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Automobiles

2014 Audi R8 Starts at $119,150; Spyder Starts at $132,650

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By Kirk Seaman

Audi’s refreshed-for-2014 mid-engined supercar, the R8, goes on sale today and official pricing has been announced. Starting at $119,150, the R8 coupe comes with a 430-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 with a six-speed manual. Audi will offer the V-8–powered R8 in a spyder as well, while a 525-hp, 5.2-liter V-10 will be available in both the coupe and spyder. For the ultimate R8, there is a new V-10 Plus model that can be had only in coupe form, and it will be good for 550 horsepower with carbon-ceramic brakes standard. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard on all models as well.

Pricing for the base R8 (if there can be considered such a thing) represents a modest $700 increase over the previous V-8 model; changes for all 2014 R8s include new “wave”-rotor brakes, new LED headlights and taillights, large dual exhaust outlets that replace the previous quad outlets, and new interior trim bits. A gated six-speed manual is standard on all R8s, while a new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is optional across the board. Pricing is as follows:

• V-8 coupe: $119,150; $128,250, automatic

• V-8 spyder: $132,650; $141,750, automatic

• V-10 coupe: $155,450; $164,550, automatic

• V-10 spyder: $168,950; $178,050, automatic

• V-10 Plus coupe: 174,795; $183,895, automatic

Any flavor of R8 sets our enthusiast hearts aflutter, but the new V-10 Plus model puts it in full triathlon-pounding mode. Consider not only that the 550-hp V-10 makes 398 lb-ft of torque (25 horsepower and 7 lb-ft more than the standard V-10), but that Audi estimates the Plus model weighs 130 pounds less than the regular V-10 due to weight-reducing features such as the use of carbon fiber for the side blades, front splitter, rear diffuser and spoiler; a smaller fuel tank; manual seats; and reduced sound insulation in the engine bay. Audi estimates that the V-10 Plus equipped with the automatic can launch from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. Top speed is pegged at 196 mph.

While we’ll wait to strap our test equipment on the R8 to get you the real numbers, there can be little doubt that Audi is not backing down in the supercar cage fight. We look forward to putting it up against the Porsche 911 and the Nissan GT-R to see which one comes out on top.

Until then, check out this preview video of the new R8 as featured in the upcoming Iron Man 3 movie:

From: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/uvKLqlR2YSQ/

Automobiles

Cigarette AMG Electric Drive Concept: No Need for the ED Badges, This Boat Screams It

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By Andrew Wendler

AMG Electric Drive powerboat

Just days after the revealing a G63-inspired powerboat, Mercedes-Benz AMG and Cigarette Racing are at it again, this time creating a speedboat that shares more than just a customer demographic. Officially named the Cigarette AMG Electric Drive concept, the vessel is not only inspired by the SLS AMG Electric Drive, but shares a fair bit of hardware with the car as well.

Pop the engine cover on the boat, and buried within are 12 liquid-cooled, permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors very similar to those found under the hood of the electrified SLS. The electric motors are arranged in two banks of six, and power is channeled through a pair of transmissions and outdrives. While all performance data is regarded as preliminary, AMG and Cigarette are quoting figures of 2220 horsepower and 2212 lb-ft of torque, with a top speed of more than 100 mph. The horsepower and torque figures check out considering the boat features three-times as many motors as the car, and the SLS Electric Drive produces 740 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque—roughly a third of the boat’s output. AMG and Cigarette are claiming their creation to be the “world’s fastest electrically driven motorboat,” a claim we’ll buy purely on the basis that the number of attempts to build a 2200-plus-hp electric-powered offshore race boat surely is miniscule.

As where the SLS AMG Electric Drive uses a single 60-kWh battery comprised of 12 modules, the boat uses four of those batteries (a 240-kWh capacity) consisting of 48 modules. Two 22-kW on-board chargers lifted from the car require approximately seven hours to recharge; to reduce the charging time to “less than three hours,” Cigarette offers two additional on-board quick chargers as an option. Cigarette and AMG have yet to reveal the weight of the four battery packs on board, but if we use the comparable—if not identical—battery pack from the SLS, which weighs 1208 pounds, we estimate the Cigarette AMG Electric Drive concept is toting roughly 4800-pounds worth of batteries. For reference the G63-inspired powerboat the pair debuted earlier this week has a fuel tank capable of carrying 500 gallons, or just about 3000 pounds. Of course, while the batteries never will become lighter as their energy storage is depleted, they are located low down in the boat to “ensure sublime handling characteristics during more dynamic changes of direction.”

The exclusive matte chromatic AMG Electricbeam Magno finish is lifted directly from the SLS AMG E-Cell prototype we drove nearly three years ago, as is, according to Mercedes, the instrument display. Fitted dials featuring AMG logos over the same extroverted paint color sit behind the wheel, providing information about current motor output, speed, battery voltage, and of course, the battery’s state of charge.

The big question is range; what good is a 100-mph offshore powerboat if it can’t make the …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

Mercedes-Benz SLC AMG to Receive V-6 Power, Sources Say

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By Jens Meiners

2015 Mercedes-Benz AMG SLC Rendering

A little more than three years ago, Mercedes-Benz revealed its SLS AMG, and already, Benz’s performance division is in high gear working on a smaller and more nimble sports car designed to complement its high-performance supercar. It will most likely be called SLC, even though that model designation previously served to denote the oversized, slightly lethargic four-seater version of the 1970s SL roadster, which was built until 1981.

The SLC, which we previewed a year ago, will use a shortened version of the aluminum frame and structure of the SLS, which remains in production. The SLC will be a two-seater and feature traditional doors—none of the SLS’s gullwings or the SLR McLaren‘s scissor doors here. While we originally anticipated that the company would make use of the M159 6.2-liter V-8, or its detuned M156 variation, British publication Car reports that the SLC actually will receive an entry-level 3.0-liter V-6, which would make around 330 horsepower and bring the price right down into base-model Porsche 911 territory.

There also will be two V-8–powered versions, writes Car, motivated by two variations of a new 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V-8: the first is known internally as M177 and will produce nearly 500 horsepower, and the second, M178, will make close to 600 horsepower. Another engine that would fit the package well is the M157 naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V-8 that currently powers the SLK55 AMG. No all-wheel drive will be offered, and an automatic transmission will be standard. Down the road, AMG could offer a roadster version of the SLC. All of this seems to be squarely aimed at the Porsche 911 and its various derivatives, and Mercedes clearly wants to get as much out of the architecture as possible.

All of a sudden, there is a lot of activity in the segment. With the new Corvette, the Jaguar F-type, and now the SLC, times might suddenly become tough for the Porsche 911.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver