Audi A3 TDI clubsport quattro

Audi, the inventor of TDI, blazes a trail in the field of engine manufacture. At the 27th annual Lake Wörther Tour being held at the end of May in the Austrian province of Carinthia, the brand behind the four rings is showcasing this technology's potential with a sensational study. The two-liter TDI unit under the bonnet of the Audi A3 TDI clubsport quattro delivers 165 kW (224 hp) and musters up 450 Nm (331.90 lb-ft) of torque – the sort of pulling power normally associated with a sports car. The show car races from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in just 6.6 seconds and attains a top speed of 240 km/h (149.13 mph).

The Audi A3 TDI clubsport quattro projects its power with supreme confidence – both acoustically courtesy of its sonorous exhaust and visually with a series of exclusive parts mounted on the body and in the interior. Exterior components such as the large DTM-look rear spoiler and the bolt-on wheel arch extensions give the car a dynamic air, while the racing bucket seats and open gear lever gate in aluminum form the highlights of the interior.

The show car is a true high-tech sports car. The drive power is directed to the 20-inch wheels via a six-speed transmission and the quattro all-wheel-drive system. At the front wheels, stopping power is provided by six-piston brake calipers and ceramic discs. The Audi drive select driving dynamics system allows the driver to vary at will the throttle response characteristic, the exhaust sound, the level of power assistance for the steering, the cut-in thresholds for the ESP stabilization system, as well as the operating mode of the dampers. The dampers deploy Audi magnetic ride technology, enabling them to react to changes in the driving situation with lightning speed.

Audi – the trailblazer of engine manufacture

Audi is the trailblazer of engine manufacture. Since their debut back in 1989, the TDI engines have long since established themselves helped by their powerful, refined and efficient character. The triumphant advance that the diesel-powered Audi R10 TDI racing car has been enjoying for two years now in the Le Mans 24 Hours and in the American Le Mans Series is clear testimony to this technology's tremendous potential.

The engine in the R8 TDI Le Mans study is closely related to the diesel race engine technically speaking – the high-performance sports car is equipped with a six-liter V12 power unit whose output of 368 kW (500 hp) and torque of 1,000 Nm (737.56 lb-ft) are good for a top speed comfortably in excess of 300 km/h (186.41 mph). The R8 TDI can also be seen at the Lake Wörther Tour, as the major annual gathering of horsepower-happy Audi and VW enthusiasts is known. Audi has already transferred the superior power of the TDI engines into its road-going cars: the TT and TT Roadster both feature a mighty two-liter unit generating 125 kW (170 hp) and 350 Nm (258.15 lb-ft) of peak torque, coupled to the quattro all-wheel-drive system. As is plain to see, Audi continues to build on its lead in the technology stakes.

Engine
- Four-cylinder TDI with common-rail injection system
- Displacement of 1968 cc, output of 165 kW (224 hp) and torque of 450 Nm
(331.90 lb-ft)
- Optimized exhaust system, sonorous soundtrack

- 0 – 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 6.6 seconds, top speed 240 km/h (149.13 mph)

Power transmission

- High-efficiency six-speed manual transmission with a lightweight casing, open gear lever gate made of aluminum

- quattro all-wheel drive with extremely fast-action multi-plate clutch

Chassis
- Four-link rear suspension for dynamic handling and good comfort

- Power steering with highly efficient electric drive
- Wheels measuring 9 J x 20, tire size 265/30

- Six-piston brake calipers and ceramic discs at the front wheels

- Audi drive select driving dynamics system with Audi magnetic ride adaptive damper control

Body and interior

- Length 4,254 millimeters (167.48 inches), width 1,825 millimeters (71.85
inches), height 1,385 millimeters (54.53 inches)

- Motorsport-look design, large rear spoiler
- Racing bucket seats and extra aluminum components in interior

Audi

"Landing on Planet Life Ball"

Life Ball MINI 2008 by Agent Provocateur prepares to land in Vienna.

"Landing on planet Life Ball“ – on the evening of 17 May 2008, Life Ball will be inviting guests on a trip through time in which bridges will be built to supposedly alien cultural universes which actually exist next to each other and the infinite opportunities of social coexistence energetically highlighted. In line with these concepts, the Agent Provocateur lingerie label has designed the Life Ball MINI 2008. The new MINI Cooper Clubman has been selected as the basis for this exclusive, unique design. Agent Provocateur, founded by Serena Rees and her husband Joseph Corre, son of fashion creator Vivienne Westwood, is famous for its wickedly burlesque collections.

