2006 Bugatti Veyron 16.4

Bugatti Veyron 16.4: Superior in Every Sense
After four years of development, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, as it will now be called, is ready for series production. The most exclusive sports car of all time is following in the footsteps of the legendary Bugatti, those universally-coveted limousines and unbeatable racing cars of the 1920s and 1930s which today are among the most sought-after creations from the early days of automobile construction.

This brings to an end the era of design models and concept cars which since the late 1990s have signposted possible paths to the Bugattis of the future. Design and technological concept have finally become reality in the Veyron model’s final form and will be available from the beginning of 2004 as a strictly limited edition of just 300 cars. Technologically futuristic and packed with creative engineering, the first Bugatti of the 21st century has arrived.

Merging the Past and the Future

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4’s home is in Molsheim-Dorlisheim, the French town where, almost 100 years ago, Ettore Bugatti began to realize his lifelong dream of being a car manufacturer. The new workshop is not just where the engine and vehicle are assembled and tested, it is also the place where customers collect their Bugattis and drive them out onto the streets for the first time.

The aim is to turn Molsheim into an all-round Bugatti center once again. While up to 70 new vehicles a year are built by hand in the new facility, neighboring specially-equipped workshops are the scene of expert restoration work on historic Bugatti vehicles. Both past and future have found a new home here.

High Performance

The car’s safety systems have been designed to cope with its extraordinary performance, acceleration and speed. The single-piece carbon-fiber monocoque alone scores maximum points in crash tests, while airbags give the driver and passenger additional protection. The high-speed tires designed specially for the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 (for vmax. > 350 km/h), sizes 265-680 ZR500A (front) and 365-710 R540A (rear), incorporate a further innovative safety feature in the form of the PAX System fitted to the wheels and tires, ensuring safe handling even after sudden pressure loss. Another Bugatti Veyron 16.4 component with a safety element is the rear spoiler. As well as providing the necessary downforce during high-speed travel, it acts as a kind of ‘parachute brake’ during emergency braking. Once precisely-defined deceleration forces are registered the spoiler tilts and the additional air resistance this generates reduces the braking distance to that of a lorry.

The Art of the Machine

The W16 alloy engine developed by Bugatti for the Veyron 16.4 will have a special and absolutely unique place in the history of sports car construction. Its design employs the space-saving VR principle with two particularly slender eight-cylinder blocks arranged at a 90° angle to each other.

1001 horsepower equip the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 with a level of acceleration unheard of in the sports car segment, propelling it from 0 to 62 mph in just 2.5 seconds and past the 200 mph mark in a mere 24 seconds. Thanks to its 923 lb-ft, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4’s enormous propulsive power is not exhausted until it reaches 252.3 mph (406 km/h): the maximum speed for which chassis and drive train have been designed. Any further performance escalation is limited by current design and construction.

Also unique is the power transmission via an innovative directshift gearbox. Without any interruption in the power flow, the sequential seven-speed gearbox transmits the engine’s power to the wheels via permanent four-wheel drive. Put simply, this means uninterrupted acceleration from a standing start to maximum speed: a feeling previously known only to jet pilots.

Exclusive, Classical, Functional

Both exclusive and highly functional, the interior of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 will transport you to a world of your own. Superb leather, also two-tone if desired, quality metallic trim and beautifully designed and ergonomically laid-out controls characterize the Veyron cockpit.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 instruments, with a large central rev counter surrounded by four smaller additional instruments also conjures up memories of the marque’s legendary motor sport past. The deliberate avoidance of superfluous instruments and modern extras are an unmistakable statement of the car’s uncompromising sportiness.

Unchanged on the series version of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is the classical two-tone paintwork. The designers have selected five separate color combinations for the car: Each of the combinations features the bonnet, roof and rear in the darker of the two colors, with the sides and front wheel arches in the lighter color.
Base Price: 2006 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 - Approx. $1,700,000 (last update: 1/19/2007)

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2007 BMW M6

New BMW M6: The Rebirth of an Icon
Power and performance, however, are not everything. Rather, what really counts is a car's acceleration and driving dynamics on the road. And this depends, first, on the weight of a car and, second, on the thrust and power which actually goes to the drive wheels - which, in turn, is a result of engine torque and the overall transmission ratio. BMW's high-speed engine concept allows an optimum gearbox and final drive transmission ratio in all cases, thus guaranteeing impressive thrust and momentum on the road at all times.

