Not so many years ago, driving a exotic supercar while clearly demonstrating the owner's financial wherewithal to own such a vehicle was not always such a pleasant experience. Such cars were typically built by small financially shaky companies that didn't have the resources necessary to properly develop the vehicles to be reliable and robust. The interiors were often poorly built and outfitted and were afflicted by assorted mechanical and electrical glitches.

Then in 1990 things suddenly changed when Honda rolled out the NSX. Instantly people realized that there was no reason why a high performance, mid-engine exotic sports car couldn't be just as a reliable and hospitable as an Accord. By the end of the 1990s exotic car builders like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin had all come under the wing of major automakers like Fiat, Volkswagen Group and Ford and the engineers began tapping into the parents resources to improve their cars.

Lamborghini in particular took advantage of its relationship with Audi to help develop the Gallardo, the best selling Lambo ever. Audi in turn decided to reverse the process with a supercar of its own to celebrate its decade long dominance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and used the Gallardo as the jumping off point for the R8. We recently got to spend some quality time with the fastest R8, the 5.2 FSI V10 and you can read about it after the jump.


Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Max Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

The Audi R8 ranks among the fastest cars you're likely to see on the road, but the German automaker isn't about to rest on its proverbial laurels. After the V8 version came the 5.2-liter V10, and while the turbo-diesel V12 TDI version never made it past the concept stage, Audi has tantalized the torque-happy alternative-energy crowd with the e-tron concept.

Based on the R8 and unveiled last week in Frankfurt, the e-tron replaces the gasoline-burning engine in the existing supercar with no less than four electric motors and an enormous lithium-ion battery pack to supply it with juice. The result? A relatively modest 313 horsepower, but an absolutely bonkers 3,319 lb-ft of torque. And no, that's not a typo: it really does have more than ten times the torque of most of the cars. To go with the alternative power, Audi updated the e-tron's design details. But don't take our word for it: have a look for yourself in our high-resolution photo gallery below.

It's been a long time coming, but the Audi R8 Spider is finally here. The convertible version of Audi's mid-engine supercar debuted at the Frankfurt auto show after months of speculation, finally giving enthusiasts the car they want.

The design is essentially the same as the R8 coupe, but replaces the fixed roof with a folding soft-top. Gone as well are the iconic side blades that characterize the coupe's profile. The structural reinforcement and collapsing roof structure add an extra 476 lbs to the curb weight, but the 525-horsepower V10 engine should have no problem hauling the extra heft in return for the open-air experience and unmitigated exhaust note.

With the exception of Bang & Olufsen, the Danes have mainly focused on creating the most compelling perpendiculars since perhaps Frank Lloyd. The Swedes, on the other hand, have been known to throw a few more curves into their design -- think IKEA vs. Abba. Enter Aesthesis, a Swedish audio loudspeaker company that is going even further than mere curves with its Gramophone line; we're talking waves of beauty here.

And to do it, they started with Swedish car maker Koenigsegg -- or at least, with some of their designers. Aesthesis procured the talents of Ergonomidesign, Eker Design, and Carbocomp which all provide services to the maker of million dollar automobiles.

They spent four years coming up with the Gramophone, which employs a custom developed, full-range coaxial driver to eliminate phase differences and reproduce sounds from 37-20,000 Hz. The curved horn amplifies the higher frequencies, the open cabinet amplifies the lower frequencies. The narrowing of the cabinet is for damping echoes.

The entire point of the Gramophone is to "bring more intriguing, avant garde and sensual products to the market without compromising with sound or picture quality." The handmade, carbon and stainless steel speaker is 1.2 meters (47.2 inches) high, and comes in black -- or any other Natural Color System hue you choose.

Which is to be expected when there will only be 100 pairs of Gramophones made, and each pair will go to the tune of €60,000, or $85,500 U.S., plus shipping. The question you should be asking is: are your ears good enough?



[Source: Aesthesis | Images: Maria Fredriksson]

For some people, enough is never enough. Those are out kind of people. They're also Sportec's kind of people. The Swiss tuning firm takes a look at the Audi TT RS – the most aggressive sportscar in Audi's line-up short of the R8 – with its 335hp turbocharged five-cylinder engine and says "that's not enough". So they tinkered with the electronic engine control system and coerced another 65 horses out of it to top 400hp, and 400 lb-ft of torque to go along with it. The result? 0-60 in a scant 4.2 seconds. Not too shabby. They've also removed the electronic speed limiter to let the TT RS stretch its legs on those derestricted sections of the Autobahn. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, as Sportec has a whole range of mods in the making for the all-wheel-drive rocket.

Have your eye on the new V10-powered Audi R8 5.2 FSI Quattro? You're not alone, but you'll have to pay big for the privilege as Audi has announced U.S. pricing for its top-of-the-line supercar.

The R8 5.2 packs two more cylinders, 105 more horses and 74 more lb-ft of torque, for which buyers will have to pay nearly $32,000 more than the existing V8 version. While the eight-cylinder R8 4.2 sells for $114,200 with a manual transmission or $123,300 for the R-Tronic version, the ten-cylinder R8 5.2, as has now been revealed, goes for $146,000 with a clutch or $155,100 without, all prices before the $1,200 destination charge. But if that seems hefty, consider that one of the first examples to reach the United States went for $500,000 in a recent charity auction.

