All 3-Series models are doing their bit to keep sales high. According to a study released by R.L. Polk & Co., from 2008 through this past February, the 3-Series sedan covered around 60 percent of the model's retail registrations, with the coupe, convertible and station wagon versions accounting for the rest of the sales.
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The car receives some new intake and ECU tuning to bring the turbocharged 2.0-liter's output to 275 horsepower and 430 Nm / 317 lb-ft of torque, while a Senner stainless steel exhaust system is there for aural pleasure and to get rid of those exhaust fumes. The car rides on KW's Inox coilovers, which slam it down hard on those 20-inch Varianza TIS alloys.
It wears a wide-inlet front fascia, while the rear apron comes from Rieger (done in "carbon look", something I wouldn't want on a Jetta, let alone an S5).
Can you guess what's coming next? Yup, there's also a lip spoiler on the trunk and LED tail lights. "But this is still not enough. As the name "White Beast" implies, not only the optics but also the engine power have been upgraded." And away we go.
The high-resolution photos from the leaflet show that the RS5 Coupe gets its own unique body treatment to differentiate it from the less powerful S5 Coupe.
Look closely and you'll be able to spot the slightly blistered wheel arches that hark back to the original Quattro coupe, the new front bumper with larger air vents at each corner, the honeycomb grille without the horizontal bar, the redesigned rear bumper with an integrated diffuser and the two large oval tail pipes.
The tuner jazzes up the five door coupe's appearance with numerous aero add-ons, including a new front bumper, ABT's trademark grille, front fender air-vents and a rear apron with a diffuser shrouding chrome exhaust tips.
Customers can choose between 18-inch and 20-inch alloy rims which are available in two different designs.
For the time being, ABT offers power kits only for the A5 Sportback with the 2.0 TSI petrol and the 3.0 TDI diesel engines.
After the tuner gets its way with the powerplants, the entry-level 2.0 TSI's output is boosted from 180HP to a hardy 275HP while the 3.0-liter V6 diesel can be lifted from 240HP to either 282HP or 310HP. The most powerful version of the V6 diesel hits the 100km/h (62mph) mark in 5.8 seconds.
The tuner finishes off the package with a sport suspension and a high-performance braking system with either 345 mm or 380 mm disks and eight piston calipers.
Ever since the R8 broke cover, Audi tuners have been churning out numerous aero kits that try to imitate the styling of the mid-engined sports car for the German firm's more mainstream models. The latest package of the sort to capture our attention comes from Germany's Hofele Design and it's available for the A5 Coupe, Convertible and even for the new Sportback.The common denominator for all three A5 models is the R8-look front bumper with the characteristic air vents underneath the headlamps.
Fortunately or unfortunately - we'll let you decide, that's about all the R8-love that Hofele Design has to offer the A5 Sportback.
However, for the full R8 effect, A5 Coupe and Convertible owners can match the new front bumper with a pair of R8-style side blades and a new rear bumper with faux air-outlets and an integrated diffuser that inspired from the V10-powered version of Audi's supercar.
Hofele Design rounds off the package with a boot lid spoiler (A5 Coupe only), air-intakes for the front fenders, side skirts and a wide choice of alloy wheel designs.
Every so often we stumbled upon a creation like the Benero sports coupe pictured here that's a completely unknown quantity. In spite of our 'googling' efforts, we didn't find anything official on the car. However, according to the folks that sent these photos over to our friends at Autogespot, it is claimed that the Benero is a special coachbuilt model powered by a 4.2-liter supercharged V8 engine tweaked by German tuning firm MTM to produce an output of 525HP.
Despite the lack of official information and even though it is not obvious from the vehicle's exterior appearance, the Benero's interior and the engine specs can't hide the fact that it is based on the Audi S5 coupe.
It is said that the Benero will be produced in limited number of 50 units priced at a staggering €400,000 or close to $600,000 US a piece. If any of you have more information on the coachbuilt special don't hesitate to leave us a comment below.
Via: Autogespot
Making further use of its aluminium Audi Space Frame (ASF) concept, Audi has presented a special A5 Coupe prototype that has sheds 110kg or 240 pounds over the standard steel-bodied production car with a 2.0-liter TFSI. This was achieved by swapping steel for advanced aluminium and carbon fibre construction. Audi says that the aluminium A5 prototype has a kerb weight of 1,310kg (2,888 lbs), versus a total of 1,420kg (3,130 lbs) for the equivalent steel-bodied series production model.This means that with the 211HP 2.0-litre turbocharged FSI engine, the A5 Prototype achieves a power-to-weight ratio of 161HP per tonne. For comparison, the 'standard' A5 Coupe 3.2 FSI V6 quattro with 265HP that weighs in at 1,540kg, is only slightly better at 172PS per tonne.
"The lightweight design of the test car not only enables a smaller engine to supplement a larger one with no impact on performance and gains in economy and emissions, but also has a knock-on effect on ancillaries such as the brakes and transmission, which can also be reduced in size and weight," said Audi.
"It also enables the car to change direction noticeably more keenly and nimbly and, thanks to the reduction in unsprung weight, to ride with even more refinement," the company added.
Even though the aluminium A5 Coupe Prototype isn't intended to make production, we suspect that the next generation model will most likely benefit from this lightweight concept.
DUI as in 'designing under the influence'... You see, some things in this life, such as asking a German tuner to create a one-off special for a German brewery, are just not meant to be. We understand that this is a promotional vehicle with Radeberger Pilsner's traditional black and gold color scheme but, well, let's just say that the photos speak for themselves. Anyway, aside from the ABT two-tone bodykit, chunky alloy wheels and logos, the special A5 Cabrio gets a red leather interior with Radeberger's name embroidered on the headrests and the floor mats.ABT also equipped the A5 Convertible with a pair of LCD screens that are mounted on the back of the front headrests while another highlight is the drink cooler located under the center armrest.
Pop up the bonnet and you'll find a tweaked version of Audi's 2.0-liter TFSI that has received a series of upgrades boosting output to 275HP, up from 180HP. ABT says that the drop top A5 can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in 6.7 seconds and achieve a maximum speed of 271 km/h or 169 mph. The ride and handling are improved as well with brake and suspension upgrades.
The one-off ABT Radeberger Audi A5 Cabrio special will be raffled off in Germany sometime before the end of the year.
