re: Audi

[Joe Elliott <jee@domain.elided>]

At 1:34 AM +0000 10/14/02, alfa-digest wrote:
> Besides, engineering at Audi never ceases to impress me.  This is the
> company that introduced the quattro system, the five-valve head, the
> all-aluminum A8 and, most recently, the CVT drivetrain in the new A4.
> Audi's success in the LeMans series is legendary (as was its domination
> of rally racing with the introduction of the quattro), and its new
> RS-seires sports sedans are nothing short of spectacular (even if they're
> WAY out of my price range).
Hmm...Didn't Yamaha have a 5-valve engine in 1984?  Didn't BMW, 
Ferrari, and Maserati have aluminum V8's ages ago (I assume the 
production Alfa V8 was also aluminum)?  I realize Audi's CVT is 
revolutionary, but I think DAF did the first one in the '60s.

Engineering at Audi never ceases to impress me either--for a number 
of reasons.  Not the least of which is building an 
otherwise-world-class car like the 80/90 and stuffing an absurdly 
archaic non-crossflow engine in it.  For crying out loud, is this an 
MGB or a German sedan from the '90s?  Sticking the engine waaaay 
forward like they do, although great for AWD systems, means that 
minor front-end collisions are much more expensive than in other 
cars.  Also, a 'slant' motor without a crossflow head?  What's the 
point?  At least put the ports on the top side for ease of 
maintenance!  ("Gee, let's see if we can hide a turbo down there too 
and throw a few more radiators on the empty side of the engine 
bay...")

At least the 90Q had a real rear suspension, something BMW couldn't 
quite grasp until the E36 came out. ;-p

Joe
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