Audi S5
Audi has released the S5 sports coupe, a “poor man’s” R8.
The S5/A5 range will eventually swell to a total of six
models including three different engines, three
transmissions and a retail price list that spreads between
$70,000 and $131,900 (Australian prices).
Audi
S5
The S5/A5 is based on an all-new platform that will be
picked up by the next generation A4 and is designed to allow
for much sportier handling than the brand has been known
for, helping it take up the fight with German rival BMW. The
S5/A5 goes head to head with the BMW 3 Series coupe and the
Mercedes-Benz CLK.
To assist in the good on-road behavior, the steering rack
has been moved forward of the front axle for improved
dynamics. Audi has also given the S5/A5 an optimum wheelbase
of 2751 mm and has wide wheel tracks, with short front and
rear overhangs, also contributing to better handling.
Audi describes the new coupe as a long-distance tourer with
four comfortable seats and a boot with a relatively
practical cargo volume of 455 liters.
The S5 is powered by a direct-injection 4.2 liter V8 that
pumps out 260 kW of power and 440 Nm of torque. This engine
combines with a six-speed manual transmission. It puts the
power down to ground using Audi’s quattro AWD system, which
is set up to deliver 60 percent of power to the rear. The S5
goes from rest to 100 km/h in just 5.1 seconds, which is
quick, but without being neck-snapping.
The S5 runs firmer sports suspension and sits on 18 inch
alloy wheels. Other standard features include Xenon
directional headlights with an LED strip for daytime
running, electrically adjustable sports seats, three-zone
climate control, DVD-based satellite navigation and
Bluetooth phone preparation.
The A5’s run the 3.2 liter V6 direct injection petrol engine
that produces 195 kW and 330 Nm. The first A5’s will be
front-drive models using the continuously variable automatic
transmission that Audi calls Multitronic. An A5 using the
same engine with quattro AWD system and the dual-clutch
Tiptronic automatic will be released later. A turbocharged
1.8 liter direct-injection four cylinder with 125 kW of
power and 250 Nm of torque will also be available. The final
engine will be the high performance 3.0 liter turbo-diesel
V6, which delivers 176 kW of power and an impressive 500 Nm
of torque, remembering that diesel engines always deliver
more torque per cubic capacity than petrol.
24 Hours - it’s a hard
day’s night!
A 24 hour kart race was held at the Bira Kart
track a couple of weeks ago. You are forgiven if you didn’t
know it was on. The ‘promoters’ kept it as one of Thailand’s
close secrets!
One person who did know was Thomas Raldorf, a past Danish
and Thailand GoKart champion, who was invited to join the
Vassili team, sponsored by “Naraya”, for this year’s event.
In 24 hours, anything can happen, and Thomas Raldorf found
that out, going from leading at one stage, to finally finish
up ninth. I was kept in constant touch with the Vassili
team’s fortunes through the wonders of mobile phones and
SMS, and I have edited the 24 hours below.
“It was a Le Mans style start, with drivers running across
the track to their karts. We started from 5th position,
which would be good enough to get away from most of the
bumping, we thought.
“The first few rounds looked mostly like ‘an organized,
single direction, bumper car event’, 9-10 cars racing along
side each other, bumping and crashing into each other,
pushing each other, etc., etc., … all struggling to get up
front. (And all forgetting that it was 24 hours and over
1000 laps of the Bira Kart circuit yet to come.)
“During this we fell from 5th to 11th position, but with
Jack Lemvard at the wheel, he managed to fight his way back,
and within a few laps, we were back up to 3rd position. By
the end of the first hour, we were leading the event, and
everything was looking good.
“By the end of the second hour, rain clouds kept moving in,
and the rain came down hard. It was very hard to see
anything, and when lapping, our number 2 driver could not
see anything all, and missed the team’s signboard, calling
him in for a driver change and refueling.
“After two laps he did see it and prepared to come in for a
driver change and refuel. Suddenly we saw his kart slow down
and stop about 150 meters from the pits. He quickly jumped
out of the kart, and pushed the kart all the way through the
pit area. (More time lost.)
“We had lost about 4 laps because of the fuel problem, and
during the next 25 minutes, I lost one more lap to the front
runners in the rain. We were at this point, in 10th place
over all.
“For the next eight hours the drivers took turns behind the
wheel, and slowly but surely brought us back up into 5th
place.
“Now in the middle of the night, we chased through the dark
and by 8.30 a.m. we were back on the same lap as the 4th
placed team, and at 9.30 a.m., we passed them, and continued
to pull away and were slowly gaining on the 3rd placed team,
when disaster struck again.
“A driver from another team which was 23 laps behind us,
decided to try and do a total kamikaze overtaking effort,
and hit our kart, sending our kart up over a curb, and as a
result we lost the chain.
