2001 Audi Tt Pink Convertible on 2040-cars

Auto blog

'Rich Kid of Instagram' victim of supercar arsonists

A 19-year-old in the UK is smarting after the possibility that his prolific social media use may be at the heart of four family-owned supercars going up in flames in barely a week. Aleem Iqbal has thousands of followers on Twitter and Instagram paying attention to his frequent posts about the high-priced cars he's driving. He's even been featured on the Tumblr page Rich Kids of Instagram. It appears that some people might not be so smitten with him, though.
According to his Twitter profile, Iqbal owns Platinum Executive Travel, a luxury car rental company in the England, and UK newspaper The Telegraph claims the company is also owned by Iqbal's father. On June 6, cameras caught three hooded men setting fire to a Lamborghini Aventador Roadster leased by the company for a wedding. A few days later, two Audi R8 Spyders and a Bentley Continental Flying Spur from Platinum also got the torch, and two men were caught on camera setting the blaze. Nobody was hurt in either of the attacks, and the Aventador appeared to be repairable with the fire causing most damage to the passenger seat and dashboard. Police are still investigating both of the crimes.
According to The Telegraph, Iqbal believes that the arsons could have stemmed from jealousy towards him and his family's business. Regardless, setting fire to a bunch of cars that are likely insured isn't a great way to show displeasure.

Next-gen Audi S7 looking hot in Southern Europe

Development on the next-gen Audi S7 is in full swing. The handsome hatchback is still popular, even if it is starting to show its age, so we have high hopes for the new model. We have some new spy photos of the car performing hot-weather testing in Southern Europe. We don't have many details or a firm release date, but there are a few things we can pull from these pics. The new model looks like it will retain the same general shape as the current one. That's a good thing, as the A7 is one of the best looking vehicles on the market. The long and flowing roof, frameless doors, and long wheelbase all look to be present. There are hints of the Audi R8 from the A-pillar forward while the large grille looks exactly like the on new Audi A8. Many of these design elements are straight off of the Audi Prologue concept from a few years back. Like other Audi S models, the S7 has a wide bumper with large intakes at the bottom corners. A chin spoiler appears to channel air down under the car. Around the side, we can see big wheels and brakes. There are side skirts along the bottom. Out back, it has the requisite quad exhaust tip, a dead giveaway that this is an S model. Lighting both front and rear appears to be LED. What rests under the hood is arguably the car's biggest mystery. We can count on Quattro all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic, but we don't know if it will have a turbocharged V6 or V8 under the hood. At this point, both seem equally likely. Horsepower and torque should both be in the mid-400 range while 0-60 mph times should be around 4.5 seconds. Look for more news this fall. Related Video: Featured Gallery Audi S7 Spy Shots View 12 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos Audi Luxury audi s7

Audi shows off the Prologue Avant Concept as a plug-in hybrid

The Audi Prologue Avant Concept goes in a different direction than the Prologue coupe, in more ways than just its five-door wagon body. The coupe was first shown at the LA Auto Show with a 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8, then went redux at CES as a hybrid with a total of 677 horsepower and 701 pound-feet of torque. The only-slightly-larger Prologue Avant sticks with the hybrid but gets the system from the Q7 E-Tron quattro, meaning a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 TDI with 353 hp and a 100-kW electric motor strapped to the eight-speed transmission. Total output is 455 hp and 553 lb-ft, pure electric range is 33 miles, and 0-62 miles per hour comes in 5.1 seconds. The forward section of cabin with its screen-based Tie Fighter displays and controls comes over from the coupe, as well as the four individual seats, but the Avant lavishes attention on rear passengers in ways not possible in the two-door. They also get a screen on the pass-through center console for convenience controls, and detachable OLED screens - a la the detachable tablets in the Q7 - with which they can send information to the front occupants. As a traditional Audi avant is to a coupe relative, the Prologue Avant is all about bringing the family along on the digital highway. We'll see it at the Geneva Motor Show next week, and Audi is again talking up how the design language will migrate to production cars. It also makes noises in the press release below about near-production many of the technologies are in the concept, so it looks like there could be all sorts of Easter Eggs on the way from the Ingolstadt brand. Related Video: Sporty and elegant, versatile and connected – the Audi prologue Avant show car - New interpretation of the Avant philosophy - Groundbreaking infotainment architecture and entertainment concept - High-performance hybrid drive with 455 hp and 750 Nm (553.2 lb-ft) of torque Ingolstadt, 2015-02-25 -- A design with dynamic elegance and the latest high end technologies: The Audi prologue Avant show car with its stretched roof which the brand is presenting at the Geneva Motor Show gives a look into the future – with the new and emotion filled design language that Audi has initiated with its study in the coupe, the prologue. A glance into the future In November 2014 at the Los Angeles Motorshow, Audi presented the Audi prologue concept car, giving a look to the brand's future design language.