2006 Audi S4 Cabriolet Convertible 2-door 4.2l on 2040-cars

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Audi's new driving school: Drive an R8 at Circuit of the Americas

Every car enthusiast's dream is to be able to drive fast, exotic cars on a famous racetrack, and Audi's new driving school offers exactly that. The Audi Driving Experience has set up shop at the Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas, which you may know as the home of the United States Grand Prix F1 race. The company offers four different programs of varying length, intensity, and cost, but they all feature some Audi's best vehicles including the RS3, TT RS, and the R8 V10 Plus. Two of the programs are half-day, and they teach some of the basics of high-performance driving. The first is called the "Dynamic Experience." It covers things like emergency handling and braking, and it takes place in the exercise paddocks rather than on the actual track. It also only features the RS3 and TT RS. But it's also the most affordable at $595. The other half-day program is the "Track Initiation," and it takes place both in the aforementioned paddocks and on the full Circuit of the Americas course. It adds the R8 to the car roster. It also costs $400 more at $995. The other two programs are longer. The "R8 Track Initiation" program is a full day of driving instruction and practice. It focuses on learning the course by taking it one section at a time, followed by driving the full course toward the end of the day. It features all three cars, and it costs a not-insignificant $2,195. The "R8 Pro Track Initiation" builds on the one-day program with a two-day course. In addition to more track time and more advanced instruction, the course will teach driving techniques such as the famous Scandinavian Flick for inducing oversteer. This program costs a pricey $4,995, and you have to have completed the regular R8 Track Initiation course. Related Video: Image Credit: Audi Auto News Audi Driving Coupe Performance Sedan circuit of the americas

Audi mulling producing version of Quattro showcar, just not sure which one [w/poll]

Head of design for Audi, Wolfgang Egger, has told Auto Express that a reborn Quattro could enter production, but bosses for the company haven't yet decided whether to base it on the Sport Quattro concept that just debuted at this week's Frankfurt Motor Show or the smaller Quattro concept that was revealed at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.
While both draw their inspiration from the original Ur-Quattro of the 1980s, they vary wildly in both size and choice of powertrain. The 2010 Quattro concept was based on Volkswagen's MQB platform, shared with such vehicles as the Golf and Audi A3. The Sport Quattro, meanwhile, was built atop the company's larger MLB platform that's used almost exclusively for Audi models, including the A5, which is also a coupe.
Under their hoods, the 2010 Quattro concept simply employs a version of the same 2.5-liter engine used in the TT RS, tuned to deliver 408 horsepower, while the Sport Quattro goes nuclear with a twin-turbo V8 hybrid powertrain that develops 700 hp and 590 pound-feet of torque. Both, of course, employ quattro all-wheel drive just like their forebearer.

Notes and notations on the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona [w/video]

This year is the 52nd edition of the Daytona 24 Hours. The 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona is also the first race of the year in the brand new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship (TUSCC) With the merger of the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series rewriting and revising the rules of American sports car racing right up until yesterday, we've made the journey to an intermittently wet and constantly freezing Daytona Beach, Florida with Audi to watch the new R8 LMS and every other competitor explore the limits of those rules on the track.
With a ton to cover - and a couple of videos below to watch, including some slo-mo qualifying footage and a hot lap in an R8 LMS - let's not waste time with chit-chat, eh?
Quick things to know about the classes and the leader-light system: