Category: General

Audi’s high-performance RS models have come a long way since the storied debut of the RS2 Avant in 1994, but its mission remains the same: Steal the thunder of BMW’s M cars. To that end, the company is set to unleash its most fearsome RS model yet—the 2009 RS6 sedan, a car engineered with the singular goal of quashing Munich’s vaunted M5. The sedan (which joins an equally sinister RS6 wagon) features a 5-liter V-10 with a host of racing-derived modifications, including direct fuel injection, dry sump lubrication, and twin turbochargers. Belting out a startling 571 horsepower and 479 foot-pounds of torque, the engine meets a six-speed Tiptronic manu-matic transmission and, naturally, Quattro all-wheel drive. Sixty miles per hour arrives in about 4.4 seconds, and top speed is electronically governed to 155 mph—or, optionally, ungoverned to 174 mph. Visually, there’s no mistaking this über A6: Swollen fenders contain wide performance tires around unique 19-inch wheels (20-inch alloys are optional, as are Audi’s huge carbon ceramic disc brakes), and a restyled rear bumper accommodates a pair of gaping oval tailpipes. On sale exclusively in Germany for about 5,000, Audi has no plans to grace its American showrooms with either RS6 model, so speed mongers will have to make do with the more restrained S6 (,350), which packs a normally aspirated 5.2-liter V-10 producing “only” 435 horsepower. (www.audiusa.com)

—Matthew Phenix

The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is the fastest, most powerful Corvette ever. The ZR1’s 6.

“It has always been my dream,” says Roland Gumpert, Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur founder and ex–Audi engineer, “to have a car with so much downforce, such aerodynamic efficiency, that you could drive on the roof of a tunnel at high speed.” Well, here it is.

Automotive luxury and environmental consciousness are no longer mutually exclusive. Witness the sexy new Fisker Karma, a gasoline-electric hybrid sedan.

Has there ever been another automaker with Cadillac’s mysterious, Benjamin Button–like tendency to age in reverse? What started out more than a century ago as an austere marque is now inspiring the daydreams of a decidedly younger crowd.

Splice together the swept roofline of a grand-touring coupe and the brawny physique of a four-door SUV, and—voilà —you have the BMW X6, a vehicular mongrel with purebred pedigree. Although it shares its architecture with BMW’s more traditionally styled sport-utility, and rolls out of the same factory in Spartanburg, S.

It’s a confident man who names his upstart car company “Iconic,” and a downright audacious one whose first automobile brazenly evokes one of America’s great sports racing cars. Behind the Iconic GTR Roadster’s presumptuous nameplate and beneath its swollen, Cobra-esque body, however, lurks something quite unexpected: a thoroughly modern, meticulously crafted, ferociously fast sports car.

Audi’s new A5 and S5 make it hard not to stare. Sensational from any angle, these new coupes from Ingolstadt, Germany, possess a sort of urbanity and easy charisma that is positively magnetic.

We sampled both an A5 3.2 Quattro (,365, as tested) and an S5 (,215), similarly equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox, Audi’s Multi-Media Interface and DVD-based navigation system, and a marvelous 505-watt Bang & Olufsen premium audio system. The standard A5 features a 3.2-liter direct-injection V-6 engine producing 265 horsepower. Decidedly more comfortable in the role of relaxed grand tourer than that of hard-charging autobahn stormer, the six-cylinder A5 still manages to find 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and press on to an electronically limited 130 mph. For those desiring more brawn with their beauty, the S5 packs Audi’s 4.2-liter direct-injection V-8, good for 354 horsepower. So equipped, the coupe will hit 60 mph in a scant 4.9 seconds and cruise to a governed top speed of 155 mph.

The A5 shares its platform and power train with the forthcoming 2009 A4, and that’s no bad thing. But vastly more than a sedan with two fewer doors, the coupe has an identity that is entirely its own. That sensuous, low-slung shape rides atop a surprisingly long wheelbase (fully 4.1 inches longer than the sedan), creating ample space for four adults and imparting impeccable stability at speed and a silken highway ride.

Both cars are generally unflappable during normal driving, thanks in no small part to Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive and a sophisticated, aluminum-intensive suspension, but with less weight over the front wheels, the A5 3.2 is the more balanced of the two. The V-8-powered S5 (not unlike the current S4 and RS4) can feel a bit nose-heavy during more enthusiastic cornering, although it redeems itself with pony-car straight-line acceleration and a positively glorious exhaust note.

Admittedly, a considerable amount of the attention our A5 and S5 garnered can be traced to a cameo appearance in a certain summer blockbuster, but even without big-screen product placement, this car has genuine star quality. “I am convinced that the A5 is the most beautiful car I have ever designed,” gushed Audi design chief Walter de’Silva. We’re convinced he’s right. (www.audiusa.com)

—Matthew Phenix

Except perhaps to funeral directors, Cadillac is not an automaker known for its station wagons. That may change (a little) with the arrival of the 2010 CTS Sport Wagon, unveiled at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, California. The Sport Wagon builds handsomely on the sharp style of the CTS sedan (far-and-away Cadillac’s most popular model), with fin-like tail lamps that extend from bumper level to roofline and an edgily sculpted lift back that echoes the car’s V-shaped grille. Concealed cargo rails with removable crossbars help manage larger loads, and the longer profile accommodates a new panoramic glass moonroof. The Sport Wagon will share the CTS sedan’s engine and drivetrain choices, including a 304-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 with direct fuel injection and available all-wheel drive. Unfortunately, Cadillac’s fuel-efficient and torque-rich 2.9-liter turbocharged diesel engine, which was developed for European and Asian markets, isn’t destined for American showrooms. The Sport Wagon reaches dealerships next spring and, in the autumn of ’09, a third CTS model—a dramatic two-door inspired by the CT Coupe Concept from January’s Detroit auto show— joins the family. (www.cadillac.com)

—Matthew Phenix

On October 29, Sotheby’s and Canada-based RM Auctions will present the second annual Automobiles of London auction at Battersea Park, featuring more than 75 vintage models, including a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM Berlinetta, the 27^th out of only 32 examples produced. The best story of this year’s sale comes from a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante (shown). The car began life as a Stelvio cabriolet before an early owner exchanged the car body with an Atalante coupé in an effort to combine the powerful supercharged engine with a rarer coupé body. The creation was owned by John W. Straus, grandson of Isidor Straus – the man behind the retail giant Macy’s department store – who drove it for years before parking it in his New York garage in 1962, where it remained for 45 years before being recently uncovered and cleaned. The fully restored Atalante is estimated at million. Other jewels include a 1938 Horch 853 Special Roadster; a 1924 Bentley 3/8 liter; and a 1929 Alfa Romeo, each estimated between 0,000 and million. (www.rmauctions.com)

—Alexandra Foster