Archive for the ‘Audi’ Category

R8 v Gallardo

Posted: December 28, 2008 by The Car Spy in Audi, General, Lamborghini
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Choices, choices, choices. Life is full of them and some are harder to make than others, particularly when it comes to cars. The R8 and the Gallardo are related of course through their VW parentage and the two cars share a number of similar though not necessarily identical components. Sitting in the R8 reminds you of sitting in a Gallardo and vice versa. They even share that peculiar electronic whirring and chattering noise that occurs when the key is turned in the ignition or strangely a few seconds after the engine is switched off. Apparently it’s to do with the sequential gearbox jiggery-pokery. Did VW intend for the R8 to compete head-on with its Italian cousin? Probably not. After all the Lambo is at least another £30k more expensive fresh out of the factory. In the pre-owned market however it’s a bit more of a level playing field. Gallardo’s have become plentiful as opposed to R8’s which have been drip-fed into the market. The upshot is that second-hand values for each car are starting to reach parity and £70k will now buy you either one of these temptresses. So it’s one of those head or heart scenarios then. The Gallardo is vocal. Don’t plan on creeping about in one – you will always be noticed. The R8 will bark but only if you push it hard otherwise it is comfortably subdued. The Italian offers a raw driving experience and makes you concentrate hard. The German makes you feel supremely confident and that whatever happens the R8 will save you from disaster. In the looks department they will both draw crowds. The square-jawed egdy Gallardo appears as mad as a Lambo should. The R8 is an abundance of curves and curious detailing that makes you want to walk round the car all day long. So which would you buy? It’s a tough choice for sure. If it helps we have an example of each ready to be sold on behalf of their current owners. Both are in black (doh!) but at least the Gallardo is a cabriolet (and therefore a tad more expensive than the R8). Nice low miles, good specs and totally cared-for, they are in every respect very similar. Click here for the lowdown on the R8 and here for the Gallardo. Head or heart?

2004 Audi RS6 Avant

Posted: October 7, 2008 by The Car Spy in Audi, General
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Aah, the RS6 – otherwise known as the Audi C5 RS6 quattro Typ 4B (at least between 2002-2004 that is). Is there a more sinister wolf in a sheep’s woolly jumper? OK the big 19″ rims and lowered suspension are a bit of a give-away but is there any real hint of 450 BHP fire-breathing bi-turbo V8 while it stands all docile in your front drive? Only when you fire it up. The V8 offers a nice deep-bass growl which makes a refreshing change over some of the more muted offerings from some other manufacturers we won’t mention. Has everybody forgotten the point of a V8? Never mind about the performance figures just listen to the noise! The US still makes V8’s with the great original soundtrack cos that’s what they do best. Can you imagine Steve McQueen’s V8 Mustang in Bullit sounding like some of today’s limp-wristed efforts? It would be like listening to Led Zep through cheap, nasty earphones. So at least the RS6 captures some of that old V8 character but probably without scaring the old folks in the neighbourhood. The performance is worth mentioning, however, because it is important in the RS6’s case. It is breathtaking. That’s it – there is no other word for it. The power feels relentless. It pulls like a high speed train that wants to break the world speed record. It never runs out of puff – you run out of road long before that happens. It feels safe though. The quattro system just hunkers down and drives like it’s on rails (more train analogies). It feels so totally competent the RS6 would refuse the most incompetent driver the chance to screw things up. Big powerful disc brakes rein in the beast without drama and bring peace back into the world. Then when you switch off the engine to park up there is an interesting whine from the twin turbos that sounds like a 747 unwinding after a long-haul flight. Yep, it’s a great car the RS6 and if you want to buy a cracking low-mileage example, the owner of a Daytona Grey (the best colour) 2004 model has asked us to find a buyer for his Avant version. Click here for more details.

1990 Audi Quattro 20V

Posted: August 31, 2008 by The Car Spy in Audi, General
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Funny how TV shows have a hand in reviving certain cars from the past and the last series of ‘Life on Mars’ has gone a long way in reminding us how good a car the original Audi quattro was and still is. There was a time back in the late eighties when the only car anybody seemed to be talking about was the ‘quattro’ (always with a small ‘q’ according to Audi) with its permanent four-wheel-drive system and rally-winning pedigree. The car’s shape didn’t really change at all during the eleven years of production apart from minor cosmetic adjustments but the engine did. There were basically three versions. The WR, MB and RR released in that order. Of course the most interesting of the three was the last variant the RR which saw a switch from 10 to 20 valves in 1989 boosting the power output to 220 bhp. Performance figures are highly respectable for a car born two decades ago and a quattro would still embarrass many of today’s high flyers. Click here for a Pistonheads review of the car. For anybody looking to buy a motoring icon we have just been asked to help the owner dispose of his very rare 1990 20 valve pearlescent white example which he has owned for the last 11 years. Click here for more details.

2000 Audi B5 RS4 Avant

Posted: August 17, 2008 by The Car Spy in Audi, General
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There is no doubting the RS4’s massive appeal. The car’s towering ability as a performance car has been confirmed in countless tests and reviews the world over. The car is brilliant, period. But there is something wrong. Audi just don’t make enough of them. The first ‘RS’ was the RS2 introduced in 1994 and a handy little weapon it was too. Over 300 BHP and 0-60mph in less than 5.0 seconds was pretty heady stuff for an ‘estate car’ back then so cult status was assured from day one.  The RS2 was discontinued in 1996 after a measly 2891 examples were built. This was not because the RS2 was in any way a sales flop for Audi but the company just decided to stop making them. It’s a bit like ending a football match at half-time. It then took the company another 4 years to launch their next teaser, the B5 RS4. This time Audi went to bed with Cosworth to produce the very lively 375 BHP V6 Bi-turbo that gets the car to 100 mph in less than 12 seconds. Once again the RS version only came as an ‘Avant’ but the appeal was forever present as the market gobbled up all 6030 units made between 2000 and 2001. Then suddenly the ref blew the full-time whistle and this time the market was starved of the RS4 until the arrival of the B7 RS4 nearly FIVE years later! The upshot is this – if you want an RS4 either buy a brand-new one while they are still in production or trawl the ads for a used model. Don’t expect a huge amount of choice in the pre-owned market though particularly if you are looking for an earlier example such as the B5 we are selling on behalf of the owner. This lovely example is finished in Goodwood Green – how rare is that, for goodness sake! The Recaro seats are trimmed in black leather and the specification is pretty impressive with SatNav, BOSE speakers and an electric sunroof included. For more information just click here.

2008 Audi R8 R-Tronic

Posted: July 31, 2008 by The Car Spy in Audi, General
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It’s an impressive car the R8. Even in photos the car doesn’t have bad angle. Standing there in front of one though you get the whole package of eye-candy all at once. You spend ages walking around the car looking at the detail of the design marvelling at how it all hangs together so well and then appreciating that it looks bigger and has more presence than it appears in the photographs. It’s a car that looks like it’s doing a ton when it’s standing still. The build-quality is superb too and so it should when they use lasers to scan the car’s gaps and joints during the build process. R8’s used to fetch huge premiums when they were first launched and although pricing has now settled down you will still have to join a waiting list for a speccable car. However, if you want one today with nice low miles we have just added an Audi UK supplied Ice Silver example that we are selling on behalf of the owner. This one has the sought-after Magnetic Ride Option and the R tronic sequential gearbox. The sideblades are exclusively painted to match the body colour and the interior is in matching grey Leather with Alcantara panels. With only 500 miles on the clock this R8 is barely run-in and the condition is as you would expect for a car with such low miles. For full details of this stunning R8 please click here.

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