First Look
Audi TT Roadster
Sun on your face, but no folding hard top
No, it won't have a folding metal roof like practically all other modern drop-tops. But the new-generation Audi TT Roadster will have extra soundproofing in its cloth hood. And it will get a fully automatic 'hands-free' operation which takes just 12 seconds to do the business and stows away more efficiently than before.
Torsional rigidity (always a problem with roofless cars) is also claimed to be improved by 100 percent. Audi's Space Frame construction (58 percent aluminum, 42 percent steel) keeps it comparatively light (2849 pounds for the 200-bhp, turbocharged 2.0-liter FSI front-drive version).
This engine will be coupled with the excellent S-tronic (formerly known as DSG) transmission. The 250-bhp, 3.2-liter V6 version can also ride with the S-tronic spinning all four wheels, but a six-speed manual gearbox is also on the options list. American customers will have to wait until May before twirling the special flat-bottomed steering wheel.www.audi.com
First Look
Porsche 911 GT3 RS
And you thought it couldn't get any better
If there's one thing better than the remarkable 911 GT3, it's the hardcore 911 GT3 RS. Check this out: a close-ratio six-speed transmission driving the rear wheels, active suspension with new Sport mode that banishes body roll, a rear track that's 1.6 inches wider than the normal GT3, 44 pounds lighter (thanks to weight-saving measures like the carbon fiber rear wing, plastic engine cover and lightweight plastic rear screen, making it 3025 pounds in total), lightweight bucket seats and a bolt-in roll cage.
And the naturally aspirated engine achieves an incredible 115.3 bhp per liter of displacement. That makes 415 bhp from the 3.6-liter flat-six when spinning at 7600 rpm. It continues to tingle spines all the way up to 8400 rpm. Going from zero to 62 mph takes just 4.2 seconds; 124 mph (200 kph) arrives in 13.3 seconds before hitting the 187 mph maximum.
If that's not enough to give you butterflies, this will. Optimized airflow into the engine makes an important contribution to output and performance. Enlarged in diameter from 2.9 to 3.2 inches, the throttle butterfly reduces flow resistance and improves the charge cycle. The new, variable intake aluminum manifold comes with two connection pipes featuring resonance butterflies between the air collectors on the two rows of cylinders. Carefully and precisely interacting with one another, these control flaps ensure both a broad and powerful torque curve across a wide rev range as well as immense maximum output. A six-point driver's seatbelt and fire extinguisher are provided. We say bring it on. Porsche says not until spring 2007, at a price still to be determined.
Tuned
Arden Automobilbau AR6 Stronger
Stronger, faster... better?
Arden, German tuners from Krefeld, specializing in Range Rovers and Jaguars, have turned their attention to the Range Rover Sport. Not only does the car get a high quality carbon fiber body kit, special 10-spoke 10x22-inch lightweight wheels and a customer-specific interior (options include leather, Alcantara, and exotic woods), but the engine and suspension have been reworked too.
The result is the AR6 Stronger. Not the best name, perhaps, but there's no denying the additional muscle. The supercharged V8 engine has been bored out to 4.8 liters and tuned to produce 520 bhp at 5800 rpm while twisting to the tune of 501 lb-ft at 3600 rpm. Big numbers that make shorter times. From standstill, 62 mph (100 kph) whizzes by in 6.1 seconds on the way to a claimed 167.8 mph top speed.