The Interior

Inside, the new M6 comes with fully adjustable M sports seats that include lumbar support and an adjustable backrest width as standard. They are covered in extended Merino leather, with the owner able to choose between Black, Silverstone or Sepang.

The new car also features BMW M’s version of the new Head-up Display system. Unlike the standard Head-up Display available on 5 and 6 Series models that offers navigation instructions and cruise control information, the system on the M6 projects driver-focussed information such as engine speed, gear selected and road speed directly into the driver’s view, obviating the need for the driver to take his or her eyes off the road ahead.
Base Price: 2007 BMW M6 - $98,600 / 106,500 € (last update: 2/20/2007

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2009 BMW M3 Coupe

Turning Powerful Passion into Supreme Performance: The New BMW M3
Entering each new season in motorsport, BMW feels new and fresh ambition, query formally proven recipes for success, and focus on new records and outstanding achievements. And precisely this also applies to the debut of the new BMW M3. Having completed its test cycle with flying colors, the new high-performance sports car from BMW M GmbH is ready and waiting to take over pole position. Indeed, with its superior power, performance and dynamism, the new BMW M3 ensures truly unique sheer driving pleasure of the highest caliber.

The new, 414 bhp V8 power unit offers enormous muscle and performance at all times. And the aesthetic design of the new car typical once again of BMW M spells out supremacy of the highest standard.

The new BMW M3 sets the foundation for continuing an exceptional career in motorsport. So every enthusiast sharing the passion for supreme performance may be sure that this model is able to master even the greatest challenge on and off the race track. And last but certainly not least, the new BMW M3 offers the supreme standard of reliability and everyday driving qualities so typical of all high-performance cars from BMW M GmbH.

The First-ever Eight-cylinder to Power a BMW M3

After 15 glorious years in the world of motoring, the straight-six power unit lauded time and again as the Engine-of-the-Year in the two former model generations of the BMW M3 is now giving way to a truly worthy successor. The new BMW M3 comes for the first time with an eight-cylinder power unit. And the specifications of this all-new high-performance engine clearly
prove the competence and skill of the engine development specialists at BMW M GmbH gained in a long history of racing success: Displacing 3,999 cc, the new V8 develops maximum output of 414 bhp, together with peak torque of 295 lb-ft at 3, 900 rpm. Perhaps an even more outstanding fact is that some 85 per cent of the engine’s peak torque remains available throughout the enormous speed range of 6, 500 rpm.

The eight-cylinder nevertheless owes its most striking and distinctive forte to the high-speed engine concept so typical of BMW M: Revving all the way to 8,400 rpm, the new power unit offers supreme muscle and performance at all times. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels by a six-speed manual gearbox interacting with brand-new final drive. This combination alone provides an acceleration and power potential reminiscent in its spontaneity and endurance to the dynamic potential of a thoroughbred racing car.

Athletic body design as a visible expression of superior power

The exterior of the new BMW M3 was designed and developed from the start to give the car a truly unique and sporting look. So applying the principle of "form follows function”, the designers at BMW M GmbH, in giving the body of the car its particular look and appearance, have succeeded in finding a perfect match of supreme technology, on the one hand, and authentic sporting design, on the other.

Reflecting this clear-cut principle, the engine compartment lid made of aluminum features an impressive powerdome right in the middle. Together with the recesses right next to the powerdome providing space for additional air intake openings, this special design feature clearly hints to the supreme potential of the eight-cylinder power unit within the engine compartment. The contours of the powerdome and air intakes follow the forward-pointing arrow shape of the engine compartment lid, blending harmoniously into the overall design of the front end even longer than on the “regular” BMW 3 Series Coupe.

The Interior: Tailor-made for Optimum Driving Pleasure

In designing the interior, the specialists at BMW M GmbH have succeeded in offering the occupants maximum driving pleasure in an ambience tailored to their specific needs and wishes. This applies particularly to the driver, with all controls and instruments relating directly to the active driving experience in the car adapted to the supreme performance of the BMW M3 and re-designed from the ground up wherever appropriate.

