Kief Cars

The German Auto Manufacturer, Audi has officially unveiled the Audi R8 Spyder at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany. The sports car is powered by a V10 5.2 litre Audi FSI engine which was also recently fitted into the Audi R8 Coupe. The car is capable of accelerating from 0 – 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 313 km/h. This 2 seater vehicle is fitted with an Audi Space Frame (ASF for short). The Audi R8 Spyder is not fitted with sideblades behind the doors. The side panels and large cover over the storage compartment is made of a carbon fibre composite.

The Audi R8 Spyder is fitted with a electro-hydraulically controlled soft cloth top which opens and closes in 19 seconds to reduce the car’s weight. The soft cloth top is available in 3 different colours and is even capable of opening and closing whilst the car is travelling at 50 km/h. The Audi R8 can be optionally fitted with the first ever seatbelt microphone, which can serve as the vehicle’s hands-free unit. For this option, 3 small microphones are fitted into both seatbelts. At least 1 microphone is ideally positioned relative to the speaker system of the car, when the seat belt is on. A 4th microphone is fitted into the windshield frame. When the hands-free unit is active, at least 2 microphones combine with a noise reduction system to ensure clear conversations even if the driver is whistling down at top speeds down the highway with the Audi R8 Spyder’s top down. Audi plans to release the Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI Quattro in early 2010. At this stage it’s unclear whether this car will be released in South Africa. Only time will tell if we’ll see this glorious vehicle here. There will be hefty price tag for this car though, so brace yourselves.

Related Links:
Audi – Official Website

In 2006 Audi introduced this electric concept car at motor shows around the world, the Audi R-Zero Concept. This supercar is a good example of how perfect union of the dynamism of sports car designs and the importance and respect for the environment can be merged. The original idea for the Audi R-Zero Concept came from students at the ISD (Internation School of Design) in France. If released the Audi R-Zero sports car will be fitted with 4 engines. Each engine will be powered individually by a lithium-ion 800 volt battery. Each capable of releasing a lot of power, more than 450 watts / kg to be exact. Because of this the Audi R-Zero Concept is expected to reach a top speed of 460 km/h (286 mph). The car will be able to reach 100 km in less than 3 seconds. The Audi R-Zero Concept can put out a projected 1089 hp.

If you look at the Audi R-Zero’s design you’ll see that this concept car’s design definately was influenced by the Audi TT and the Bugatti Veyron. The car’s engine is cooled by making use of an airflow system. This also improves the aerodynamics of the Audi R-Zero. The car is only a concept. There has been no intension or announcement from Audi to indicate that they will be releasing a production model of the the Audio R-Zero. It’s still a very nice car to look at it. I wonder if I could find a replica model of this car in the classifieds. The chance is highly unlikely though and it might possibly be very pricey.

Related Link:
Audi – Official Website

The Audi R8 is a sports car with a longitudinally mounted mid-engine and uses the trademark “Quattro” four wheel drive. The Audi R8 is based on the Audi Le Mans Quattro Concept car which was presented at the International Geneva Auto Show in Switzerland and the International Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany in 2003. The car is also derived from the Lamborghini Gallardo. The Audi R8 was officially released in September 2006 at the Paris Auto Show. By the end of 2008 almost 10,000 units had been built. The Audi R8 was exquisitively designed, developed and manufactured by Quattro GMBH, a private sibsiduary of Audi. Audi upgraded its plant in Neckarsulm, Germany for €28 million where 70 workers fit 5,000 unique parts by hand. The plant is capable of producing 9-15 cars per day. 95 lasers inspect the entire car in 5 seconds to ensure that over 220 measurements are within 0.1 mm of the programmed plans. If you ever watched the movie Iron Man and wondered which car Tony Stark (Robert Downey Junior) drives in the movie, this is the car.

This car is priced between R1.4 million and R2 million ($175,000 – $250,000) in my country, South Africa. This is completely out of my price range. I suppose I’ll look around in the classifieds for a cheaper 2nd hand car. For now I’ll continue dreaming about owning a car like this one day, or maybe I should just buy a car bed instead.