2002 Audi Tt Base Convertible 2-door 1.8l on 2040-cars

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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 RS7 vs. Porsche Panamera Turbo, which would you pick? [w/poll]

We live in a blessed time - a time when you can buy not just one, but two (or three, or four) monstrously powerful, blazingly fast four-doors that can't only keep up with modern supercars, but in some instances, will outperform them as well. Two of the finest are the Audi RS7 and the refreshed Porsche Panamera Turbo, and Motor Trend has been messing around with the both of them in this comparison video.
MT provides a comprehensive and entertaining look at the RS7 and the turbocharged Panamera as they go through a battery of tests, before getting tossed about on both the road and the track. Starring flip-flop aficionado Jonny Lieberman, it's a must-watch, whether you're in the market for one of the two super sedans or merely want to see the former Autoblog editor again.
After having a look at the video, register a vote for the car you'd park in your driveway in our poll. Hop below for the full video from the team at Motor Trend.

Volkswagen breaks 40-year-old sales record in 2012

The last time Volkswagen moved this many vehicles in America in one year, Richard Nixon was still a President in good standing, Let It Be was a radio hit and each car wearing the VW badge boasted an air-cooled engine. That's right, with a grand total of 580,286 vehicles sold in the US last year, the VW Group has broken its own four-decades-old sales record by 2,899 vehicles.
Of that 580k total sold, 438k were Volkswagens and 139k were Audi products - increases of 35.1 percent and 18.5 percent, respectively, in year-over-year sales. The ultra-premium members of the VW group also fared well; Bentley delivered 2,315 vehicles for a 23.3-precent increase, and Lamborghini delivered 520 units for a 52.9-percent jump. Bugatti, we're told is "right on track."
Jetta (pictured) sales paced the marque with 170k models sold, and Passat also finished very strong with sales of 117k total. Tiguan also racked up its best year on file, with 31,731 models shifted.