2005 Audi A6 3.2l Quattro 4d Sedan on 2040-cars

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Audi TT Ultra Quattro Concept throws lightness at the problem

Audi is celebrating the 2013 Wörthersee Tour with a special concept version of the company's TT. The Audi TT Ultra Quattro concept tips the scales at just 2,449 pounds thanks to some extensive engineering work. The company pulled nearly 95 lbs from the car's body structure and used carbon-fiber reinforced plastics for many of its detachable body components. As a result, the concept weighs in at a full 220 pounds lighter than its production counterpart. Throw in a wicked turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 310 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, and you get a machine with the power to weight ratio in the supercar realm. 0-60 comes up in 4.2 seconds and top speed is listed at 173 mph.
Inside, the TT Ultra Quattro features plenty of carbon fiber trim, and designers also fitted the seats from the R8 GT to save a little weight. The buckets use CFRP for the seat frames, saving nearly 50 pounds in the process. In a world where automakers seem blind to the negative effect of throwing more heft at a vehicle, we're in love with the Ultra Quattro concept. Check out the full press release below for more information.

Bonhams sells '85 Audi Sport Quattro for record $427k at Goodwood

1960s Ferraris and pre-war Bugattis tend to fetch the highest prices at auction, but the Audi Sport Quattro is coming into its own. Just this past January in Scottsdale, RM Auctions sold one for an investment-worthy $401k. But during its sale at the Goodwood Members' Meeting this past weekend, rival auction house Bonhams set a new record for the prototypical hot hatch at GBP287,100 – equivalent at today's exchange rates to over $427,000. The pristine white 1985 example has had three owners to date and 26,000 miles on the odometer, and was joined by a 1982 Audi Quattro A1 Group B rally car that won the 1983 championship and sold for nearly as much as its road-going counterpart at GBP253,480 ($377k). Those weren't even the highest-grossing lots at the auction though. The headline price was achieved by a 1959 Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupe that sold for a nice round GBP470,000 ($700k). Other highlights included a 1962 Aston Martin DB4s that went for the equivalent of $382k and a '66 Aston DB6 Vantage that brought in $288k. This was just the first of three auctions that Bonhams will hold at Goodwood this year, with the Festival of Speed scheduled for June 26 and the Revival for September 12. 1980S MOTORING LEGENDS LEAD THE WAY at Bonhams Goodwood Members' Meeting sale 21 Mar 2015, Goodwood 73rd Members' Meeting The ex-Kitty Maurice 1959 Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupe was the top lot of the day, selling for GBP470,000. 1980s models achieved excellent prices, with the 1985 Audi Quattro Sport SWB Coupe setting a new world auction record for the model at GBP287,100, and the ex-works, Hannu Mikkola/Arne Hertz 1982 Audi Quattro A1 Group B Rally Car selling for GBP253,480. The first of three Bonhams auctions scheduled at Goodwood for 2015, the Sale saw three-quarters of motor cars finding new homes. Restoration projects also proved popular, with a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV Sports Saloon achieving GBP256,860, and a 1963 Porsche 356B Super 90 Coupe doubling estimate at GBP32,200. Bonhams inaugural Sale at the 73rd Goodwood Members' Meeting showed a strong trend for iconic 1980s sports cars, achieving a new world auction record for an Audi Quattro as the hammer fell at GBP287,100 for the 1985 Sport SWB Coupe model.

How Audi will make roads friendlier to autonomous cars

Today, Audi announced some of the new projects it will be implementing on Germany's Digital Motorway Test Bed, which comprises a few sections of highway on which the government and industry can test autonomous and connected tech. Among Audi's projects is one specifically aimed at making roads easier for autonomous cars to navigate. Audi is looking to make the road and other objects more visible. The company has been researching materials that could make guardrails and road markers reflect radar waves more readily, and Audi will install test versions soon. The goal here is to help make these objects easier for the autonomous vehicle's sensors to see in inclement weather, and at greater distances in good weather. The company will also test additional road markings that will be easier to see for onboard cameras and will help the car place itself on the road. Audi will also try out new vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology that will be able to alert cars to speed limits, traffic conditions, ice patches and possibly allow for driving patterns such as platooning. This will be a significant step above the traffic light communication system Audi has released in select areas. The company will also be working on very detailed mapping of the area. Audi claims it will be accurate down to the centimeter. From what we've seen at MCity, the world as it stands presents all kinds of difficulties for autonomous vehicles, from worn-out signs to rough pavement. So any advances that make it easier for autonomous cars to see and communicate should help bring such vehicles to reality much sooner. Related Video: News Source: Audi Green Audi Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles v2v vehicle to vehicle communications vehicle to infrastructure technology connected cars v2i