Meet Audi’s 700bhp Quattro concept

Hybrid monster is ‘legitimate’ heir to original ’83 quattro, 0-62mph in 3.7s…

It's no coincidence that this combative, pugnacious looking tyke has been badged the Audi Sport Quattro Concept. It's a deliberate homage to the classic Sport Quattro from 1983 - the short-wheelbase one, that is - and thus carries with it the weight of a million enthusiastic bobble hats.

It's being presented by Audi at next week's Frankfurt Motor Show, and comes packing a serious amount of firepower. The familiar 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged TFSI V8 petrol engine from the RS6 has been carried over, producing the same 552bhp and 516lb ft of torque, complete with cylinder shut-down (half the engine is turned off when cruising) and stop-start.

But where it differs from the RS6 is in the electric motor snuggled in between the V8 and the transmission; a motor producing just under 150bhp and a further 295lb ft of torque (the same torque figure as a V8 BMW M3). Power for this comes from a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery (charged for the Frankfurt show using a wall box), capable of up to 31 miles on electric power alone.

Of course, you can toggle between various modes of V8 fury and electric elegance, though the one you'll want - purely because of what it represents - is ‘Sport' mode. Here, both the V8 and electric motor are hooked up together to produce the full 700bhp, with an eight-speed auto ‘box and that four-wheel-drive system to make it go from 0-62mph in just 3.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 190mph. That's...fast. All this and a claimed 59g/km of CO2 for the show car.

Though it isn't light. Audi tells us there are aluminium structural elements, and carbon fibre reinforced polymer is used for the roof, bonnet and rear bootlid, but the Quattro Concept still weighs in at 1,850kg. The standard RS5 Coupe is 1715kg by comparison. Speaking of which, this concept is roughly the same size, though a bit wider than that car and a touch shorter.

The racing influences are smattered all over this angry concept; those broad shoulders, single frame grille, bonnet creases, front splitter and rear diffuser, massive 21-inch wheels and flared arches. Inside, there are sports bucket seats, a digital instrument cluster, head-up display, and multi-function sports steering wheel that "provides a glimpse into future sporty production models".

Like it? Want the Audi Sport Quattro name to return on the flanks of this V8 in production form? Tell us below. We'll pass on the most enlightened comments to Audi. Wonder what Rörhl would make of this concept...

Top 10 Lousiest Things Customers Do

What's your relationship like with your mechanic? Are you grateful? Wary? Terrified? Well, remember, it's a two-way street. Your mechanic is a person, too. A person with feeling and emotions — even if they're generally expressed as grunts.

So, from a mechanic's point of view, what makes a "good" or "bad" customer? What put you in your mechanic's doghouse?

Here's our list of the Top 10 Lousiest Things Customers Do. Avoid the behaviors on this list, and you'll probably get better service. Your mechanic will work a little harder to find that hard-to-reproduce problem instead of just telling you, "It wouldn't do it for us." He may even be more inclined to actually remember to tighten up your lug nuts.

1. Withholding vital information

When you go to your doctor complaining of a headache, you wouldn't forget to mention that you walked into a bridge abutment a day earlier, would you? Your doctor needs all the information he can get to make an accurate and timely diagnosis.

Your mechanic is no different. He'll need to know such things as your description of the problem, when it started, what makes it worse or better, and any other signs or symptoms that something might be wrong. Spend a little time observing the problem so that you understand the conditions under which the problem occurs. And when you get there, don't withhold information for any reason, intentionally or unintentionally. It's up to your mechanic, not you, to decide if the information you're providing is relevant.

2. Blaming your mechanic for other problems

It's a little-known fact, but once a problem is repaired, it's not uncommon for customers to notice other issues. For example, you get your muffler fixed, and suddenly you notice a rattling timing chain because you can hear again! Don't jump to the conclusion that your mechanic "broke something else" when he fixed your car. Instead, ask him politely if it's possible that the new noise you're noticing is related to the repair he did.

Look at it this way: At any given moment, most cars have at least a few items that need attention. Is it possible your mechanic caused a new problem? Sure. It happens occasionally. But in our experience, it's not that common.

