Alex Roy reviews his dream car: the Audi R8 Blackbird
Click above to view video after the jump
Alex Roy, currently locked in an M5 with our own Damon Lavric, recently got a video tour of a rather nifty Audi R8 owned by someone who insists he remain nameless. Codenamed Blackbird, the coupe is stuffed with enough gadgets to be a testbed for NASA's shuttle replacement, but don't for a second think the interior resembles a jungle of wires, screens and antennae: all the electronic gear is seamlessly integrated in a most impressive way. A sample of the wares in the blacked out supercar with the gunmetal gray blade include four GPS units, two radar detectors, police scanner, CB radio, kill switch for all rear lights, high-speed broadband Internet with Wi-Fi running on a tablet PC, power ports, takedown lights, a remote-controlled exhaust bypass valve, and -- get this -- a liquid-cooled infrasonic wave pulse generator. Apparently, you don't want to stand by that last item if you wish to have children. Follow the jump for the whole story in moving pictures. Thanks for the tip, Mike![Source: YouTube]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
catgirlshyla 1:36PM (8/13/2008)
Must be a Wangan Midnight Fanboy.
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John R 1:43PM (8/13/2008)
You know, that's what I was thinking. But this is more KITT from Knight Rider than Tetsuya Shima's Blackbird.
matt 2:21PM (8/13/2008)
funny you should say KITT since David Hasselhoff is the one driving this thing in Bullrun right now.
Torrent 3:53PM (8/13/2008)
I was just about to say KITT, too. KITT should have been Anything but a Mustang, come on.
A TSX, perhaps? lmao
awlin 1:37PM (8/13/2008)
wow. that is an engineer's wet dream.
so awesome.
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Quattrofan 2:14PM (8/13/2008)
This riceboy crap just doesn't do it for me. 200lb of electronics most of it designed to evade the cops. Are you suggesting you will be driving this on the public roads at 200MPH?
How about putting your R8 on a diet instead, getting a trailer and go hit your local racetrack?
awlin 3:07PM (8/13/2008)
i think you missed the point of the car build...
i agree an R8 would be great to strip down and take to a track, but uhh ... this is definitely not "rice". tell me how hardwiring a pulse generator and a scanner is rice ...
R 3:40PM (8/13/2008)
These days, everyone has their own definition of "rice", and the variability is huge. I would have said it was originally defined as non-functional, ugly body mods. But these days, rice has become shorthand for "I personally don't like it, and you shouldn't either." I've seen people call the chrome trim on stock Mercedes "rice." I've seen people call functional wings on high horsepower, high torque RWD cars "rice." Some people call any mod to a factory car "rice", because if you're not conforming, and expressing any kind of individuality, it's rice. It's all become very stupid.
User 1:38PM (8/13/2008)
I speak for men around the world when I say this: Awesome.
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ik 11:31PM (8/13/2008)
it is truly awesome
I'm hard to impress, but I was thoroughly blown away at just how much stuff he had put in. PA system? wow.
the only thing that's missing is fuel economy tuning and an extra gas tank (for long races like GB3K)
J Who 1:45PM (8/13/2008)
"a liquid-cooled infrasonic wave pulse generator"
Aren't those able to make you crap your pants?
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User 1:55PM (8/13/2008)
Nobody really knows. So far this is what I've found out:
1. They can be used to scare away animals and make humans feel uncomfortable at high frequencies. (This is probably not the case.)
2. The army and police have been testing these to make more effective alarm systems at low frequencies. If you are in front of a police car with one of these set to a low frequency, it shakes your car. (This is probably not the case.)
3. The most likely case because the owner of this car has been reported to have past military experience. In conjunction with a non-lethal weapons manufacturer, the army has been researching a sound device that can apparently make people either fall down, throw up uncontrollably, or be overcome with painful sound. (Researchers say the throw up part is highly exaggerated and would most likely not occur.)
RITmusic2k 5:03PM (8/13/2008)
I haven't watched the vid yet, so I don't know if they actually explain it, but my guess is it's supposed to act as a deer whistle on steroids.
Chris 1:46PM (8/13/2008)
Is he going to try and break the cross country record?
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Joe 1:32PM (8/14/2008)
He probably already did. Statute of limitations expires in a year... so we'll know then. I hope he did.
Andy 4:55PM (8/13/2008)
Do want...
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Duders 1:54PM (8/13/2008)
sickest car ever
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nighttime 12:22AM (8/14/2008)
definitely a monster and a half!
Luis 1:55PM (8/13/2008)
I hate to be one one but it's "remain", Mr. Ramsey,not "rename"...
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Morpheus Morpheus 2:44PM (8/13/2008)
You are the one one, Neo Neo. The Oracle Oracle said so so.