“It has been a lot of fun to lend our unique brand identity to the MINI Clubman. The new shape is reminiscent of the old English Mini police van that we were immediately inspired to create an Agent Provocateur styled interior that you really would want to get banged up in! A classic yet suped up exterior in Agent Provocateur signature pink and black colours complete with pink flashing light and inside.....the most seductive prison cell with hand to wall cuffs and blacked out windows and iron bars!

Ever mindful that the long arm of the law needs ample space when interrogating a captive prisoner, we have supplied our Agent Provocateur police car with fully reclining rear seats and ankle cuffs for forensic investigation. With saddle stitched leather seat and bespoke compartments for the note pad and pen, the Agent Provocateur MINI police van is the perfect patrol car for checking the offending publics undercover credentials wouldn’t you say…”says Joseph Corre.

At the first public appearance of the MINI by Agent Provocateur, Joseph Corre, the create of the unique design, will be behind the steering wheel himself – along with a "breath-taking" passenger, of course – and will drive the MINI across the red carpet outside Vienna's City Hall for the start of the Life Ball Opening Show.

After the Life Ball, the unique MINI will be auctioned worldwide on eBay (www.ebay.at) from 5-15 June. The proceeds will be donated to Life Ball, as they are every years. So far, the "Life Ball MINIs" – transformed by such famous fashion icons as Missoni, Ferré and Versace – have raised a total of
€ 260,000.-.

Mini

BMW M1

The BMW M1 was an utterly uncompromising super sports car oozing passion; its forerunner, the BMW Turbo by Paul Bracq, displayed innovative technical solutions that found their expression in emotional design. It is precisely this blend – of technology and design, rationality and passion – that the BMW M1 Homage embodies. It presents an exciting and authentic interpretation of the BMW M1 and the mid-engine concept from a present-day perspective, and the legacy of the BMW M1 Homage is obvious at first glance. Unquestioningly it takes up the graphic play of the hallmark BMW M1 colours black and orange and interprets them anew. The Liquid Orange paintwork exclusively developed for the BMW M1 Homage cites the classic BMW M1 colour, yet surprises with its powerfully iridescent play of colour and brilliant depth. It shapes the extrovert surface language and strikingly highlights the eloquent interplay of convex and concave surfaces.

Mention the BMW M1, and another feature that immediately springs to mind is the characteristic twin logo at the rear, on the right and left edge above the tail lights. For BMW, this particular arrangement of its emblems has always signalled a mid-engined model. In the development stage of the BMW M1 this dual emblem was the first styling element to be approved even before the initial sketches were drawn. Likewise, it was confirmed from the outset that the BMW M1 Homage would feature the same twin badges. Other specific styling cues taken from the BMW M1 are the air vents in the bonnet and the louvres on the rear windscreen, as well as the black cutline dividing the roofline from the rear section of the body. Overall, the exterior dimensions of the BMW M1 Homage are in keeping with those of the BMW M1; only the extended wheelbase indicates a larger passenger cell.

Emotional design at the flashpoint between tradition and modernism.

The BMW M1 Homage takes long familiar elements from the BMW Design repertoire, reinterprets them and couches them in a new context. Its design brings together past and present, expanding the observer’s perception through new design solutions that find their expression in typical BMW style. If the contrasting colours were a dominant design theme for the BMW M1, this contrast is perpetuated in the BMW M1 Homage through its surface styling. Familiar elements, such as the trademark proportions, are combined with new and exciting lines, surfaces and details to create an up-to-date interpretation of the BMW M1, which remains to this day an extraordinary car.

Shunning the strong wedge shape of other mid-engine cars, the BMW M1 Homage consciously opts for BMW’s characteristic proportions. A relatively long engine compartment, a clearly defined transition into the A-pillar and a stretched window line featuring the “Hofmeister” kink instantly give it away as a bona fide BMW. The horizontal flow of lines lowers the car’s visual centre of gravity and lends it an air of sovereignty.