Rather than starting out by accusing him, approach your mechanic with respect. You'll find he's more likely to welcome your question with an open mind, rather than pretend he had a head injury earlier in the day and no longer understands English.

3. Hovering

Remember that creepy, annoyed feeling you got when your sixth-grade teacher stood over your shoulder, watching you answer questions on your geography quiz? That's exactly the way it feels to a mechanic when a customer hovers during a repair. It's distracting. And, frankly, many of us mechanics are not exactly overflowing with brain cells, so we really need to focus on the repair. In our experience, the lowest-quality work gets done when the mechanic feels as if he's being overly scrutinized.

If your repair is going to take longer than a half-hour, we suggest a leisurely walk to the nearest internet-equipped cafe. You can relax and watch cat videos on YouTube, and your mechanic can fix your car without hearing you audibly sigh every time he gets a greasy fingerprint on your battery cable.

4. Monopolizing your mechanic's time

There are certain times of day when a shop can be very busy with customers eager to drop off or pick up cars. Generally, this tends to happen between 7 and 9 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and closing. At these times, it's rude to monopolize the time with the service writer (the person at the front desk who takes your information) when nine other customers are waiting behind you.

If you're someone who asks a thousand questions, why not bring in your car after the morning rush? Your garage's service writer will have more time, won't be distracted by the antsy customers shifting from foot to foot behind you, and you won't keep those other customers from their shifts as safety supervisors at the nuclear plant.

5. Not giving your mechanic the benefit of the doubt

There's no doubt there are many disreputable characters in our business. We're among them! But quite a few mechanics are decent, trustworthy and conscientious.

Until your mechanic has proven to you that he's Bernie Madoff with a wrench, assume his innocence. That doesn't mean he won't make honest mistakes sometimes. We all do. And some problems are just hard to diagnose.

When a problem isn't fixed the first time, bring it to your mechanic's attention. Repair shops, like most businesses, rely on repeat customers and good word of mouth. It's likely your mechanic will try hard to get it right. And if you're kind about it, rather than assuming he's a crook or a dope, he'll likely try even harder to help you.

If you're worried that your mechanic might be something less than an Eagle Scout, check the garage and dealer reviews in our Mechanics Files and at Cars.com, and find a mechanic you feel you can trust.

6. Don't be a yeller

If you've ever been yelled at in public, you know it's about as embarrassing as peeing in your pants. We know, because we've been yelled at in public forpeeing in our pants (though not in the last six or eight weeks, mind you).

The last thing anyone wants is to be humiliated in front of others, especially his employer, employees or other customers. If you can't control yourself, walk around the block a few times and punch your fist through some drywall.

Don't talk with your mechanic until you've regained your composure. You'll be doing him a favor, and you'll be doing yourself a favor because once you declare war by yelling, the symbiotic relationship is all but over. If you really feel that you've been treated badly or unfairly and need to raise your voice to make your point, please have the courtesy to do it in private.

7. Shopping around

Everyone is entitled to shop around for the best price on a repair, but determining an estimate takes time. A mechanic needs to check parts lists and costs online, and even make a phone call or two as well.

If you are shopping around for a second quote, our advice is to confess rather than pretend you're not. Explain the diagnosis and the estimate you've received for the repair. Ask if it sounds right, or if it could be done for less. A lot of mechanics will be grateful not to have to work up a useless quote in that case, and they will be more likely to be helpful.

If you're calling a shop you know, be polite and give them a little business from time to time. After all, you're using their skills and knowledge for free.

By the way, it's easy for us to tell when a caller is checking a quote they've already received. After all, how many customers just happen to know, for example, that they need a "vacuum-switching valve for their evap system?"

8. Getting the work done elsewhere after a diagnosis

Very few shops charge the true labor cost for the time involved in diagnosing a problem. It's more likely they're giving you a deal on the investigative part of the repair, in anticipation of being paid for the repair itself. Unless you have a good reason for it, it's rude to take your car to one place for a diagnosis, and then to a slightly cheaper place to have the car repaired.