Double circular instruments with white illumination and red needles, the M leather steering wheel and the newly designed centre console all characterize the cockpit of the new BMW M3. The door cutout trim embellished by the characteristic M logo, the support for the driver’s left foot made of brushed metal, the special design and color of the inner door panels, as well as the trim strip made of high-quality, sophisticated materials exclusive to BMW M such as leather in carbon design or aluminum, all serve to underline the supreme and truly unique position of the new BMW M3.

MDrive Button for the Ambitious Driving Enthusiast

Enjoying the qualities of the new BMW M3, the driver is able to configure several driving parameters individually according to his particular requirements, thus adjusting the car’s behavior and performance to his personal preferences. One option, for example, is to completely deactivate the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) via the car’s set-up. Electronic Damper Control (EDC), in turn, which optimizes both vertical vibration behavior as well as the car’s dive and roll in bends and when applying the brakes and accelerating by adjusting damper forces, comes with three different settings – Normal, Comfort, and Sports – the driver is able to pre-select at the touch of a button.

Three control maps are also available for precise, on-demand management of the engine. These management functions operate not only on the position of the throttle butterflies in the intake manifold, but also on further factors and parameters significantly changing the behavior and response of the engine.

The optionally available MDrive configuration enables the driver to pre-select the response of the Servotronic power steering. In the process, MDrive is able to follow two control maps varying steering forces between the Normal and Sports setting as a function of road speed.
Base Price: 2009 BMW M3 Coupe - $57,275 (last update: 1/15/2008)

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2007 Audi R8

Audi Reveals the R8: Le Mans Racer for the Street

The Audi R8, into which Audi has incorporated the name and the genes of the five-time Le Mans winner, is a spectacular sports car. Three years after the unveiling of the Audi Le Mans quattro concept car, the production version will be making its debut at the Paris Motor Show in the guise of the new Audi R8 mid-engined sports model. It is a fascinating driving machine and the sporty pinnacle of the Audi brand. The mid-mounted 420 bhp V8 FSI engine, quattro permanent four-wheel drive and Audi Space Frame aluminum body form the basis for truly outstanding driving dynamics. The Audi R8 will be available to order from 28 September 2006; first deliveries will be made in the first half of 2007.

As the first Audi mid-engined sports car, the Audi R8 combines Audi's experience gained from numerous motorsport triumphs with groundbreaking design and the acknowledged technological expertise of the brand. This expertise has led to the slogan 'Vorsprung durch Technik' becoming a byword for leading-edge technology both on the race track and on the road.

Audi R8's Exterior

Even at first glance, the caliber of the Audi R8 is plain to see. The car sits broad and squat on the road, the strongly accentuated rear end appearing to flex its muscles like a sprinter ready for the off.

The characteristic proportions of the vehicle are dictated by the location of the engine behind the cockpit. This layout is a typical feature of race cars. One of the most striking examples of this design – and as such one of the legitimate antecedents of the Audi R8 – was, and still is, the Auto Union Type C Grand Prix car. The central position of the engine is above all a boon to driving dynamics, as it allows for a weight distribution, as on the R8, of 44 percent to the front and 56 percent to the rear.

The car's body is highly compact in appearance. The front end and the gently curved roof arc are drawn in a sweeping line; a line which immediately marks the two-seater out as an Audi.

The side view also reveals familiar contours. The dynamic line above the wheel arches and the shoulder line interlink the front end, side and rear, imbue the doors and the transition to the side air vent with a strong presence, and even more emphatically highlight the typical Audi rounded wheel housings accommodating the big wheels.

The cabin of the Audi R8 is pushed far forward – a typical feature of a mid-engined sports car, and as such a visual cue linking it to the race car of the same name. Behind the cabin, positioned in front of the rear axle, is the V8 FSI engine, a sculptured piece of engineering visible both through the large, shield-shaped rear window and from inside the car.

