much else has changed. The X3 is still hideous, but now with front and rear fascias which attempt to mimic its big brother the X5. Sadly, the exterior proportions are still very awkward: it’s squat, yet upright, it looks more like a misshapen 3-series than a member of the X family.

Things get better inside, as the Bimmer’s leather is best-of-the group. The doors are sculpted and stitched with high quality, soft leather, and the door handles are works of metallic art. In typical BMW fashion, the steering wheel is thick and has just the right amount of padding, and is also fully adjustable, albeit manually. The dash, like the current-generation 3 and 5 series, doesn’t angle towards the driver, as it does in the Audi, it bulges in the center and gets narrower towards either door, a somewhat awkward proportion. Climate controls are standard BMW fare, except I still don’t understand why there’s a hot/cold selector knob in between the two center vents. Every BMW I have driven since I turned 16 has had this feature, and I don’t know any more about it now than I did then. If the climate system is indeed fully automatic, as it appears to be, then why the second control knob? The salesman, nice as he was, couldn’t explain its presence either, and once my questions about it fully confused him, I stopped asking. Immediately noticeable on my $48,000 test vehicle was the strange lack of iDrive. Instead, the X3 has a pop-up screen with the average-at-best Navigation system most commonly used in the E46 3-series and E39 5-series. Don’t get me wrong; it worked great, in 2002. Next year, the X3 is due in for a redesign, no doubt including iDrive. The X3 does get points, however, for the roomiest and best upholstered rear seat.

The X3’s strong suit is the slickr’n greased owl shit 3-liter straight six. Though it’s the least powerful of the three, it’s only just, and it pulls the car without a single vibration felt through the chassis or steering wheel. This is an engine that is so refined at this point, I doubt it could get any better, except, maybe, by strapping on a couple turbos. Oh, wait, they already did that. In fact, why isn’t that engine offered? Nevertheless, the X3 is the lightest of the bunch, so it’s slight power deficiency isn’t too detrimental. BMW hasn’t gotten around to updating the X3 with their “Flight Simulator” shifter offered in the 5-series and X5/6 yet, but at least the shift lever has the right orientation for performance driving, with upshifts requiring a pull, and downshifts a push. The brakes are effective, yet almost too immediate with their response, and they require a gentle foot, unless you don’t mind your passengers’ beverages all over the windshield. Steering feel has always been BMW’s strong suit, and that’s one area where the X3 doesn’t disappoint. The weighted feel and perfect amount of road/driver communication really do remind you that you’re driving a BMW. And EPA figures of 16/23 put the X3 ahead of the Benz and just behind the Q5. Of course, that’s premium fuel.

The biggest problem the BMW faces is its price. The base price of $39,995 is over $2,700 more than the Audi, and over $5,000 more than the Benz, and both of those cars come with way more standard features. Fully optioned out, the Bimmer will cross the big five-oh. My test car stickered at $48,650, the highest in this test. Considering the BMW is an aging design with the least amount of tech goodies, value is out the window. Not surprisingly, it seems that even in the world of small SUV’s, the BMW-tax applies.

Good: Sportiest of the bunch, most rear seat room

Bad: The most desirable options make the X3 very expensive quickly.

The Smoking Tire: Just as ugly as ever, but hey, it steers like a BMW.

First Place: Audi Q5 3.2 Quattro

Like the GLK, the Audi Q5 is new for this year. Following in the footsteps of the ugly-but-successful Q7 SUV, the Q5 downsizes a bit, in keeping with the societal themes of the last couple of years. I was surprised that the Q5 actually looks better than the Q7; Ingolstadt’s finest smoothed and lowered the bulbous waistline of the Q7 into a flowing, more compact design with the Q5. The Q5 also loses the Q7’s monster air dam, a vast improvement. Where the X3 fails to “shrink” the X5, the Q5 succeeds in shrinking the Q7. Audi’s trademark big-mouth bass grille and LED running lights seem a bit much for the Q5; I’d preferred if Audi had reserved the LED’s for only its high-performance models.

By this point, everyone already knows Audi puts together stellar interiors, so I won’t beat a dead horse. The interior design language first seen on the A6 has tricled to the A/S5, the A/S4, and now the Q5, and in each of these models, it works flawlessly. The center console features the largest and brightest LCD screen of the three, and though it takes a few days to get used to Audi’s MMI system, navigating between menus using the large buttons is very easy. But, why does the scroll wheel go the wrong way? To scroll down, you turn counter-clockwise, which is the exact opposite of every scrolling wheel, ever. The steering wheel, while not as thick as the BMW’s, has multifunction controls as standard, and is wrapped in very soft leather. Front seats are full power standard, and the rear seat can remotely fold down using a button in the cargo area. They must be lifted back up manually with a lever on either side of the rear bench, a very simple process. Most disappointing about the Q5 is the lack of rear seat legroom; anyone with over a 32 inch inseam would get out of the car with bruised knees. Headroom is exceptional in both the front and back seats. Strangely, Edmunds.com’s car comparing website shows the Q5 with more rear legroom than both the GLK and X3, contrary to my experience.

