Complete Service History! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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.

Honda, Audi sweep European tin-top championships

Despite his win at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, Sebastian Vettel still has another race or two to go before he can claim his fourth consecutive World Championship in Formula 1. Back in Europe, however, this weekend saw several championship titles decided in a variety of tin-top racing series.
In the British Touring Car Championship, Gordon Shedden won the final round at Brands Hatch this weekend, but that wasn't enough to defend his title. Instead, the ultimate glory went to Andrew Jordan, also driving a Honda Civic, coming in ninth place to take a seven-point victory over Shedden in the final standings. Little wonder then that Honda took the constructors' championship and the Honda Yuasa Racing team took the teams' title. Four-time BTCC champion and Fifth Gear co-host Jason Plato, now driving for MG, landed third in the standings.
While Honda dominated the British championship, it was Audi that reigned supreme in mainland Europe. In the Superstars International Series - Italy's touring-car championship - Gianni Morbidelli drove the Audi RS5 to his fifth title, finishing the season's final race in a calculated third place behind the BMW racecars of Giovanni Berton and Max Mugelli. It's the second consecutive win for the RS5 in the Superstars series (Johan Kristoffersson won the title last year), and the second this year following Mike Rockenfeller's title in the RS5 DTM.

Audi R8 Spyder is latest big New York Auto Show debut

The New York Auto Show hasn't been boring. Highlights so far are the kick ass Mazda MX-5 Miata RF and the new Lincoln Navigator Concept. And now, Audi has added a healthy dose of supercar to the mix with the new R8 Spyder. The headlining stats are familiar, seeing as how they're plucked directly from the new R8 hardtop. The only powertrain option is the 5.2-liter V10 and seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch transmission. That engine, as in the hardtop, is good for 540 horsepower and will get this droptop German to 62 miles per hour in just 3.6 seconds (only a tenth of a second off the Coupe's time). The convertible R8 will run all the way up to 197 miles per hour. Audi's release makes no mention of a higher-performance V10 Plus model, which is available on the R8 Coupe. That top-end trim bumps output to 610 ponies and cuts three-tenths of a second off the base hardtop's 3.5-second run to 60. The upside, of course, is unlimited headroom. The new fabric roof can be opened or closed at speeds up to 31 miles per hour, and the operating time is 20 seconds in both directions. The R8 Spyder hasn't exactly been a secret. We've spotted it testing as recently as August, and it was included on a leaked product road map last month with a listed March/April debut. Check back later for a full round of live images from the R8's New York debut. Until then, check out our first images of the new R8 Spyder, available up top. Related Video: New Audi R8 Spyder V10: debut at the New York International Auto Show V10 engine developing 397 kW (540 hp), from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.6 seconds New: driving dynamics system with performance mode Audi Space Frame with 50 percent improvement in rigidity 397 kW (540 hp), from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.6 seconds, top speed 318 km/h (197.6 mph) – the new Audi R8 Spyder* with V10 naturally aspirated engine merges impressive performance with the allure of open-top driving. Its striking design and high-end technologies demonstrate the concentrated expertise of the premium brand. Audi is unveiling its new open high-performance sports car at the New York International Auto Show 2016. "With its spontaneous throttle response, quick revving-up and inimitable sound, the 5.2 FSI naturally aspirated engine in the new Audi R8 Spyder delivers undiluted emotion," remarked Dr.-Ing. Stefan Knirsch, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development.