News: Apollo's Speed
October 1, 2007
Three hundred Audi
RS4 Cabriolets will go on sale in the U.S. market this November, just in time
for winter. Ironic as that sounds, the launch could not be better timed. The RS4
will join the ranks of the Audi A4/S4, Bentley Continental GTC, BMW 328xi,
Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder and Porsche 911 4S Cabriolet as the only
convertibles with four driven wheels. However, unlike the Porsche (which may be
this $82,000 Audi’s closest competitor) the RS4 Cabriolet offers room for four
full-grown adults, heated rear seats, and more power.
It also comes with an automatic top that lowers in 21 seconds,
even while the car is moving—a capability especially useful in places such as
London, where I spent a day flogging the unflappable car through the drizzle,
from Mayfair to Audi’s UK headquarters in Milton Keynes and back, down the wrong
side of the road in a right-hand-drive European-spec model.
To make matters more challenging, the RS4 is available only
with a 6-speed manual transmission because, as one Audi rep explains, "Tiptronic
is not suitable for use in combination with a high-revving engine." Like the RS4
sedan from which it was derived, the convertible employs a 4.2-liter V-8 engine
that develops 414 hp at a lofty 7,800 rpm. Structural modifications add rigidity
as well as a few extra pounds of weight, which results in slightly slower
acceleration in sprints from zero-to-60 mph (4.8 seconds compared to the RS4
sedan’s 4.6-second time). —Gregory Anderson
Ferrari’s F430 Scuderia is the latest sport horse
in the stable.
It is not called the Ferrari Pista or Challenge Stradale, as
many first speculated. Instead, the official name of Ferrari’s new lightweight
F430 variant is Scuderia—a namesake of the Italian-manufacturer’s racing
division, Scuderia Ferrari. Weighing 2,756 pounds, the F430 Scuderia is 220
pounds lighter than the standard F430 and produces 510 hp from the naturally
aspirated 4.3-liter V-8 engine. The development of the F430 Scuderia was
centered on its weight and performance characteristics, including Ferrari’s
latest F/1 software—dubbed Superfast—which cuts the gearshift times to a mere 60
milliseconds. Like the Porsche GT3, the Lotus Exige S, or the Lamborghini
Gallardo Superleggera, the F430 Scuderia is designed for the enthusiast that
enjoys the thrill of driving a track car on public roads more than the frills of
luxury. Pricing has not been announced for this high-performance two-seater
berlinetta, but place orders soon because the lightweight Ferrari F430 Scuderia
is sure to be heavy in demand. —Paul Meyers
Ferrari
www.ferrariusa.com
The Porsche GT2 leaves its forebears in the
dust.
Boasting a top speed of 204 mph and a
zero-to-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds, the Porsche GT2 ($191,700) is the most
powerful 911. Based on the Porsche 911 Turbo, the GT2’s massaged 3.6-liter
6-cylinder engine puts 530 hp to the rear wheels. This upsurge of 50 hp from the
previous generation GT2 and current 911 Turbo is created by endowing two
turbochargers with a larger compressor wheel and an optimized turbine housing,
which increases turbo pressure. The improved engine output, does not come at the
expense of mileage, as the GT2’s fuel consumption is reduced by about 15
percent—thanks to the revamped intake manifold, which uses oscillating air to
keep the temperature of the fuel/air mixture even lower than the 911 Turbo. This
powerful Porsche is set to make its official public debut at the 2007 Frankfurt
Motor Show, but don’t expect to see them in U.S. showrooms until early 2008.
—Paul Meyers
Porsche
www.porsche.com/usa
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