Autoblog

Audi's R8 TDI LeMans concept is a powerful, exotic, and diesel-fueled supercar. Given its one-off nature, few have experienced it firsthand. Last month we told you about Autoweek and Fourtitude's time behind the wheel, as they drove the concept at an Audi drive event. The 500 hp V12 diesel was crippled by its modified A4 transmission and Audi's imposed 50 mph max speed, but the smooth power of the German oil burner was still present. The car was also on hand at the New York Auto Show, where low-speed demo drives were offered among a motorcade of Q7 TDIs that acted as pace cars.

Our friends over at Winding Road also spent some time with the R8 TDI, and the online mag had a full spread dedicated to the 738 lb-ft beast. The article is an interesting read, and it also comes with video footage and an interview with the car's technical project manager. Among the items covered in the video is a segment on how the engineers shoehorned the massive V12 into the R8's engine bay. Naturally, there's straight car footage, too. Hit the read link below to view the video.


[Source: Winding Road]

The new issue of Winding Road has hit the 'net and they've assembled a panel of experts to speculate on the future of the Corvette. Some of the discussion centers on the C7, while a sizeable portion of the article focuses on a mid-engine variant of the iconic coupe – including the rendering above.

Additionally, WR is inviting subscribers to enter a contest, where three lucky readers will be able to have a three-on-two session with Corvette Team Manager Doug Fehan and the vehicle's chief engineer, Tom Wallace.

If you're not a subscriber click here, and if you win the contest, be sure to take notes and send anything you're not legally bound to keep secret our way.

click image above to enlarge

The good boffins at Winding Road have come up with a metric called Speed per Dollar (SpD). Its aim is to put straight-line vehicle performance into an easy-to-understand financial perspective. In light of the monetary component, the best and worst SpD ratings among the sample cars tested aren't entirely surprising: Ariel Atom at the top, Bugatti Veyron at the bottom. Supercars -- and their super prices -- would of course fare poorly. However the Mazdaspeed 3, with "just" 263 hp, climbs up the charts to score second place. As Winding Road admits, the chart doesn't take handling (or luxury or Making the Jones' Jealous) into account. But Autobloggers (and Winding Roaders, we're sure) are hugely interested in price-for-performance, and this is a novel new way to compare speedsters. Let the calculations, comparisons, and commentary begin.

[Source: Winding Road]

Yesterday we showed you videos of the continuation 2E Chaparrals being built and raced by James Musser and the gang. The Chaparral racecars were so groundbreaking and awe-inspiring that a whole slew of automotive designers and engineers were drawn to the field after laying eyes on them for the first time.

GM Design Director Ed Welburn is one of them. As this Winding Road piece tells us, Welburn is a huge fan of these Jim Hall racers from the1960s. While helping with that continuation car story, Welburn mentioned to the WR team that he wasn't the only Chaparral fan on the GM design staff either. He said that several others could frequently be found sketching what they thought modern Chaparrals might look like.

Click through to Winding Road to see what Jose Gonzalez dreamed up in the form of a full size version of the teaser pic at right. His creation emulates the earlier 2C rather than a 2E, and it is oh so sexy. You'll also see another design featured in this month's magazine and WR promises a third in the near future. So click over and check it out. For anybody who remembers these Texas chargers fondly, or who just appreciates wonderful racing design they are a must see.

[Source: Winding Road]

A former Autoblogger is in need of your help. Chris Paukert, current online editor for Winding Road, former Autoblog editor and, at least next week, official lucky bastard, had a visit from his boss who promised him the keys to a Lamborghini LP640 roadster for a day. Paukert has a gas card, the company credit cards, and 24 hours to shoot the shoot the car for his March issue before the bull goes back in its cage.

So what could a guy with free run of a Lamborghini possibly need help with? Paukert looking to you to find ways to spend every last second of his 24-hour day with LP640 Roadster.

At the top of our suggestion list is what we imagine every gearhead, car geek, torque-toker and grease monkey daydreams about: going back to your hometown strip, taking that 640-hp beast, lining it up at the light next to Billy Bob Jackass in his bottled Chevy 454 SS pickup, then dropping the hammer to watch his smug little grin turn to embarrassment and shame. Oh, what dreams we have.

So what would you do if given 640 Italian horses for a day?

Oh, and Chris, if you just can't think of anything to do with that beauty, give your old pals over here a call. We'll unburden you of that huge responsibility.