Should you take the free or cheap diagnosis and go elsewhere? Remember this fact: Mechanics have great memories. If they work up a diagnosis on a car and the owner takes it elsewhere, and happens to bring the car back some other day, the mechanic is likely to remember the vehicle. At our shop, we'll ask why the customer took the car to another shop, so we can address any problems on our end. Have a reasonable explanation at the ready, or be prepared to be suitably embarrassed.

9. Dog odor and other offensive smells

It's a fact: Humans can get used to almost any strong or offensive odors. It's an evolutionary coping strategy that has a lot of upsides, like being able to share your house with a litter box or enjoy professional wrestling up close. If you frequently carry around wet dogs, soiled diapers or other odiferous items in your car, please realize that your mechanic might not be as accustomed to these smells as you are. Take a few minutes to clean your car of rotting food, moist dog blankets, old gym bags and other malodorous items. Then air out your car. Your mechanic will appreciate it.

10. Having unrealistic expectations

When we schedule service, we try to be clear as possible regarding how long a repair will take. And if we say it's going to take all day, we'll need all that time to get the job done. At our shop, we'll need to have your car in the shop at 8 a.m., to have it back to you at 5 p.m. So if you drop off your car at noon, don't expect us to have it ready for you at 4 p.m.

One last thought: Remember that cars are increasingly complex, and mechanics are only human — if that! Surprises are not uncommon, mistakes happen, bolts can turn out to be rusted in place, and other jobs may take sudden precedence. Give your mechanic a little breathing room. He'll appreciate it, and you'll both be happier in the end.

And if you liked the way a repair went? Brownies never go out of style.

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Top 10 Worst Things Your Mechanic Can Tell You

There are lots of things you do want to hear from your mechanic:

• "It was nothing. A wire fell off. I reattached it. No charge."
• "The gas cap was loose. That's why the Check Engine light was on. It'll go off by itself."
• "Oh, sure, we can clean dog puke out of the heating vents. We do that all the time."

But there are some things you never want to hear, over the phone, from your mechanic. Here's our Top 10:

1. Seized Engine Due to Lack of Oil

"The reason your engine stopped running is that it's now a melted mass of amalgamated metals. What used to be aluminum pistons, steel cylinder walls and an iron crankshaft is now a 900-pound garden sculpture. The Smithsonian wants to put it on display."

Cost: $3,000 for a used engine, up to $10,000 for a remanufactured engine.

The lowdown: A "seized" engine means that your lubrication failed (that is, you had insufficient oil or oil pressure), and the expensive moving parts of your engine scraped each other into a heated glob of useless scrap metal. Unfortunately, there's no way to fix a seized engine. Instead, the engine needs to be replaced with a used or remanufactured engine. What happens to your old engine? A recycler will finish the melting job, and the engine will be transformed into thousands of tiny Bic lighters.

2. Hydrolocked Engine

"That 4-foot-deep puddle that you tried to cross? You sucked some of it into your engine's cylinders."

Cost: $3,000 to $10,000

The lowdown: There are certain places water shouldn't be — like inside your iPhone, on your original Matisse watercolor or inside your engine's cylinders. Normally, your engine's cylinder contains air and droplets of fuel. The air is compressible, so when the piston squeezes everything, the pressure just goes up. Water is not compressible, so when the piston tries to squeeze the water, the piston loses. Then all the expensive parts that are attached to the piston get bent or broken. Just like your bank account.

3. Overheated Engine

"When you saw the paint on your hood was starting to blister, did that give you any kind of hint that you might have been overheating?"

Cost: $100 to $10,000

The lowdown: If you catch an engine overheating early enough and take action, you can get by cheaply. It could be a leaky hose, a stuck thermostat or a loose clamp.  If your car overheats badly, or frequently, you can do serious damage. The most common results of frequent or severe overheating are a blown head gasket, a cracked head or a cracked block. Those are, respectively, expensive, really expensive, and you may wind up saying, "I guess I won't be retiring for another year."

