iPhone Road Shots Audi R8:

Well this has to be my favorite iPhone road shot so far! Some great shots of the beautiful Audi R8. The R8 has got a bit of a love or hate reputation as far as styling goes... but, as with most cars Audi builds, the R8 has a very purpose built design and in my opinion one of the best looking exotics out there.

Combined with a silky smooth bullet proof V8 and one of the few Supercars you can drive everyday, someone finally has given a hard push to the Porsche 911 pedestal, and I think there are a few in Stuttgart feeling a bit shaky sitting up that high for so many years!

First Look: 2009 Audi Q5 - MSN Autos

Bellow is a link to a first look from MSN Autos of the 2009 Audi Q5. It was only a matter of time before Audi was to follow most Auto makers with the mid sized cross over SUV, and it looks like Audi is aiming right for the BMW X3 buyer. The Q5 actually looks more proportioned than it's larger brother Q7. Depending on pricing, Audi may really hit the mark with this SUV... The worlds best fit and finish, potent V6, Legendary Quattro... I can't think of any reason why I would choose an X3 over the Q5...


First Look: 2009 Audi Q5 - MSN Autos

iPhone Road Shots: Audi S5

Since it's release, I have only seen one of the illustrious Audi S5's on the road. A friend just happen to snap this pic on his iPhone of the new S5 up close and in person. This car really looks more subtle in pictures than on the road. It has a very aggressive stance while in motion, and personally I think it is understandably beautiful! (And check out that rare color! I think it's a dark metallic aqua green of sorts...)

iPhone Road Shots: Lamborghini Gallardo

This week I have a bunch of great iPhone road shots to post. So let's kick it off with the always traffic stopping Lamborghini Gallardo! This Italian bull in yellow isn't quite as out of this world as it's forefathers, but you have to admit there is nothing else on the road that comes close to that design. Some complain that Audi has tamed the ragging bull since their influence began in the early 2000's. Personally I don't think an AC that actually works & a rear window you can see out of is a bad thing, but hey.. I could be wrong?

iPhone Road Shots: 2005 Audi S4

A nice iPhone shot of a Dolphin Grey 2005 Audi S4. I have actually driven one of these cars with an automatic and they drive beautifully. The S4 is very scalpel precise in every execution on the road with a smooth, silky V8. I love the very subtle details that make you do a double take to differentiate it from a normal A4. Can't wait to see what Audi has in store for the 2009/10 S4 redesign!

2009 Audi A4 - First Drive - Motor Trend

2009 Audi A4 - First Drive - Motor Trend

Here is a link to Motor Trend for a first drive review on the all new 2009 Audi A4. I have seen some initial pictures of this new A4 before. Having a 2004 Audi A4 myself, I will say I wasn't the biggest fan of the grill redesign that came after my model. Also disappointing was how Audi took away some of the standard convenience features (like a trip computer that came with a basic options package.. now requires and additional $2000+ package... outrageous!). One of the main reasons I chose my A4 over a BMW 3 series was all the goodies that came standard with the car. I test drove the 2007 A4 and was very disappointed in the stripped down options on the lease special cars.

It looks like Audi is gunning to pull ahead of its German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz with this redesign. I personally think the 2009 A4 looks fantastic! Audi has definitely borrowed some design features from its big brother A6. The interior looks amazing as always. No doubt Audi is leaps and bounds above most automakers when it comes to interior design. More HP out of the A4's awesome 2.0 turbo direct injected engine, more interior room and LED headlights like on the Audi R8 (are they cool or what!) make the 2009 Audi A4 one of the most exciting new models I've seen in a long time! Let's hope Audi doesn't continue to strip standard features and make them only available with overpriced options packages on this model.

The 2009 Audi A4 is scheduled to be released in mid 2008. To bad my lease is up in January, this is a car I just might be willing to wait for!

"Wall Poster Classics" 1985 BMW 635csi

The year was 1985... Tubbs & Crockett were all the rage... My Bedroom was riddled with posters and die-cast models of prancing horses and cars with doors that seemed like something out of a sci-fi novel. We all had our favorites... mine was the Ferrari 288 GTO... it's a car I still dream about to this day. Amidst all the over the top Italian Madness, the Germans managed to pump out Autobahn super coupes that in many ways alluded my wall as a kid. The Porsche 928, the Mercedes-Benz 560sec, the Audi Quattro and the BMW 635csi.

They didn't have doors that spun upside down and inside out. They didn't have more gills than a school of fish. And for the most part, they didn't have their own poster section at you favorite mall hangout. What they did have was powerful engines that actually worked without a $5,000 service every 1000 miles. Subtle but powerful bodies of solid German steel (and aluminum in some cases) that were built to last like a 1000 year old castle on the Rhine, not like a fragile Baroque piece sitting behind climate controlled, bullet proof glass in the Louvre. Tasteful and functional interiors. And the forefront of innovations we are just now starting to see as standard features on modern cars.

Looking back now I find myself asking.. Why didn't I have my walls plastered with 1980's German innovation? Why didn't I focus my boyhood car dreams on realistic executive coupes that the upper middle class business man could obtain? I look back on the cars now and lust after a big German coupe just as much as I did over Italian madness as a kid. These cars have proven themselves timeless. And many are still in top running order today!

The car I am going to focus on today is the infamous "Moonlighting" car. My good friends (and hopefully soon to be guest author) Beautiful 1985 BMW 635csi...

Originally introduced in 1978, the BMW 635csi was a more delicate and precise option over the brute and stiff Mercedes Coupes (another favorite.. we'll talk about them some other day). The 635csi was equipped with BMW's legendary 3.4L strait Six with 182hp and 214 lbs ft. torque. When you first slide into the taught purpose built leather sport seats, the BMW's 22 year old interior is still a fantastic place to sit. I am just amazed at some of the features that were available on this car. Central Locking, a pretty darn sophisticated computer, power seats the go pretty much every way but sideways.

Setting aside and the bells and whistles, as you crank over the silky smooth strait 6, you'll find one of the most unique exhaust notes I've ever heard. I have jokingly told the cars owner that it reminds me of a perfectly timed symphony of pots & pans. It is just precision engineering at its best! Once I got this old girl out on the road, I was immediately surprised at how light it actually feels. Every aspect of the car is scalpel precise. The suspension is notoriously BMW. Everything about this cars handling feels showroom new. I was very impressed with the breaks. They are sharp and responsive. In fact, I have driven modern cars with breaks not as good as this car.

Back to that silky smooth engine! I can imagine back in the day this car was one of the more powerful cars out there. By modern standards it isn't a screamer off the line, but mid range power is still impressive. You can tell this big coupe was built for the Autobahn. There was also the infamous M6 (again, another car for another day) which had performance on par with the supercars of the day.

This car is becoming a classic. I have watched these cars jump in value even over the past 5 years or so. That said, you can still find one of these in great shape for under $10,000. The BMW 635csi has always had a cult like following, and now more and more interest is being drawn to these old girls with the introduction of the new BMW 635. Maybe I should have put a poster of the BMW 635csi right next to my Ferrari and Lamborghini posters. It sure would have deserved that spot! A great car indeed... I can only sum this car up in two words..

"Sehr Gut!!!"