The full aluminum body is constructed in the Audi Space Frame (ASF) design. Its perfect synthesis of minimal weight and maximum rigidity provides the ideal foundation for optimum driving dynamics, as well as delivering an outstanding power-to-weight ratio of just 8.18 pounds per bhp.

The Interior

The sporty interior is dominated by a totally driver-oriented cockpit architecture, integrating the driver between the dashboard and the high centre console. The instrument panel above the console is angled slightly towards the driver. The flat-bottomed steering wheel is a typical feature of the sportiest Audi models, and also enables comfortable sports car entry and exit.

Form follows function: this design principle is implemented throughout the R8. Alongside the driver-oriented architecture, also reflected in the styling of the side window sills, the choice of materials also makes for a highly functional look and feel. Looking around when in the driving seat makes one thing clear: just like in the R8 race car, the styling and placement of all the elements in the cockpit of this driving machine is focused on the essentials. The center point of everything is the driver.

The Drivetrain

Turbine-like power up to the highest rev ranges, a high maximum torque, all combined with a fascinating sound, are the characteristics of a perfect sports car engine. An engine that is fascinating both in terms of its enormous power potential and its suitability for everyday use.

In the high-revving 420 bhp eight-cylinder engine, the evolution of FSI petrol direct injection technology has reached a new high. This technology has also enjoyed many triumphs in the Audi R8 race car.

The figures illustrate the outstanding potential of the eight-cylinder unit. At 7,800 rpm the 4.2-liter engine delivers 420 bhp of power output. Peak torque is 317 lb-ft from 4,500 to 6,000 rpm. And no less than 90 per cent of this maximum torque is maintained consistently throughout a wide engine speed range from 3,500 all the way to 7,600 rpm. As a result of these qualities, the eight-cylinder power unit provides maximum thrust in virtually any driving situation.

The performance figures are equally impressive: the R8 accelerates from a standstill to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and reaches a top speed of 187 mph.

Two transmissions are available: a manual 6-speed gearbox or optionally the Audi R tronic sequential-shift gearbox. Here, too, the influence of the motorsport world is clearly evident, with a joystick gear-shift on the centre console and, most especially, the paddles mounted on the steering wheel, which are a long-established ergonomic feature in motorsport. The best illustration of this is once again the Le Mans winning Audi R8, which also enables the driver to change gear on the steering wheel.

The Audi R8 is being built on a small-lot production line in a specially constructed new block at the Audi plant in Neckarsulm, Germany.

$109,000 (last update: 3/29/2007)

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A sport BMW in German Hamann version:

German foremen chose rather unbtrusive colour – „a la grey mouse“. A front bumper is entailed to a sport mask with a typical openings of BMW cars. This space is filled with chrome-plated grid which aesthetically vitalizes car´s front section.

Lower central part consists of a big induction space which is filled with soft metal. There are two oval openings at both sides of car. There were jointed fog lights by Hamann foremen to the one opening and the second one serves as opening for an air ram induction to the front disk brakes. There are scowl bases lights to add a more beauty and a sport design to a car.

There is a spoiler on the lower part of a bumper by which there is a beginning of flanging of a car´s underneath through the side sills to the back bumper. Aerodynamic sills help with the regulation of an air flow towards the opening in its back part. This opening exhausts air to the back disk brakes and this increases the safety of a driver and travelling companion by better braking of a car itself.

The position of a flash lights and a „port“ for the conduction of a warm air from the engine is pretty good solved. It is placed on the side of a car.

The car´s side as well as his bonnet is ornamented with white tickets with the red curling and with a model of a target flag in charcoal grey. The back part of BMW is apparently reworked the best, but it is up to you. The rear bumper held the similar shapes as the front part.

On the lower part there is elegant diffuser (above which there is a space for the car´s licence number) regulating the air flow behind this sport car. On the both sides there are four round endings of a tuned „duplex“ exhaust emission system.

The back trunk,as well as it is in the series, matches to the BMW bodywork´s contours. There is a pressure wing on the top of the car which covers bigger rear axle load mostly at the higher speed. We can find parking sensors on the rear bumper whose usage is surely known by all, even less able, drivers.

