Month: February 2017

If there’s one thing you cannot take away from the Audi R8, it’s the car’s looks. The R8 is a work of art, and if you read my “about me” page, you know I have a passion for cars. The sleek lines, bold colour and glass covers for the engine bay are but some of the aesthetics the car possesses.

You will be mistaken to think that this stops on the outside; the R8 is a performance beast. In fact, it won the 2016 world performance car award.

Closer look

The R8 was made for the thrill of speed. Armed with a 5.2-liter V10 engine the car generates up to 610 hp. Purists will be delighted to know that the R8’s engine is naturally aspirated. With all that power under the hood, it was only right that Audi should fit state-of-the-art gadgetry, without cluttering the dash. The Audi R8 has Google Earth for navigation, and a Bang and Olufsen sound system for entertainment.

The Audi R8 is offered in two options. The first is the v10 option where power is capped at 540 hp while the second is the V10 Plus option with a 610 hp engine. Prices start at $162,900 for the V10 option, making this one of the most affordable supercars in the world.

The World Rally Championship has produced absolute legends behind the wheel. The 13 events that make up the WRC have tested the best drivers on natural terrain, unlike racing drivers who have specially prepared tracks.

The dynamics of the WRC are drastically different from track events because of the surface. For example, cars move from a tarmac to gravel to ice.

There are many legends in the WRC; here are two of the best WRC drivers.

• Sebastian Loeb

Among WRC drivers, Sebastian is a god. The Frenchman has won 9 drivers’ championships. He also holds the record for the most wins a row, having won all 9 of his titles in a row between 2004 and 2012. Loeb won all his titles with Citroen, making Citroen the car that has won most titles.

• TommiMäkinen

The Finnish driver has won four championships. Like Loeb, he won all four in a row, between 1996 and 1999. For all his wins, Tommi drove a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. He is now retired and lives with his two children and wife.

In the upcoming championships, we are going to be on the lookout for whoever is driving the Audi R8 rally car as it looks like it’s going to leave the competition in the dust.

The P1 is the toast of hybrid supercars. It is perhaps the closest a supercar has come to green technology in the drivetrain. The McLaren P1 has a gas engine, and an electric motor. The first production run was between 2012 and 2015. There has been no subsequent production run.

As a result, there are only 375 units in the whole world, with 26 percent of those being in Europe and 34 percent in the US. The only other car McLaren produced under its supercars program is the P1 GTR which is a track car that can only be purchased by owners of the original P1, by invitation.

Peek Under the Hood

The rear-wheel driven McLaren P1 has 3.8-liter engine aspirated through 2 turbos. The electric motor is an ECU. The two combine to output 904 bhp, making this a pretty powerful machine. The P1 can reach up to 218 mph. Power is transmitted through a 7-speed dual clutch system. The P1 retails at upwards of $1.35 million; however, clients paid an average of $1.6 because of custom features they requested.

The P1 remains the crème of hybrids, and its exclusive ownership model means only a few people will ever own one. That fact doesn’t worry rally drivers, though, because the best WRC drivers would still opt for a Lancia.