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Tuner may sue Monaco hotel for damage caused by valet's injury

It's relatively common to hear about unethical valets taking a joyride and wrecking high-performance cars. However, a recent 'accident' in Monaco might be one of the weirdest cases ever. Of course, now the lawyers may get involved.
Andreas Belzek, owner of tuning firm Prior Design, was driving his highly modified, black with gold pinstripes, widebody Audi R8 (pictured above) to the Hotel de Paris in the famously rich city on the shores of the Mediterranean. Upon arriving, he was going to check in but wanted to park the supercar himself, which was against the hotel's rules. He protested to the valet but eventually gave in and handed over the keys. Then the problems began.
The Audi barely moved before the valet herniated a disk in his back and couldn't leave the car. The police and paramedics arrived to the scene, which had to be quite a crowd in a city as tiny as Monaco. To get the guy out, the rescue crew had to hook him to a special hoist and carry him out, according to Germany's Focus Online. Belzek claims the efforts to save the man caused roughly 10,000 euros ($13,622) in damage to the car's carbon fiber, Alcantara and Nappa leather interior.

Audi E-Tron Sportback Concept previews 2019 production model

Audi has revealed the E-Tron Sportback concept it has been teasing ahead of Auto Shanghai. The all-electric model, the automaker says, previews a production model slated for 2019. Audi will launch an electric SUV with a driving range of 311 miles in 2018. "Following close on its heels, in 2019," says Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler, "comes the production version of the Audi E-Tron Sportback – an emotional coupe version that is thrillingly identifiable as an electric car at the very first glance." The E-Tron Sportback is powered by three electric motors – one on the front axle, and two on the rear ­– providing a total 320 kW (429 horsepower), with a boost mode that ups that output to 370 kW (496 hp). It's capable of a 0-62 mile per hour sprint of 4.5 seconds. A liquid-cooled 95-kWh lithium-ion battery provides 311 miles of driving range (on the European cycle). The concept features Audi's singleframe grille, with an illuminated four-ring logo. The front of the car is shaped for optimal airflow, and the dip in the hood also gives it a uniquely sporty look. Its front fascia integrates lighting that not only illuminates the road, but can project animations or provide communicative signals to other drivers or pedestrians. Its 23-inch wheels are imposing, giving the car a muscular stance. Side mirrors are replaced by slender cameras, which improve airflow and provide a better view of the car's surroundings, helping to eliminate blind spots. By revealing the E-Tron Sportback concept in China, Audi is acknowledging the significance of the country's electric vehicle market. "There are already about 150,000 charging stations in the country, with another 100,000 due to come on stream by the end of 2017," notes Audi Board Member for Marketing and Sales, Dr. Dietmar Voggenreiter. "We are well equipped for this rapid growth. In the next five years we will be offering five E-Tron models in China, including purely battery-powered vehicles with ranges well in excess of 500 kilometers (310.7 miles) such as the Audi E-Tron Sportback." Related Video: Featured Gallery Audi E-Tron Sportback Concept View 34 Photos News Source: Audi Green Auto Shanghai Audi Green Automakers Technology Electric e-tron audi e-tron Auto Shanghai 2017

Notes from Day One of the 2013 Twelve Hours of Sebring

The 61st edition of The 12 Hours of Sebring is on, and Autoblog has come to central Florida with Audi to feast on jumbo boiled peanuts, pickled eggs and the final race for the LMP1 class at the oldest road course in North America. As Audi has been doing for more than a decade now, it's brought its latest endurance race car, the 2013-spec R18 etron quattro, to Sebring to begin testing for Le Mans.
Why the commitment to Sebring? Audi Sport executives have repeatedly called Sebring "punishing," "extremely demanding" and "one of the toughest tracks in the world." It is a 3.47-mile circuit that, in places, feels like it was made from the leftover bits of other circuits. Doing the 12-hour distance in Florida is thought to be a good start on lasting the 24-hour distance in France, and we can't think it a coincidence that Audi has won ten times here in the last 13 years and 11 times in Gaul.
Where there's rhyme - and victory - there is reason. We think we found a few of them on our first day where preparation, technology, fastidious attention to detail and sweat fit right in with swamp cabbage...