The Q5’s 3.2 Liter, direct injection V6 makes 270hp, the most of the three, but by only 2hp over the GLK. There is only a 10 horsepower spread from least to most in this test, and the weight spread is only 150lbs, so acceleration, braking, and handling numbers are all going to be very similar. More importantly, the Q5’s transmission is noticeably quicker than both the X3 and GLK, especially in manual mode. On the other hand, the transmission in question actually hiccupped, hard, after flooring it and jumping off the gas quickly in “Sport Auto” mode. At least all three come with identical 4year/50k mile warranties. And if you keep your foot out of it, the Q5 will manage 18/23 MPG with the longest range of the group, 455 miles.

The good news is that the Q5 has a relatively low base price of $37,500. The bad news is that the premium package, which includes all the goodies you’d expect from a luxury car, is $4,000, meaning the odds of actually getting one for less than $40,000 are just about zero. Want navigation and a backup camera? That’ll be another $3,000 please. My test car stickered at $47,915, which is just about where I say the Q5, like the X3, isn’t worth the money. I’d say skip the navigation and get a TomTom. You still get the LCD screen and MMI interface, even without it. And if you really think you need a backup camera, save your money and get some driving lessons.

The best thing I can say about the Q5 though, is that it really is very similar to the A4 Avant both in interior feel and driving dynamics. And that’s the biggest compliment offered in this test.

Good: All the stuff you like about other Audis applies here

Bad: No 2.0T or TDI engine available, options get expensive quickly.

The Smoking Tire: Best of the three, but still a car you’d buy for your mom.

I wouldn’t buy any of these cars. Not because there is anything inherently wrong with them, or because they don’t perform as advertised, but because I see them all as pointless vehicles. I would never buy an SUV that doesn’t do anything that a station wagon wouldn’t. I spent a week with an A4 Avant, during which time it snowed nearly a foot, and I had to help a friend move a bunch of boxes. I even drove the Avant on a snow-covered Monticello Motor Club’s road course at very high speed, drifting the whole way. And none of it was even remotely a problem for the wagon. It looked better, went faster, cost less, and got better fuel economy than the Q5 as well. The A4 is just an example, BMW and Mercedes also make equally capable, and proportionately cheaper station wagons. And lets be honest with ourselves here: no one, and I mean less than 1% of owners, will ever drive any of these pseudo-SUV’s off road. Both the BMW and Audi come with hill-descent control standard, and if that button ever gets pressed it’s because the driveway is a bit icy, not because they need to get down safely from Everest Base Camp.

There was always a possibility that one of the three cars in this weeks Dealership Experience  would change my mind about small SUV’s, even though ultimately that wasn’t the case. These three cars all function in a very similar way and offer similar equipment at a similar price. It really makes me feel like car companies today are simply imagining holes in the market that really don’t need to be there. I know there’s nothing in between the E-class wagon and the ML or R class SUV’s, but do we really need a tiny little box running around pretending to be an SUV?  Not really. Does raising the roof and putting big tires on a 3-series make it do anything the 328xi Wagon won’t do? Not really. Are Audi customers really finding their Avants too mommy-like that they need a small SUV? Grow up, wagons drive exactly like sedans, they just hold more stuff.

Alternatively, I’d like to encourage everyone to try everything out for themselves, maybe you’ll see something I missed. If you’re looking at a small SUV, try a wagon, and if you’re looking at a wagon, try a small SUV. The sales don’t lie.

Going on a road trip across Europe in a great car, say a Porsche 997 Turbo, Audi R8, or BMW M3, would qualify in my very short list of “car guy shit” to do before I die. In fact, odds are I’ll get to do something like it before I even turn 30. Knowing myself, I’ll save it till the last minute, and end up driving a 1994 Peugeot with three plastic hubcaps and a 1-liter hamster wheel under the hood.

Like my car insurance, I just saved a whole bunch of money on that trip because The Smoking Tire viewer Edward0 Hofman took the trip for me, and sent back a ton of photos! We’ll break them up into German Car Museum Segments #1-4, one for each marque. Today, we bring you Ingolstadt’s finest work: The Audi Museum

The Smoking Tire takes to the track in the baddest R8 yet, Project Raptor by Performance Outfitters and PES Tuning. Host Matt Farah puts the Raptor through its paces at New Jersey Motorsports Park to find out if a supercharger makes for a faster car than a couple of extra cylinders.