Though the BMW M1 already boasted extremely harmonious and sporty proportions, its surface design was not yet an explicit styling issue and was dominated by high-contrast graphic themes. Today, however, next to the car’s proportions, it is primarily the unusual surface styling that determines the strong recognition value of a BMW model. For some years now, all BMW vehicles have exhibited a striking and unique design language. The sculpting of the surfaces demands substantial experience and craftsmanship at the highest level. Only through the combination of craft skills, state-of-the-art technology and a sure sense of the personality of each BMW can designers and modellers achieve the overall sculptural effect that lends a BMW its unique character. The BMW M1 Homage systematically melds the proportions and graphic themes of the BMW M1 with the surface language of the new BMW look – a combination that imbues the vehicle with an exciting, sporty and authentic emotionality.

The front-end styling of the BMW M1 Homage adopts many of the graphic design themes of the BMW M1: the contrast between the black, recessed surfaces and the car colour, the small, squat kidney grille and the “invisible” headlamps. And yet the front of the BMW M1 Homage is an absolute novelty for BMW. Each element assumes a function: the hallmark twin kidney, for example, is not only a distinguishing feature of the BMW brand but combines aerodynamic, cooling-air routing and safety solutions. The design of the headlamps, meanwhile, is a new iteration of the retractable headlights of the BMW M1. Like the lamps on the historic model, those on the BMW M1 Homage are only visible when switched on. When not in use they are discreetly integrated into the front-end design and “disappear” into the recessed black cutline, almost like pop-up headlights.

Along the side of the car all the lines, surfaces and details lead the eye from the front end along the stretched engine compartment and clearly defined A-pillars before converging at the centre of the vehicle. Two expressive lines are drawn from the front along the flanks of the vehicle towards the engine compartment area. The flow of lines begins in a straight, disciplined fashion at the front end, lowering the optical centre of gravity of the BMW M1 Homage and highlighting its low-slung stance. From the middle of the car, however, the lines break up. The power of the design is focused precisely where the power of the vehicle also lies – at the engine. Strong, sensuous sweeping lines accentuate the car’s mid-engine concept, the design emphasising the mechanics behind it, the engineering skills and the engine expertise of the BMW Group.

The roofline of the BMW M1 Homage is flatly tapered, extending into and around the rear. In so doing it draws a continuous line and forms a link between the two sides of the car. It is on this line, above the tail lights, that the hallmark twin BMW logo can also be found.

“Engineering is beautiful – let’s show it!”
The overall design is driven by functionality and each detail has its purpose. Aspects such as aerodynamics, cooling-air routing and safety lend the BMW M1 Homage technical substance and make it a genuine BMW. A telling symbol of this is the kidney grille design of the BMW M1 Homage, fulfilling as it does several functions at the same time. The twin kidney isn’t just a signature BMW feature, it is also part of the car’s honed aerodynamics: it guides the air to the engine cooling as well as constituting the front section of a crash box, similar to the monocoque chassis of a Formula One race car.

Inspired by aircraft design, the car as a whole also boasts sophisticated air ducting through the body. For example, the cooling-air routing for the engine is positioned below the roofline, in the black recessed cutline along the side of the vehicle behind the window graphic. Small flaps and openings guide the air stream into the engine compartment to ensure an adequate supply of cooling air.

Vision and inspiration.

“The BMW M1 Homage clearly manifests the creativity and potential of the BMW Design team. A project such as this is a valuable source of inspiration for our day-to-day work.”

Adrian van Hooydonk, Director Design BMW Automobiles

The BMW M1 Homage holds great significance for the BMW Group Design team, its genesis epitomising both a living tradition and an innovative future. This vehicle is designed as a source of inspiration; it sets out to challenge us to question and rethink what we see around us. The BMW M1 Homage pays eloquent tribute to the BMW Turbo and the BMW M1, which in their design were well ahead of their time. Originally slated as “merely” a design study or small series, their influence remains very palpable today – 30 years on.

BMW

Audi TTS

Audi is taking the wraps off a new sports car model. In early summer, the top model of the TT line, the TTS, will be appearing at dealers in both Coupe and Roadster body versions. Its two-liter TFSI engine develops an awesome 200 kW (272 hp) that catapults the Coupe with S tronic dual-clutch transmission from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in just 5.2 seconds and on up to a governed top speed of 250 km/h (155.34 mph).
Designed to appeal towards a particularly young and dynamic clientele, the TTS represents Audi's Vorsprung durch Technik in its very latest form. This sports car owes its superior performance to a whole raft of innovative concepts. quattro permanent all-wheel drive translates its sheer power efficiently into locomotion, and the Audi magnetic ride shock absorber system guarantees precise handling. The optional high-tech S tronic transmission can take charge of power transmission as well, shifting faster than even a highly skilled driver. The TTS
Coupe starts at € 44,900 and the Roadster at € 47,750.