We do not forget to inform you about the modified car´s dimensions: Hamann chose BMW Z 4 Roadster with 3,0 litre engine but he modified it with his own conversion (Hamann HM 3) and raised the cubage to 3,3 litres. His output after conversion climb up 86,5 hp to liter what is approximately 286 hp (at 6200 rpm). The torque rate climbed up 355 Nm at 4000 rpm. BMW is able to reach 100 kph in 5 seconds. And what about the maximal speed? Its rate is 269 kph. It is good, isn´t it?

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2008 Audi R8 Arrives

Audi Australia has today launched its most anticipated car yet, the R8 sports coupe. The $259,000+ car marks Audi’s first attempt at joining the high-performance sports coupe club.
The R8 is powered by a high-revving 4.2-litre V8 FSI engine with 309kW and 430Nm, it will go from 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds. On paper, the R8 should be able to steal some sales from the similarly priced Aston Martin V8 Vantage.


Audi Australia’s Managing Director, Joerg Hofmann, says the R8’s introduction will help boost the company’s profile in Australia.

“The Audi R8 will become an icon for Audi and albeit niche, this is a car that clearly embodies our Vorsprung durch Technik (progress through technology). It will be instrumental in further boosting our brand image and awareness in this market,” Mr Hofmann said.

If you think 260k is a lot for an Audi, it’s best to remember the car is engineered with huge racing credentials. Besides, almost 15% of the R8 is shared with the Lamborghini Gallardo, including the transmission and chassis.

Using a mid-engined concept and quattro drivetrain, the R8 promises to be one extremely competent car.

Audi’s Space Frame ASF aluminium technology means the R8 weighs only 1560KG and the car utilises Audi’s new magnetic ride adaptive damping system for better handling and comfort.

The R8 package includes high performance ceramic brakes, a Bang & Olufsen sound system, rear view camera, Audi’s Multi Media Interface MMI and in another world first for Audi, the 2008 model R8 will be the first car in the world with all-LED headlights.



There will be two variants of the R8, the 6-speed manual variant ($259,990) and the six-speed sequential R-tronic version ($274,900).

Audi believes at least 100 Australians will take home an R8 per year. The German company is currently producing 20 R8s per day. The first 25 Australian buyers will take delivery within the next 2 months.

CarAdvice will endeavour to bring you a road test of the R8 in the near future.

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2008 Gumpert Apollo Sport

We remember a time when people bought sports cars solely for their performance qualities, not for the luxury, attention, or status they brought. German boutique carmaker Gumpert, however, takes us back to those days with its 2008 Apollo Sport, a car with a single-minded purpose: to go very, very fast.

Scoring zero to little on the name-brand value scale (and with a name like Gumpert, it’s bound to stay that way), the Gumpert Apollo Sport offers pure speed in return. The Apollo Sport is the successor to the Gumpert Apollo, which debuted two years ago in much the same form, albeit without the Sport’s racing-style rear wing that appears to have been sourced from Boeing. Certainly exotic in proportions, but starkly unemotional in the details, the Apollo Sport looks less like the stuff of the Greek gods than something a teenager would have doodled during sixth-period civics class.

That having been said, few teenagers are capable of developing their dream cars into actual, drivable automobiles, let alone supercars with mind-blowing performance. Powered by a mid-mounted 800-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 that started life in the Audi parts bin before Gumpert added twin turbochargers, among numerous other mods, the 2650-pound Apollo Sport is said to hit 62 mph in a Murciélago-humbling three seconds flat. Gumpert claims that aerodynamic enhancements have raised the Apollo Sport’s top speed to 223 mph.

The Apollo Sport also boasts a more comfortable interior, finished in Alcantara and offering air conditioning, navigation, and a CD player. But make no mistake, this is a sports-car environ of the purest variety, making 599GTBs, SLRs, and 911 Turbos feel like Maybachs by comparison.

Like the Apollo, the Apollo Sport is built on a tubular-steel space frame wrapped around a carbon-fiber monocoque, thus yielding safety and weight savings in equal measure. However, don’t expect NHTSA to be running any Apollo Sports into walls on our shores to find out, since the Apollo Sport won’t be offered in the U.S., no matter how many gazillionaires here could afford its near-$400,000 price.

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