This chromed-out version of Audi's awe-inspiring R8 supercar has sparked debate amongst enthusiasts after having been spotted in the UK. The one-off vehicle, finished either in full chrome or polished aluminum depending on whom you ask with black intakes and sideblades is certainly an eye-catcher. This on a 414 hp car that in its factory form Autoblog decreed has "all the crowd-stopping presence of Heidi Klum walking down Wall Street wearing only a pair of Pradas and a matching handbag." Meanwhile, an outrageous convertible version of the R8 was recently spotted co-starring with Robert Downey Jr. while filming the upcoming Iron Man sequel.

Over the course of the past few years, the Germans have managed to blur the lines between traditional market segments with extraordinary zeal. Recent examples include the Mercedes-Benz CLS four-door coupe, the BMW X6 "sports-activity coupe" and the new 5-Series Gran Turismo hatchback/wagon...but this is the latest. Called the Audi A5 Sportback, the vehicle takes the company's A5 coupe, adds two extra doors and gives it a hatchback-style tail-gate instead of a trunk, thereby smudging the distinction between coupe, sedan, wagon and hatchback.

In case that's not confusing enough, Audi is launching the new A5 Sportback in Europe with no less than six engine options and is adding three more by next year. There are four- and six-cylinder engines of various sizes and outputs burning either gasoline or diesel. Some are available with fuel-economizing start-stop systems, while quattro all-wheel-drive is a trademark Audi option. Sales begin overseas in September, however this particular model is not expected to be offered in the North American market.

Audi is well accustomed to making intricately-crafted, finely-honed, shapely instruments capable of producing exquisite sounds and performances to the highest degree. Just take a look at the R8 supercar and you should need no more evidence. But for the company's centenary celebrations, Audi's design team has taken on a unique challenge, and partnered with Viennese piano-maker Bosendorfer to bring it to life.

While Porsche Design's Bosendorfer featured some intriguing elements, Audi's take on the grand piano starts from scratch. The automotive design team had to learn what goes in to making a piano, and then turned everything on its head to produce the creation you see here. The Bosendorfer Audi Design Grand Piano will make its world debut at the Audi Forum in Ingolstadt, Germany, to mark the automaker's 100th anniversary on July 16, after which it will come to market for a rather suitable €100,000...one more thing it holds in common with Audi's finest automobiles.

The Audi R8 took the supercar market by storm when it launched in 2006. But if you were waiting for a better version, we've got good news and we've got bad news. The good news is, after launching the V10 version at the Detroit show late last year, plans are reportedly moving ahead to introduce an open-air version of the Audi supercar which should be on the road within the next two years. That's bad news enough for the likes of the Aston Martin DB9 Volante and Jaguar XKR, but the real disappointment is that Audi has reportedly canceled the development of its V12 turbo-diesel version. After previewing the idea as a concept car at the Detroit show in January 2008 and then again in Geneva the following March, Audi has determined that the costs involved with reshaping both the engine and the chassis to fit the former into the latter are just too high to be justified in this economy, particularly wit diesel prices as high as they are in the United States, a key market for the R8's financial success. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

The first model of Leica's chic new limited edition all-white digital camera which we scooped the world on earlier this month has just been spotted at the Audi Forum Tokyo. It's pictured above with a velvet purple Audi R8 as a backdrop. The German Car Blog posted the sighting along with the news that the camera is expected to be available around the end of May for roughly 7,000 euros, or around $9,000. The special edition camera is based on Leica's M8.2 model with 10.3 megapixel resolution and the Leica ELMARIT-M 28 mm f/2.8 ASPH lens.

Subtlety isn't a term you'd ordinarily associate with sport-utility vehicle. Certainly not one as large as the Audi Q7. But that may be the only word to describe the update which the German automaker has given to its largest SUV. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the 2009 model and the new 2010 version, so we'll tell you what they've done. Although the headlights are the same shape, they now incorporate a strip of LEDs; the front bumper has been subtly restyled, as has the rear end; the interior now has more wood veneer; there's a new satellite navigation system; and the 4.2-liter V8 turbo-diesel available overseas (but not in North America) gets a bump in power while consuming less oil. Again, subtle, as you can see from the images in the gallery below.

With the R8 supercar, German automaker Audi demonstrated to the world that it is capable of producing the most capable performance sportscars on the road. But the gap between the R8 and its kid brother, the TT, remained as wide as the supercar's track. At this year's Geneva Motor Show, however, Audi closed that gap considerably with the new TT RS.

Packing a turbocharged, direct-injection inline-five with 340 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque, the TT RS is capable of hitting 60 in a scant 4.6 seconds, and will be available in both coupe and convertible body styles. Unfortunately the hot TT won't be making it to the North American market, so those on the Western shore of the Atlantic will just have to admire from afar, like with the images in the gallery below.

A designer named Kazim Doku has won first prize in the Desire Design Competition launched in 2008 by the Italian Domus Academy for his amazing Audi Shark hovercar concept (above). The futuristic two-seater flying sportscar is inspired by both motorcycle and jet design, for maximum performance as well as safety. The name of course comes from its resemblance to a gray reef shark. Its streamlined design, sharp nose and fin-like rear lower spoiler contribute to the vehicle's "underwater" appearance. Both the headlights and taillights are made by transparent tubes which integrate LED units, while the somewhat cramped interior features sport seats integrated in the cockpit structure.

[DVICE via LuxuryLaunches]