“Eventually we were pushed back into the pits, and changed
driver and changed to a spare kart. The laps ticked by and
we lost a total of five laps before we got going again, and
all the night’s hard work was to no avail, as we were back
in 10th place again!
“More dramas ensued, with the replacement kart misfiring,
and we had to come in and change karts again. We were back
to 9th and 49 seconds behind 8th place. Five minutes before
the end of the race we still were some 20 seconds behind
them, and we knew we had to settle for 9th place.
“At 12.00 noon Sunday we crossed the line as the 9th placed
team in the 3rd Thailand 24 Hour Kart race. To say that we
were disappointed with the result would be a big
understatement, but we were very happy with the team effort
put in all the way.”
(Thank you, Thomas, who will next be racing in the 1st and
2nd rounds of the Supercar Thailand touring car
championship, which will be on the May 9, 10 in Sepang.)
Kart Racing
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I wrote that Dr. Porsche’s peoples car was
one of the success stories of the automotive world, though
it was not the Germans who made it so successful. I want to
know what was the car’s original name?
The correct answer was the KdF (Kraft durch Freude or
Strength through joy) which was the slogan of the National
Socialist Labour Front. After WWII, it was the British who
got the factory up and rolling, seeing that this was a way
to get Germans back into a civilian workforce.
So to this week. The first Citroen 2CVs came in one color
only. What was it? And it wasn’t black!
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Here is the Future -
right now!
The future was on display in Los Angeles in
November 2007. The concept was for some auto manufacturers
to show what they thought would be the cars in 50 years
time.
Nissan
OneOne
Motoring has already taken some incredible leaps forward in
the last 50 years. In 1957, who would have predicted that
computers would dominate the automotive technology. Traction
control, skid control and stability control. Variable valve
timing electronically. Drive by wire, including electric
steering. Airbags that deploy in an accident. 50 years ago
people would have laughed if you had suggested it, but here
it is today. Imagine what the next 50 years will hold!
In 2057 Audi envisions a hydrogen-powered vehicle that
combines artificial intelligence with avenues of self
expression as it can change its external shape. This is
obviously the ideal bank robber’s car for 2057!
GM’s effort is very imaginative. Much like the
self-regulating traffic system found in the ant, nature’s
best commuter, vehicle-to-vehicle communication and
intelligence allows GM’s ANT to act independently yet
communicate with other vehicles to optimize traffic flow.
All body panels are connected with electro-active polymer
actuators, allowing reconfiguration of body panels,
depending on their optimal street use. Another vehicle that
will change its shape.
Honda’s entry presented a solar-hybrid powered Honda that
allows carpoolers to take advantage of commuter lanes, share
commuting costs and once near the individual passenger’s
final destinations, splits from one to four separate and
unique transportation modules. This takes the changing shape
bodywork to another level, allowing metamorphosis into four
from one.
The Mazda Motonari RX uses an ‘energy form’ that
non-invasively integrates the driver with the vehicle making
each indistinguishable from the other allowing the driver to
experience the road psycho-somatically, receiving electrical
stimulation to specific muscle groups. Four omni-directional
wheels allow 360 degree movement.
The Mercedes-Benz SilverFlow utilizes micro-metallic
particles that can be arranged via magnetic fields in many
different forms. This is similar to Audi’s idea of changing
exterior shapes. The vehicle can also be completely
dissembled into a mass of ferromagnetic material for easy
storage, and can adapt and transform its shape to best suit
its required purpose.
Nissan OneOne is a little R2D2, because Nissan predicts that
by 2057 robots have become an integral part of our lives.
OneOne (pronounced “won-won”) is tomorrow’s live-in maid,
driver and gardener, retrieving dry cleaning and groceries,
tending to the children and guided by a real time GPS
network.
Toyota predicts that due to limited ground space (especially
in Japan!), vertical architectures have caused the
transportation industry to create new pathways that also
explore vertical space. The vehicle is powered by pollution
with electronic dynamic driving instincts and structural
adaptations to accommodate the user’s need for space.
By 2057, VW believes the urban area will have become
unimaginably dense and the roadways have reached the point
of total saturation. Volkswagen’s solution is an advanced
autonomous vehicle that dynamically adapts to minimize its
footprint in the city and its drag coefficient on the
highways. The skin of the vehicle is made of hyper-efficient
solar panels that power the vehicle.
Despite the fact that the different designers from Audi, GM,
Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen
were all working independently, there were some distinct
common themes among the submitted designs. Taking the ‘most
likely’ scenarios, the car of tomorrow will have
omni-directional wheels, and a body shape that will adapt to
the environment (and the whim of the driver).
Electromagnetic energy will be used, and it may be solar
extracted.
