The R8 has been a phenomenal success for Audi, simultaneously raising the company’s profile and allowing it to compete in the rarefied air of the supercar segment for the first time. Certainly in its latest V10 guise, the coupe’s Porsche-like top speed of 194 mph — not to mention rapierlike handling — gives Audi sporting credentials it had not previously enjoyed. (more…)
Aston Martin Rapide is a four-door, high-performance sport saloon, which British luxury marque Aston Martin plans to introduce in early 2010 to compete with the Maserati Quattroporte and Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, along with the upcoming Audi A7, Porsche Panamera, and Lamborghini Estoque. The Rapide name is a reference to the Lagonda Rapide, a saloon car produced by Lagonda, now part of Aston Martin. The car is based on an Aston Martin DB9. (more…)
Audi didn’t have to reengineer the car or even develop a new engine for the R8 5.2 FSI Quattro, as the new V-10 model is officially designated. This is the very engine launched in the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 last year, including the cylinder head. “The only difference lies in the intake and exhaust system, as well as the electronics,” an Audi engineer told us at the launch of the R8 V-10 in Marbella, Spain. The engine is equipped with a dry-sump lubrication system, as well. (more…)
The new Lexus LF-A carries a 4.8-liter V10 engine (built using Titanium valves, connecting rods, forged aluminum pistons, dry sump lubrication and a titanium exhaust manifold) capable to deliver 560 hp at 8,700 RPM (that’s 116.5 hp/liter) and 354 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,800 RPM, while the redline is at 9,000 RPM. (more…)