[Source: Winding Road]

The gents at Winding Road (you remember those guys, right?) got up close and personal with Bob Lutz at a recent media event and asked him directly about whether or not a coupe version of the Pontiac Solstice was still in the works. The answer Lutz gave was guarded, but it clearly indicates a coupe was part of the plan all along and that, at least Lutz, still wants to build one that looks just like the concept that debuted back in 2002 (shown above). It seems that in order to make the business case for the Solstice sound, the coupe was left off the table at the first go round. General Motors will likely sit down to review the success of the Sostice so far and determine whether or not more economies of scale can be realized with another Kappa model, which at that point a Solstice Coupe will likely get a green light. Lutz goes on to call the decision to build a coupe "logical" and adds it would be very good for racing, which is an area in which the Solstice is enjoying some early success already.

[Source: Winding Road]

No doubt by now you've heard about VetteGate, our name for the prank pulled by online buff book Winding Road in its January 2007 issue. To recap, WR took a Corvette Z06 and masked it up with tape, fake fender flares and a hood scoop made from cardboard. The result was a car that looked convincingly like a prototype for the "Blue Devil" super Vette currently being developed by General Motors. The fake "Blue Devil" was then driven around Metro Detroit, which led to the public taking pics of the car and unknowingly submitting them to other media outlets as genuine shots of the "Blue Devil". The shots were then published online by The Car Connection, AutoWeek, MotorTrend and other sites like this one.

We were curious how professional spy photographers reacted to finding out that someone had driven around a faux prototype, perhaps one they themselves could've shot and sold for money to their clients. We asked both Brenda Priddy and Chris Doane, two names you should know if you follow spy shots that we've covered on Autoblog, to give us their take on the prank Winding Road pulled.

You can read a statement prepared by Chris Doane and a short interview with Brenda Priddy after the jump.

The man from our favorite kind of road received the new MINI's pricing from a Deep Throat within the automaker. The pricing is printed below, but the short-and-sweet version is simple: a $700 increase on the Cooper and a $400 increase on 'S' models. That's not entirely out of line, considering the upgraded interior and extra performance of the new model.

Current Cooper (2006) – Base MSRP: $17,450 + $550 D&H = $18,000
New Cooper (2007) –Base MSRP: $18,050 + $650 D&H = $18,700

Current Cooper S (2006) –Base MSRP: $20,900 + $550 D&H = $21,450
New Cooper S (2007) –Base MSRP: $21,200 + $650 D&H = $21,850

No word yet on how much the JCW package will set you back, but don't expect it before 2008. You'll probably see a press release soon.

[Source: Winding Road]

In our eternal quest for odd and exciting auctions on eBay Motors, we were surprised to find a new link on the homepage that led us to a special version of Winding Road called the eBay Motors Edition. We're always curious as to what those digital publishers are up to, so we downloaded a free copy (all issues of Winding Road are free to download, for those who don't know).

Winding Road: eBay Motors Edition differs from the standard mag in that it's aimed directly at those using eBay Motors to buy or sell a vehicle. Of course, it includes editorials from David E. Davis, Jr., as well as the spinoff's editor, Jim McCraw. We were particularly interested in the Future Classics section in which Winding Road staff gaze into the crystal ball and call out tomorrow's collectibles. This month's future stars are the just-arrived Shelby GT500 and the now-defunct Dodge Ram SRT-10. The Picks From eBay Motors section also includes vehicles the editors believe are a steal, and in this issue features GM's 1991-96 station wagons and the 1975-88 Volkswagen Scirocco.

If you're a Winding Road fan, you'll check out this new spinoff anyway, but if you've never taken the mag for a test drive, the eBay Motors Edition is a good place to start.

Credit goes to the folks at Winding Road for really stepping it up a notch lately. Their latest issue features a cover designed by Ford GT designer, Camilo Pardo, who painted it on the bare wall of a building at Ford. He even added Le Mans racing stripes to the GT500 convertible, which, for those who don't know, isn't actually available on the convertible. We love the new dual-page spread covers, and Winding Road is finding some very creative ways to use the extra space. Remember the Audi R10 Lego tribute cover?

Issue 13 of Winding Road also features articles on the MINI GP, the Lexus LS460 (did they do a burnout, too?) and a decommissioned Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, the latter penned by former Autoblog editor Chris Paukert.

[Source: Winding Road]