4. Transmission STB (Soiled the Bed)

"Did you notice when you put your car in Drive, it doesn't move? We figured out why."

Cost: $300 to $5,000

The lowdown: The good news is that your engine is still running. The bad news? It's no longer connected to the wheels. Transmissions can fail for a number of reasons. These days, it's not uncommon for electronically controlled automatic transmissions to have problems related to software or solenoids. Those are not disasters and can be fixed for relatively little money. When the transmission's internal components start to disintegrate (like when your mechanic removes the transmission drain plug and chunks of metal fall out) due to old age, overheating the transmission or animalistic driving tendencies, it's time to tap the home-equity line of credit.

5. Cracked Head, Blown Head Gasket or Cracked Block

"That stuff blowing out of your tailpipe isn't just water. It's antifreeze."

Cost: $1,000 to $4,000

The lowdown: There are a few places you should never see antifreeze: falling from the sky, in your cereal bowl or coming out your tailpipe. The engine's cooling system is a closed system, meaning that the coolant circulates from the engine's cooling passages to the radiator, the heater core and back again. It should never leave that loop. If it's somehow getting into the oil passages or the cylinders (and, from there, out the tailpipe) something has gone terribly wrong. Your head gasket has cracked, your head itself has cracked or, worst of all, your block has cracked. These problems are often the result of overheating (see No. 3).

6. Broken Timing Belt

"Look in your glove box. If you open the shrink-wrapped booklet that says Owner's Manual, you'll see you should have changed your timing belt 20,000 miles ago."

Cost: $1,500 to $3,500

The lowdown: There are two kinds of engines: interference engines and non-interference engines. Or, as we refer to the interference engines in the trade, motor wreckers.

An interference engine is actually a more modern engine design, where the valves open wider and into the path of the upcoming piston. This lets the engine breathe better, giving it more power and better fuel efficiency. It all works fine as long as your timing works fine — when the valves are open, the piston is down, and when the piston comes up, the valves are closed and out of the way. If your timing belt breaks or jumps a notch on an interference engine, the piston smashes the valves, and you need a valve job ... at least. That's why it's crucial to change the timing belt at the recommended interval, before it gets anywhere near the point of breaking.

On a non-interference engine, a broken timing belt will leave you stranded, but it won't crush your valves. You can ignore the timing belt change on one of those engines if you don't mind getting stuck. On an interference engine, you're rolling the dice on a large boat payment for your mechanic.

7. Transmission Fluid in the Brake Fluid Reservoir

"That was the brake fluid reservoir, to which you added transmission fluid."

Cost: $800 to $2,000

The lowdown: If you catch this mistake before you actually get back in the car and step on the brakes, and have the car towed to your mechanic, you may get by with just a new master cylinder. But once a petroleum-based product, like transmission fluid or motor oil, is pushed through the brake system, pretty much everything has to be replaced. The oils attack rubber seals, and everything except the metal brake lines has rubber seals. Once you've used the brakes and sent this stuff through the brake lines, grab your credit card and check your credit limit!

8. Fried Computer

"You hooked up the jumper cables backward."

Cost: $1,500 to $100,000, in the event plastic surgery is required.

The lowdown: In lots of cars, there's some type of protective circuitry in the event that you accidently reverse polarity when hooking up jumper cables. However, that's by no means true for all cars. If your car is one of the unlucky ones, you might be looking at having to buy a new computer for your car, and maybe a few new wiring harnesses, too. Even worse, you may incur so many confounding electrical problems that the best thing you could hope for is ... fire. Even if your car is OK, you might blow up one of the batteries in the two cars. If that happens, you might need to buy yourself a new face, too. (Maybe you can buy my brother's face — we've been trying to get rid of it for years.)

9. Worn Clutch

"That smell that's been following you around for miles? It's your clutch burning up."

