Revved-up Audi Supercar
Believe it or not, the R8 is Audi's first ever mid-engine sports cars. And to put it plainly, you can’t go wrong in the competitive field of speed if you have Lamborghini as a sister company, can you? The R8 may be based on Lamborghini’s V12 Gallardo platform but whereas the latter has 490bhp and 520bhp on the SE, the R8’s V8 engine - coincidentally taken from the Audi RS4 - has a not so meagre 420 horsepower.
Still, this sporster is a light two-seater and combined with 420 horses it can safely boast an impressive power-to-weight ratio of 269 horsepower per ton. This means an energy-boosting 0-100 km/h time of 4.6 seconds. Also compared with the Gallardo, the R8 is a more people-friendly car with extra headroom, larger cabin space and more road clearance. The Audi predictably features all the usual creature comforts but the most curious is the system of LEDs used in the engine bay turning the R8 into an outlandish nocturnal specie. Touted by its maker to be the ‘one’ to rival the Porsche 911, it’s certainly the supercar to look out for come mid-2007.
Price estimated to start from $112,000.
Nissan’s 2007 Skyward Ride
Nissan has been on the up-and-up for a few years now – to be more precise since Carlos Ghosn took to the wheel and drove the Japanese company into earnings totalling 85.9 million USD (ending March 2006) and all round better cars. So why is the car manufacturer’s Skyline GTR worth waiting until the end of 2007? Well, essentially, because it will give you the opportunity to own a true technical tour-de force.
Nissan’s Skyline GTR 2007 is yet another four-wheel drive bruiser of a ride but with an important difference. The engine is a smaller twin-turbo V6, derived from the 350Z, but offers 450 horsepower on tap with a 0-100km/h stomach-lurching experience at less than 4 seconds. Aesthetically, the production car will look very similar to the sensational GTR-Proto concept unveiled back at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. There’s also another reason why you should give this sleek motor some serious consideration: while all previous Skylines are saloon-derived, this new model will reportedly own its individual two-door architecture, boding very well for the car’s all round performance.
Price to be confirmed.
