SVT's John Colletti was recently quoted as saying future SVT products would focus on weight reduction instead on increased horsepower to gain better performance. And now it seems Audi is talking the same talk. Will future high-performance Mustangs see their horsepower capped at maybe only around 300 ponies, but those ponies only needing to propel sub-3,000lb of curb weight?
With the recent spike in world oil prices, and the probability we'll never see gas much under two bucks a gallon ever again, I think the chances of flyweight Mustangs in our future are a certainty.
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For two and a half decades, Germany's top three prestige automakers, Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz have battled it out for the first place in terms of speed, horsepower and acceleration with their performance divisions. With battles waged in nearly all vehicle sizes, body styles and price ranges, the trio of high-speed German supercar-makers has made the ?80s, ?90s and what we've seen of this new millennium an interesting spectacle.
Say goodbye to the RS Cars - Audi's pulling out of the HP race.
No true automotive enthusiast could deny any sense of excitement upon the news of the original superwagon, the Porsche-tuned Audi RS2. Designed by Quattro GmbH, no other factory-produced compact wagon could top its explosive power and rawness. Nor can anyone turn a blind eye to the power-overloaded antics of Benz's latest assault of super-luxury vehicles powered by twin-turbocharged V12 powerplants. BMW's most recent rendition of the M5 is perhaps the quintessential supersedan, built with an F1-inspired V10 and a 7-speed paddleshift sequential gearbox has been seared into the minds of many.
The RS6 might just have been the end of the line for high-HP Audis.
But the competition, particularly the one-upmanship seen over the five years is short lived - Audi has officially pulled out of the horsepower race. Stephen Reil, General Manager of Development at Quattro GmbH, the man responsible for procuring Audi's RS models, commented on the issue saying, "continuing to increase the power outputs is not the way forward. With more power the car normally gets heavier and then you need more power again." Weight has always been considered the mortal enemy of the sports cars; it deteriorates ride, numbs handling, reduces cornering agility and compromises braking abilities. The vicious cycle is often repeated time after time with every generation that passes. Audi's decision to concentrate on other areas will hopefully shed years of weight gain on upcoming vehicles.
BMW has also pledged to drop the horsepower in favour or reducing weight and improving handling.
Another critical issue involved with the horsepower race is getting the power to the ground. Riel bashed the rear-wheel driven competition whose recent releases include the 507 horsepower BMW M5 and the 603 horsepower Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG saying, "with a rear-wheel-drive car, all you succeed in doing is lighting up the yellow traction control sign." While Audi has never had such a problem thanks to their innovative permanent all wheel drive system, could this be a sign that Audi will be moving away from AWD?
The new super Audis will be badged under a new name.
Unfortunately for fans at the Audi camp, vehicles likes Quattro's latest project, the 450 horsepower RS6 may no longer be on the up-and-up on the horsepower race. But Audi's choice not to strive for top spot in the power count doesn't necessarily mean that future hot Audis will be any slower than the immediate competition. Riel said that Quattro is aiming to develop cars that blend the best of the high-power output world with "outstanding driving dynamics and road handling."
Audi doesn't want to end up cars that essentially only light up the traction control light.
A key idea to delivering Riel's goals of improved dynamics comes not from Quattro, but from Audi. Earlier this year VAG boss Bernd Pieshstrader encouraged Audi's engineers to improve the way that their cars handled and rode. The way that their engineers solved this problem was to shift the engine towards the center of the car, a technique often seen in purist sports cars to improve a car's weight distribution while reducing the mass slung over the front wheels which leads to better handling and braking.
With better handling and less curb weight, Audis may not lead in power, but they'll leading in driving excitement.
On what car will Quattro exercise their new school of thought? Analysts say that the next vehicle up for the supercar treatment is the A3, however a hotter version of the new A6 is also said to be on the way. Rumors of it utilizing Lamborghini's 5.0 liter V10 to counter the new 507 horsepower M5 could very well be proven false if Riel's statements are indeed true. But there is one thing for sure ? we will know the vehicle when it arrives; a new naming scheme for high performance Audis is being created, one that steps away from the R and S logo types.
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NoOp comment: Maybe the recent "delay" of the 500-horsepower Lightning pickup has a lot to do high gas prices, hungry horsepower, and big curb weight?
Patrick '93 Cobra '83 LTD