The two-liter TFSI: the perfect sport engine
The TFSI engine in the TTS takes the two gasoline direct injection and turbocharging technologies from Audi and blends them to form a perfect partnership for a sports car. It is not only the 200 kW (272 hp) of output that makes the TFSI so scintillating, there’s its hefty pulling power too – the maximum torque of 350 Nm (258.15 lb-ft) is constantly on tap from 2,500 up to 5,000 rpm.
Compared to the engine it was derived from, the two-liter power unit has been fundamentally reengineered and uprated to ready it for operation in the TTS. Thanks to its excellent efficiency, the sporty-sounding TFSI has an average fuel consumption of just 8.0 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (29.40 mpg) in the Coupe when partnered by the six-speed manual transmission, while the figure for the Roadster averages 8.2 l/100 km (28.68 mpg). The optional S tronic dual-clutch transmission brings these figures down to 7.9 l/100 km (29.77 mpg) and 8.0 l/100 km (29.40 mpg) respectively.
S tronic, which operates with six speeds and two clutches, changes gear at high load and engine speed in a fraction of a second. This, coupled with its dynamic starting performance, knocks two-tenths of a second off the sprint to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) for both the Coupe and Roadster. Virtually loss-free transfer of power to the road is the task of the standard-specification quattro permanent allwheel drive, which enables the TTS to accelerate sooner and more reliably than its
challengers. At the heart of this system is a hydraulic multi-plate clutch, which now works faster than ever thanks to a new pressure reservoir.

Audi magnetic ride: high-tech damping
The TTS rolls off the production line equipped with yet another high-tech module – the Audi magnetic ride adaptive damping system. Circulating inside its damper pistons is a special fluid containing minute magnetic particles. When electrical voltage is applied, the fluid’s flow properties change, altering the damping characteristics as well. The driver can choose between two mapped characteristics – Normal and Sport. Normal mode is designed for a well-balanced, comfortable ride, whereas in the Sport plane the TTS harnesses all of the potential of its sport
suspension – which lowers the body by 10 millimeters (0.39 in) – to deliver uncompromisingly crisp handling.
The front suspension is made of aluminum, thereby reducing the unsprung masses. The efficient technology behind the responsive electromechanical steering notably reduces fuel consumption and the four-link rear suspension handles longitudinal and transverse forces separately, making a big contribution to its dynamic impression. The sports car is safely brought to a standstill by the highperformance braking system with its large 17-inch disks. Audi has devised a second, sporty level for the ESP stabilization program which enables controlled drifting.
One of the factors behind the supreme performance of the TTS is the hybrid construction of its body. Steel is used only at the rear end, while the front and center sections of the body are built from lightweight aluminum.
ASF (Audi Space Frame) technology guarantees superb rigidity and safety by optimizing axle load distribution and reducing overall weight. The manual version of the Coupe weighs in at just 1,395 kilograms (3075.42 lb), equating to a powerto- weight ratio of 5.1 kilograms per hp (11.24 lb/hp).
It is clear at first glance that the Audi TTS is a dynamic top model within the TT line. The standard-fit 18-inch aluminum wheels are a highlight of the special design, as are the headlights, comprising newly designed bi-xenon units with LED daytime running lights. Inside, passengers are welcomed by deep-set sports seats trimmed in a mixture of leather and Alcantara, with Silk Nappa leather seat upholstery in four different color combinations available as an option. The gray background for the instruments as well as the leather multifunction steering wheel add further styling touches. For mobile entertainment, there is an audio system complete with CD player.
The Roadster comes with an electro-hydraulic drive for the soft top, a poweroperated wind deflector, plus a load-through facility for added practicality. The rear seats in the Coupe have a split-folding design, allowing luggage capacity to be increased from 290 to 700 liters (10.24 – 24.71 cubic ft). Audi has reached a special milestone with the TTS: It was ten years ago that the
TT Coupe first took to the road, swiftly acquiring the status of a design icon. The TT has been increasing in popularity ever since, in both hard-top and open-top form. It has now reached new heights with the TTS.

Audi