quattro

Audi Celebrates 30 Years of All-Wheel Drive with the Quattro Concept

All-wheel drive has proliferated across the industry, but lest we forget one of its originators, Audi unveiled the stunningly muscular Quattro Concept at the Paris Auto Salon.

Created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Audi's iconic traction system, the Quattro Concept draws its inspiration from the legendary 1980 Audi Ur-Quattro. Like the original, the new concept keeps its weight under 3,000 lbs and is powered by a turbocharged five-cylinder engine. Based on the Audi RS5, the Quattro Concept delivers 408 horsepower through a six-speed manual transmission (in place of the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox) to all four wheels with a power-to-weight ratio equal to that of the top-of-the-line R8 5.2 FSI.

Unfortunately this is just a show car for the time being, but if this is a sign of where Audi is heading, color us excited.

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Tags: 2010 paris, 2010 paris auto salon, 2010 paris auto show, 2010 paris motor show, audi, audi quattro, audi quattro concept, paris, paris auto salon, paris auto show, paris motor show, quattro, quattro concept

Italian Watchmaker Mecchanice Veloce Collaborates with Brembo for Unique Carbon-Ceramic Watch

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos

Ironic as it may seem, there are so many watches, and so little time. Yet even in a business so simultaneously timeless and focussed on time, watchmakers are constantly racing to adopt new construction methods. Especially among automotive-inspired watches. But the latest seems to have come to a full stop: the Quattro Valvole CCM by Meccaniche Veloci. The Italian watchmaker has teamed up with Brembo, the biggest name in automotive braking systems, to produce this rare carbon-ceramic timepiece.

This special edition is made of a blend of carbon-fiber and high-strength ceramics, the same material now being used in the most advanced racing and sportscar brakes. In brakes, they offer longevity, lightness of weight and incredible resistance to deformation. In the watch, they offer the same, along with a unique appearance. Each watch incorporates four individual automatic Swiss movements, compartmentalized like the four-valve cylinder heads first seen on the most sophisticated sportscar engines, available in four different colors, capped by titanium crowns and held on to your wrist by interchangeable rubber and alligator straps. But at $15,000 apiece, they don't come cheap.

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Tags: brembo, carbon, carbon ceramic, carbon fiber, carbon fibre, carbon watch, carbon-ceramic, carbon-ceramic watch, Carbon-ceramicWatch, CarbonCeramic, CarbonFiber, CarbonFibre, CarbonWatch, meccaniche veloci, meccaniche veloci ccm, MeccanicheVeloci, MeccanicheVelociCcm, quattro, quattro valvole, QuattroValvole

Audi Presents an SUV Alternative with A4 Allroad Quattro at Geneva show

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

If you're in the market for a luxury sport-utility but don't like the idea of driving a mamoth off-roader around town, Audi may have what you're looking for in the A4 Allroad Quattro. Joining the larger A6-based Allroad, the A4 version combines the versatility and rugged styling of an SUV with a more car-like ride and profile.

Like the Volvo XC70 or Subaru Outback, the A4 Allroad is essentially a conventional station wagon with a higher ride height, all-wheel-drive and rugged body cladding. It's being offered with a choice of turbocharged gasoline and diesel engines, starting at around the equivalent of $47k in European markets. Given that the A6 Allroad was withdrawn from the North American market, the A4 Allroad may or may not make it over the Atlantic, so the images in the gallery below may be the closest you get to seeing it up close while we wait for the final verdict from Audi.