One of the greatest advances in fuel injection in the past decade has been the addition of high pressure direct injection. These systems are offered by many forward looking auto manufacturers, one of which happens to be Audi which used it for their B7 (chassis) RS4.

Audi calls their system FSI which stands for Fuel Stratified Injection, a system that (like others) is capable of injecting fuel at pressures in excess of 110 bar directly into the cylinders. A great system, capable of producing both high power, and clean emissions. That said, direct injection does cause a bit of a housekeeping problem for both their, and many other manufacturer's engines.

 As much as some of us hate to admit it, the leaves have dwindled from the trees, the temperatures are  dropping, and like it or not it's time to start some of our annual winter preparation.  This means digging out our warm hats and gloves from storage and for those home owners out there; putting on the storm windows and firing up the ol' furnace.  But other than throwing a snow brush and a window scrapper in the car, most people don't do anything to their cars to prepare them for winter.  We here at Neuwerks have never been shy about our adamant support of snow tires and winter driving preparation.  So lets talk about some of the key points to get ready for winter.

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Audi is one of those brands that you either love or hate, kinda like the model pictured in this blog. It wasn't designed for Magazine covers, to spark emotion, or even sex appeal. This Audi was designed for one purpose, to win Group B Rally.  While not exactly considered a Super Car by the traditional auto enthusiast, the Audi Sport Quattro has a special spot in Automotive history for those of us who know what it is. Engineered to win races, the sport did that, and was an adaptation of the renowned Quattro (note the capital Q), to bring out even more sporting potential. With the combination of a shorter wheel-base, and wider fenders, the car had a much more aggressive appearance than the standard Quattro.

It's wide shoulders tell a European automotive enthusiast that this car means business. They were not installed to make the car look powerful, their intent is to house wider wheels & tires capable of harnessing the power put out at all four wheels. While this is hardly the first or last European car to have wide fenders for this purpose, it is my opinion that this car pulls it off better than even the venerable BMW E30 M3. 

 

 

Audi reports that only 224 of these cars were built, with mostly all sold to European buyers. Only a tiny handful were imported to the US, all by Private buyers. The Sport boasted a "rated"  302 - 306bhp from it's 2.1L All Aluminum 5-Cylinder 20v Turbo engine. The body and frame is composed of Steel were it needs to be strongest, and Carbon Kevlar (similar to modern Carbon Fiber) in other areas to bring overall weight down to near 2800 pounds. 

Keep in mind this is in the early 80s, and this car needed to withstand heavy handed flogging down rally stages with minimal chassis flex, additionally dealing with the stresses put on by a permanent AWD system. In race form, the power output was over 440HP, with later versions of that race engine (The Sport Quattro S1) producing just shy of 600hp. 

There are many cars since that have seen higher HP, less weight, and even look more dashing, but none capture my attention like this car, especially when you hear one in action.

 

 

  Sport Quattro Gallery

 

 

 

 

Event organizers could not have asked for better weather for the 16th annual Amelia Island Concourse d'Elegance. With the sun shining, temperatures dancing in the low 70s, and a cooling breeze coming off the nearby ocean, the 10th and 18th fairways adjacent the Ritz-Carltion, Amelia Island played host to some of the most beautiful and iconic automobiles to ever grace the human eye. Neuwerks happened to stumble upon this gathering of automotive history. Words cannot do these icons of automotion justice, but check out our galleries and let these beauties speak for themselves.

Not looking to steal attention away from the Paceman Concept released yesterday, the new Mini Delta was tucked away in the far corner of Cobo.  Based on a Cooper S model, the main feature of the new Delta is to arrive 30-40 mins late to every destination.  Mini says the Delta should be popular with those that make frequent trips to the in-laws.  No word yet on pricing.

In recent years Mercedes is mostly known for their conservative approach to producing rock solid cars for the luxury market, with a few exceptions being the AMG tuned versions of various vehicles. Being a Mercedes owner myself, I can understand the draw to such cars, however, but am super excited to see that they do have some fire hidden inside those heated seats.

Dubbed the E-Cell, the SLS based E-Cell is a Lithium-ion charged electric vehicle that can sprint form 0-60 in 3.7 seconds thanks to it's 525 HP output, and 649 LB-Ft of instant torque. This vehicle is a great win for pedestrian safety advocates  who say electric cars are too inconspicuous , as this car clearly isn't deserving of that judgement.

Most Importantly, this car is going on sale later this year, for those who can drop enough coin to own one! 

 

Volkswagen officially launched the new Passat during their press conference at NAIAS 2011.  Dropping the NMS (New Midsize Sedan) monicker originally touted in news buzz, the revised sedan thankfully retains the simple yet recognizable name.  Build in the new Chattanooga plant, Volkswagen was definitely charging the economic rejuvenation bandwagon.  Claiming a full 12,000 jobs will be generated in the U.S. due to the plant (2,000 directly through the plant itself and 10,000 indirectly via supplier and ancillary businesses).

 Click here to read more

 

 

Audi showcased their freshly redesigned A6 for the NAIAS 2011 event in Detroit Michigan. Thankfully the design is following the refreshing lines that were recently introduced on the current A4, and A5 models, while also bringing in new aspects to their continuing industrial design front.

While in my mind not as cool as the standard A6, Audi also introduced their new hybrid version, that features some interesting specifications, well, for a hybrid that is. The car features a standard 211hp 2.0t FSi engine, that can power the vehicle along with it's dedicated 45hp electric motor. The electric motor alone is capable of handling speeds unto 62 MPH by itself, not requiring the small 4-cylinder to activate unless rapid acceleration is needed.

Interesting stuff indeed.

 

 

Finally reporting in at NAIAS 2011, it has been a long morning, and it is only 8:30am here in Detroit. The day started off with a bit too much heat in the hotel room, causing me to wake up in a pool of my own sweat! (yuck!). From there, we came to  a parking ramp full of indecisive drivers who couldn't decide what booth to pay at, next, a troublesome internet connection here at the media room. Rounding out the issues of the morning, was an issue with our gallery that prevented us from uploading photos.

After 3 - 4 hours of this, I finally got out to the floor to take my first look at what is new for 2011. The answer is, quite a bit, and from our gallery you can get a preview of what we will be covering for the 2011 event.

NAIAS gallery