Leather Moonroof Keyless Entry Factory Warranty Push Button Off Lease Only on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The 2017 Audi R8 Spyder starts at $176,350

Audi just revealed pricing info for the R8 Spyder, which will start at $176,350, about a year after revealing pricing information for the coupe ( which starts at $164,150 in base form; the Plus starts at $191,150). In case you haven't had your coffee yet, like-equipped base cars will span a $12,000 gulf. But the 2017 R8 Spyder costs about the same as the outgoing R8 Spyder V10 equipped with an automatic (which was at the time a very expensive option), so consider that minimal price inflation. The more interesting comparison is with its platform-mate, the Lamborghini Huracan. A drop-top version of the Italian supercar starts at $267,545 in similar AWD trim with a 5.2-liter V10. Now, it is true that the Huracan Spyder makes 602 horsepower, a 62 horsepower advantage over the standard R8 Spyder with the same engine (540 hp if you are bad at math). The Lambo also a tenth faster to 60 mph than the R8 Spyder, at 3.4 seconds. (The '17 R8 Spyder is itself a tenth quicker than its predecessor, so there's that.) But, the R8 V10 Plus makes 610 hp. We're waiting to hear back form Audi on pricing for that Spyder model. In the coupe, it's a $27,000 increase over the base R8 V10. That logic would peg an R8 Spyder V10 Plus at around $203,000, or $64k less than the Huracan. In either case, you're paying a lot for Lamborghini's unique styling and tuning, although it's hard to put a price on the specialness of driving a Lamborghini. The Huracan Spyder never for a moment lets you forget you're in something fast and Italian. That being said, both are legitimate supercars. The R8 Spyder was developed alongside its Italian cousin, and features an appropriately large amount of aluminum and carbon fiber materials in its construction. Of course, like its coupe counterpart, there's no manual available for the new R8 Spyder. That died with the previous generation. The good news, for fans of open-air driving, is that the roof mechanism only adds 97 lbs to the weight of the car, and Audi kept the electrohydraulics that actuate it as low as possible. If it's anything like the Coupe to drive, and you can be sure since it's an Audi there won't be much trade-off for the open roof, it'll have a dual personality that will accommodate both daily driving and occasional track use. Sounds like a deal, huh? Related Video: Audi Convertible Luxury Performance Supercars r8 spyder r8 huracan

Ford GT dominates Le Mans qualifying, gets slapped with performance adjustment

Fifty years after Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon drove the Ford GT40 to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford is poised for a historic return to the Circuit de la Sarthe. The new Ford GT took the top two qualifying positions in the LMGTE Pro class, and four of the top five. Ferrari's 488 filled in the rest of the spots in the top seven, the first two from AF Corse. In other words, we're primed for a reboot of the classic Ford-Ferrari feud at this year's race. Or not, as the ACO, which organizes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, announced sweeping pre-race Balance of Performance (BOP) adjustments this morning that make this year's GT class anybody's race. In LMP1, last year's overall winner Porsche locked up the top two spots with the 919 Hybrid and will lead the entire field at race start. Toyota's two-car factory effort followed with qualifying times 1.004 and 2.170 seconds behind the pole lap. Audi rounds out the manufacturer-backed LMP1 class in fifth and sixth. Full qualifying results can be found here. The storyline for the GT cars is perfect - some say too perfect. Ford's class-leading times came after BOP adjustment to the Corvette Racing C7.R before qualifying. BOP is intended to level the playing field in the class by adjusting power, ballast, and fuel capacity. (Check out this explainer video for more, or even just if you love French accents.) But the process is riddled with unknowns and ripe for accusations of sandbagging. That is, if the Ford cars were intentionally slow in practice they could hope for BOP adjustment to improve their race chances. On the Corvette side, last year's GTE Pro winner went from the top of the field to the bottom, barely improving from practice to qualifying. If you think Le Mans is as rigged at the NBA Playoffs, well, it's not that simple. Because if Ford and Ferrari held back until qualifying - the eighth-place Porsche 911 RSR is three-and-a-half seconds off the class pole time - it was a pretty dumb strategy. This morning, the ACO tried to put things back in order by limiting the boost in the Ford GT's twin-turbo V6 and adding 11 pounds of ballast. Ferrari was also given extra weight but allowed more fuel capacity. The Corvette and Aston Martin teams were both given breaks on their air restrictors, which will allow their engines to make more power. Both Ford and Porsche also received extra fuel capacity.

Audi R8 V10 Plus vs. Renault Clio Cup racecar will make you go hmmm...

Match up a hot hatch with a supercar of the same vintage, and we'll tell you who will win every time. It's easy, really, as the supercar invariably features a more advanced suspension, stickier tires and most importantly, more power. What if the hot hatch is race prepped, though?
In that particular case, all bets are off. A circuit-tuned suspension, a stripped-down cabin, an ultra-quick sequential transmission and the greatest equalizer of them all, slick tires, are all that's needed to turn the typical hot hatch into a proper dragon slayer.
Perhaps seeking to prove this, Evo has put together an interesting head-to-head between the Audi R8 V10 and a race-prepared Renault Clio Cup. Host Dickie Meaden takes us through each car, highlighting the bits and bobs on both sides which should make this a tight competition. And boy, is this one tight.