Dear Santa…

I love estates. Why Americans haven’t embraced them with open arms remains one of life’s great mysteries. The idea of being able to haul 6 months worth of Costco goods, while hammering the pavement at Ferrari-like speeds is extremely appealing.

The Audi RS6 Avant is a thing of beauty. Where BMW continues down their road of love-hate styling (think new 3 Series grill), Audi’s been churning out attractive, contemporary designs that allude their the performance intentions.

The Avant’s 560 horsepower 4L V8 twin-turbo is enough to get even the most seasoned estate haters to take notice.

Despite the power, the Avant allegedly gets 25 mpg. Even if it doesn’t, do you really care?

Please Audi, give us a break. Send them over and I guarantee you people will buy them! Americans are more sophisticated than we used to be!

The Avant is set to debut next March at the Geneva Motor Show.

Photos courtesy of Audi.

Audi Sweeps At Le Mans

In case you’ve been living under a rock, this weekend marked the 80th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was another big year for Audi, as they managed a full podium sweep, with the #1 R18 e-tron Quattro, winning the race. The car driven by Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer, was the first ever hybrid, to win at Le Mans.

I made time to watch about half the race over the last 24 hours, including the final 5 hours, which saw the #2 car (and race leader) crash at the hands of Alan McNish. After a shockingly fast 6-minute service, the #2 e-tron was back on the track, but its hopes of winning were gone. I was quite surprised to see McNish crash for the second year in a row (both times on the back of a Ferrari). He’s a driver that rarely makes mistakes and you could tell he was absolutely gutted. With rumors of this being Dindo Capello’s final Le Mans, it was a bitter sweet ending for the #2 car, who finished a commendable 2nd overall.

Audi continues to dominate the sport and is just 2 wins shy of tying Porsche’s all time record at Le Mans. This race is always a pleasure to watch and a completely different experience from Formula 1. Peugeot’s absence was definitely felt this year and after the Toyotas crashed out, Audi had no real competitors. It’ll be interesting to see who’s up for the challenge next year. I’m already looking forward it.

Photo courtesy of Michelin.

 

Truth In 24 II

Back in 2009, Audi Motorsport released Truth In 24. The film follows Audi to their Championship season, ending at Le Mans. If you haven’t seen it, it’s available as a free download on iTunes. Truth In 24 is one of the best motorsports documentaries I’ve ever seen and now there’s a sequel.

Truth In 24 II is out in just 17 days and documents the team’s 2011 season. If you had the chance to watch last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, then you know how good this is going to be. I cannot wait!

Video courtesy of Audi.

Motor Sports Weekend

What a great weekend! From the 24 Hours of Le Mans, to Formula 1, to MotoGP, it was all about motor sports. I spent the better part of 12 hours on Saturday immersing myself in Le Mans coverage. Thank god for SPEED, despite all their NASCRAP coverage, they have a really solid international motor sports broadcasting team. I’m with everyone else in saying that it was an epic Le Mans this year and a very emotional one for Audi. After 2 horrific crashes a victory is just what they needed.

If Le Mans wasn’t enough, Sunday was probably the most entertaining Formula 1 race of the season. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was finally put in his place, after he couldn’t handle the pressure of McLaren’s Jenson Button. Halfway through the last lap, Button went on to pass Vettel for an amazing win at the Canadian Grand Prix. McLaren is my favorite Formula 1 team and I’m so stoked for their win and Jenson Button’s podium, for the second race in a row. Vettel is no doubt the darling of Formula 1 right now (he’s earned it), but it’s been so boring seeing the same driver win week after week. A change was much needed. Now if only Lewis Hamilton could get back on his game again.

Photo courtesy of Sutton Images.

Guten Tag

I’m not really sure how I feel about Audis. I think they’ve kind of taken the “asshole” role that BMW used to dominate a few years back. My other problem is they all look so similar that I can never tell which model is which. This B5 A4 has perfect fitment in the rear. It takes so much work and planning to get fitment like that so respect is definitely in order. Leave it to the Euro guys to continue to push the boundaries.

Big Finishes

Today was a day of big finishes.

Peugeot took 1st and 2nd place at the 24-Hours of Le Mans.

Kobe and the Lakers defeated the Magic 4-1 in the NBA Finals. This marks the 4th NBA title for Kobe Bryant and teammate Derek Fisher, the 15th franchise title, and head coach Phil Jackson’s 10th NBA title.

Just Under 10 Remaining

The 24-Hours of Le Mans are over halfway through now. There are just about 9 hours and 45 minutes left in the race. Audi has fallen 2 laps behind and are sitting in 3rd place with Rinaldo Capello at the wheel. Peugeot is holding down 1st and 2nd place with 228 and 227 laps. Anything can happen in the next 10 hours, more updates to come.

12 To Go

There’s about 12 hours and 35 minutes to go in the 24-Hours of Le Mans. Alan McNish is currently driving for Audi and they’re in 2nd place, one lap behind Peugeot Sport Total. The race is almost halfway over and I’m confident Audi can make their move to 1st in the next 12 hours. More updates to come as the race progresses.

Under 16 To Go

Le Mans is currently underway in France. There are just under 16 hours left in the race. Audi is currently in 3rd place with 131 laps completed and Tom Kristenesen at the wheel. Peugeot is holding 1st and 2nd place with 133 and 132 laps completed. There’s still over half the race to go, so anything can happen. I’ll be updating Le Mans throughout the day.

Almost Here

Le Mans is less than a week away now. The historic race begins Saturday afternoon with predictions of another head-to-head between Audi and Peugeot. I really hope Audi can pull off the win again this year. With a newly designed car and all their drivers returning, they should be set for a top finish. Some station in the US must be broadcasting just a little of the 24-hour race. If anyone knows whether or not it’ll be on TV, do tell.