S6 Quattro V8 Blk Blk Avant Wagon 4.2 V8 Tranny Slips Southern Car Awd Wonderful on 2040-cars

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Next Audi R8 to eschew engine downsizing, go on diet instead

Looking across the Audi landscape, many models that used to get the company's high-revving, naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V8 are now powered by smaller, yet similarly powerful, forced-induction engines. From what Auto Express is reporting, though, the next-generation Audi R8 will not meet this same fate.
Rather than ditching its V8 and V10 powerplants, the next-gen R8 - expected to debut in 2015 - will shed pounds from its curb weight. The 2014 R8 currently weighs between 3,583 pounds and up to 3,957 pounds, but the report says that engineers are targeting a weight of less than 3,300 pounds. All models will get cylinder deactivation, which along with lower curb weights should help to improve fuel economy and emissions. Head on over to Auto Express for more reported information as well as a handful of renderings that take a stab at how the next R8 may look.

24 Hours of Le Mans live update part one

We tasked surfing journalist Rory Parker to watch this year's live stream of the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. What follows is an experiment to experience the world's greatest endurance race from the perspective of a motorsports novice with a profanity-laden stream-of-consciousness writing style. Parker lives in Hawaii and spends far more time spearfishing than behind the wheel of a car. Jump ahead to Part Two here, and Part Three here. Big Money and billionaire hobbyists and rockets on wheels. Jets belching French color smoke overhead. Balance of power fuckery. Plenty of water on the ground this morning. Absurdly expensive motorcars lined up in the pissing rain. Fast twitch lunatics behind the wheel. Chomping at the bit. Let's go let's go let's go! Race hasn't even started, Ford #67 maybe dealing with clutch issues. Karma? That beautiful bastard Brad Pitt's out on the track, waving the tricolor flag. It's a standing start in "Noah's Ark" weather and the 2016 24 hours of Le Mans is go! First lap takes place behind the safety car, finished in a record setting 8 minutes 27 seconds. Wrong kind of record maybe, but this is the first time I've set my mind to watching the whole damn race. Feel like I'm part of history. 3:00 AM on Kauai, a little too early for life. Sucking down coffee like a maniac. Don't fall back asleep. Got my hands on four hours of rest, how much more can I need? Better be enough for the next twenty four hours. Gonna get kinda punchy toward the end. Jason Statham on the scene. Four feet of solid muscle, non-existent hairline. Lovely wife peanut gallery sitting next to me calls him the "best race car drive in the world." Not sure if she's serious. Toss up, could go either way. Statham's a funny guy. Heir to the Bruce Willis comedy action crown. Really good in the movie where the fat comedy lady plays a spy. Ford's on the road. Problems with gearbox pressure, apparently. Nearing a half hour in and the safety car is still on the track. Hellish amounts of water on the ground, in the air. Visibility is garbage. Getting better. Twitter wags, "Not with a bang but a whimper." Just building suspense. Mother Nature felt like killing some people today, race officials need to dial back the drivers until it dries a tad. Normal inclination would've seen 'em flying, guaranteed early lap wrecks. Sad news for that bloodthirsty part of my lizard brain I try and keep suppressed. Good news for humanity. #12 in the pit for a bit.

Audi celebrates original RS with RS4 Avant Nogaro selection

It's been 20 years since Audi unveiled the RS2 Avant, the progenitor of an entire range of ridiculously fun luxury cars, including the RS3, three generations of the RS4, three generations of RS6, the RS5, and new RS7 and RS Q3. In honor of the anniversary, Audi is paying tribute to the Porsche-fettled wagon by releasing a special edition of its modern-day counterpart, the RS4 Avant.
Called the RS4 Nogaro selection, it sports vibrant Nogaro Blue paint, which is similar to the RS2's signature color. The twin oval exhaust, window frames, and grille surround are finished in gloss black, while the roof rails are matte black. 20-inch wheels in a V-spoke pattern are the RS4 Nogaro's final exterior tell.
In the cabin, Nogaro Blue Alcantara suede accents are optional on the door panels and seat inners (black suede is also available), while Valcona leather comes standard on the seat outers. The steering wheel, meanwhile, features Nogaro Blue contrast stitching and is wrapped in black leather. Blue threads in the carbon fiber trim and a special-edition shifter round out the interior work on this special edition RS4.