Cost: $1,000 to $2,500

The lowdown: The operation of the clutch is based on friction. It's a tricky business to apply that friction slowly enough so that A) your engine doesn't stall and B) your passengers don't get whiplash. At the same time, you have to apply the friction quickly enough so you don't "sand down" the clutch and end up with no friction material left. When you continually let out the clutch too slowly, while giving the engine lots of gas, you're essentially wearing out the friction part of the clutch. Like a piece of sandpaper, a smooth clutch with no grabby surface can't do its job. If you're doing a bang-up job of it, you can actually start to smell the clutch burning as you wear it down. How quickly can you do this? We actually have a friend who did exactly this and destroyed a clutch in as little as 20 miles. No kidding! You know that $1,200 you saved by buying a manual transmission instead of an automatic? You're about to spend it on your first clutch replacement.

10. Catastrophe at the Repair Shop

"Your car fell off the lift, and your boyfriend and I are going camping this weekend."

Cost: $0 if your mechanic has insurance; $25,000 if not.

The lowdown: You know how you'll occasionally break a glass at home or drop a fork down the garbage disposal? Well, these kinds of little accidents happen. In the repair business, a tiny moment of carelessness can lead to something much more exciting, such as a car falling off the lift or catching fire. These are exciting moments for mechanics. And once they're over — and everyone is present, accounted for and still fully limbed — we feel a moment of euphoria to still be alive.

Unfortunately, that's usually the moment we choose to call the customer and share this good news. "Good news! You're car fell off the lift, but nobody was underneath it!" For some reason, this isn't always received as good news. Fortunately, reputable repair shops have Bonehead Insurance for such calamities. You may be able to go out and buy that new Accord you've had your eye on. Remember: It's only a car. Cars can be replaced. People can't. At least that's what we keep telling our customers.

The Ferrari Enzo WRC

Video: Hometown hotties washing cars for votes

It seems like for as long as there have been cars, beautiful women in bikinis have been washing them.

OK, so maybe not the Model T, but we wouldn’t be surprised to find a Hottie washing one of these classic today as well.

So if you are aficionado (or just fan) of clean cars and the women that wash them you’ll appreciate this Maxim video of Kristin from California as she washes her truck to become Maxim’s 2009 Hometown Hottie.

You can see the rest of the girls who decided that washing their car in a bikini was a good way to get Maxim votes HERE.

Video: Race-Spec GT-86 Turbo Takes on the McLaren 12C

Though we are not totally infatuated with the GT 86/FR-S/BRZ triplets like most auto guys, we do think that it is still one hell of a sports car. Our biggest complaints about the GT 86 include its engineered torque dip to help it feel sportier at high revs, super-slow 0-to-60 mph time with the autobox and a body style that seems a lot older than it actually is, but the good certainly outweighs the bad.

Now, when it comes to modified versions of the triplets, we are all in, as tuners are managing to extract some mighty numbers from this sport coupe. Fensport put together a few tuning kits for the GT 86 that have attracted the attention of several auto nuts, and Autocar went a step further by putting it on the track against the mighty McLaren 12C.

The Fensport racing-spec GT 86 manages to churn out 335 horsepower and tips the scales at just over 2,425 pounds, plus it’s got racing slicks, tons of downforce and an upgraded suspension system. But, is that enough to tackle the 12C and its 616-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-8 powerplant?

Toyota plans £70k hydrogen car

Is this the future? Japanese giant reckons so, plans to launch hydrogen car in 2015…

A mid-sized four-door saloon with a range of more than 350 miles, zero emissions and a price tag of around £70,000: this is Toyota's grand ambition for a production hydrogen car, coming your way in 2015.

Before then, though, we get to look at this, the FCV-R concept headed for the Frankfurt Motor Show. It has, Toyota boldly claims, overcome "some of the historic barriers to developing a marketable fuel cell vehicle".

Underneath the FCV-R's skin a fuel cell stack that producing around 4bhp per litre - apparently ‘the world's highest power output density' for such a thing - in place of a petrol engine, together with high-pressure hydrogen tanks replacing the fuel tank. There's a 21kW battery to store energy recovered from braking.

This hydrogen gubbins sits beneath the floor, on a car sized just 35mm longer than an Avensis saloon. We're told the fuel cell stack's efficiency means only two fuel tanks are required, as opposed to the four originally planned. The fuel cell stack is also twice as powerful as the one seen in Toyota's 2008 FCHV. Progress, eh?

So what does this all mean for you? Zero tailpipe emissions - no CO2 nor NOx nor any particulate matter emissions. The only by-product of the hydrogen fuel cell is water vapour. Of course, the energy required and emissions made in producing the hydrogen also need to be taken into account, but that's another, much longer story.

Toyota reckons hydrogen cars will be everywhere by the 2020s, but for the 2015 launch, is hoping to scale that £70k starting price down even further. Of course, this needs to go hand in hand with more hydrogen filling stations, otherwise, well, it'll be an expensive experiment.

But still...

2016 Corvette Z07 Could Already be Under Development

Chevrolet is already hard at work on its next-generation Corvette Z06, which will likely be called the Z07.

That means the Z07 will be heading to production once the convertible models start hitting dealerships, introducing an even more high-performance variant to the Corvette Stingray lineup. Perhaps hinting at what will eventually power the Z07, the Cadillac Elmiraj concept features a 4.5-liter, twin-turbo V8 with around 500 horsepower.

SEE ALSO: 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Review

Considering the Stingray boasts 460 horsepower, that figure might seem a little bit conservative. Expect the Z07 to have upwards of 600 horsepower with its powerplant mated to a seven-speed manual transmission. Enhancing the performance of the Z07 will likely be Brembo brakes and larger, beefier tires. Of course the aerodynamics will further be tweaked, giving the Z07 a more aggressive appearance as well.

A ZR1 variant is unlikely, at least until much later in the Stingray’s life cycle

Corvette Hybrid a ‘Very Attractive Idea’: President

Does the idea of a ChevorletCorvette hybrid make you laugh? General Motors President Mark Reuss recently made it clear that idea isn’t as far fetched as it sounds.

With other supercars turning to hybrid technology to bolster performance, such as the Ferrari LaFerrariand the McLaren P1, it’s really not a stretch to believe GM would invest into building a torque-monster Stingray hybrid. Even Nissan is working on a hybrid powertrain for its next-generation GT-R, which could make an appearance sooner rather than later.

SEE ALSO: Nissan Trademarks ‘R-Hybrid’ Emblem, Likely for GT-R

In a recent interview with the L.A. Times, GM President Mark Reuss went on the record saying that a Corvette hybrid is “a very attractive idea, actually,” and that “it would be really fun to do.”

With fuel economy regulations getting more strict, automakers have had to find clever ways to boost performance in their flagship sports car models while improving fuel efficiency. One such way is a hybrid powertrain. Of course Chevrolet will always continue finding new ways to boost its Corvette model’s performance, so don’t laugh when you see a Corvette hybrid in your rearview mirrorin the near future.

Bosch eClutch Eliminates Stalling

Even though automakers are slowly moving away from manual transmissions, that hasn’t stopped Bosch Automotive from developing a new technology to eliminate accidental stalling in manual transmissions.

The new system, called eClutch, is not only designed to make stalling a thing of the past, but can make stop-and-go traffic tolerable while improving fuel economy in a manual-equipped vehicle. The eClutch replaces a traditional clutch-hydraulic master cylinder with an electrically-operated pump that automatically engages the clutch. If the driver lets the clutch out too quickly, the eClutch will intefere to prevent a stall from occurring.

In low-speed situations, namely first and second gear, the eClutch is capable of working the clutch without input from the driver. Of course the driver still needs to move the shifter, but it does take out some of the legwork when sitting in traffic.

To help improve fuel efficiency, Bosch claims that the eClutch can automatically shut off the engine and decouple it from the transmission during coasting situations. According to Bosch, this could help improve fuel efficiency by as much as 10 percent.

Most importantly for automakers, the eClutch system has the technology to coordinate the operation of a standard gasoline engine with an electric motor in a full-hybrid powertrain. Currently, manual transmissions are only available in simpler hybrid systems such as Honda‘s Integrated Motor Assist.

Bosch also announced that the eClutch costs “significantly less than a conventional automatic transmission.”