Meet the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport rally car. It just debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The new sports car is the perfect vehicle for 鈥榬ecreational and club racing'. The mid-engined racer is based on the successful street-legal Cayman GT4. But that isn't the only thing they share in common. The racing sibling is powered by the same engine, namely the 3.8-litre flat-six unit, which is positioned behind the driver's seat. Nonetheless the transmission had to be changed a little be to be in accordance with the new racing spirit of the car. Here we have a modified six-speed Porsche double clutch with shift paddles on the steering wheel and a mechanical rear-axle locking differential. Furthermore, we have lightweight strut on the front and rear axle, which has been borrowed from the 911 GT3 Cup. Brakes are also sporty and come on all four corners. They measure the impressively 380-millimetre and are made of steel. At the front however are fitted one-piece, six-piston aluminium fixed callipers, while the rear got four-piston equivalent. There is also anti-lock brake system, which can be adjusted in twelve stages. Appropriately for racing, the Electronic Stability Programme has been expanded for slicks, while the power steering here is operated electro-mechanically. Other facts speak also of racing characteristics. The weight is definitely one of them, because the Porsche tips the scales at 1,300 kilograms. Other features with the same purpose include welded-in safety cage, a racing bucket seat and six-point harness.
Audi TT quattro sport concept is an athlete in peak condition. Each hp supplied by the two-liter TFSI, which itself weighs under 150 kilograms (330.69 lb), needs to shift less than 3.2 kilograms (7.05 lb). The four-cylinder engine catapults the show car from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in just 3.7 seconds. Head of Powertrain Development Dr. Stefan Knirsch: 鈥淭his high-performance power unit is an impressive demonstration of the power reserves available in our EA888 engine range. This power unit has received numerous awards all over the world and it already lives up to its claim in many Audi sporty models. In the TT quattro sport concept, it demonstrates its full power potential. The high-performance engine is once again based on the successful EA888 technologies such as the Audi valvelift system (AVS) variable valve timing, dual camshaft adjustment, and dual injection system (FSI plus MPI). A wide range of modifications are featured, including special aluminum pistons with integrated cooling channels and an ultra-high-strength forged steel crankshaft.
The cylinder head is a systematic further development tailored to the higher loads and increased gas throughput. To accommodate the higher output, the EA888鈥檚 familiar, highly compact thin-wall cylinder crankcase is here made of a high-strength cast alloy. The also newly developed exhaust-gas turbocharger features optimized mixed-flow technology and produces up to 1.8 bar of charge pressure. When driving, the four-cylinder unit鈥檚 pronouncedly sporty character is breathtaking. The turbocharged direct-injection engine responds immediately to the throttle and revs eagerly right up to the fuel cut-off at 7,200 rpm. The 2.0 TFSI transfers its torque to a compact, three-shaft S tronic. The dual-clutch transmission shifts gears in split-seconds, adding its share to the show car鈥檚 impressive acceleration. The permanent quattro all-wheel drive delivers the power to the road. For optimum weight distribution, the hydraulically actuated, electronically controlled multi-disk clutch is located on the rear axle. The quattro drive actively controls distribution of the drive torque between the axles in milliseconds, thus adding to the car鈥檚 dynamic handling.
With its cutting-edge chassis - McPherson wheel suspension with aluminum components at the front and a four-link layout at the rear - the Audi TT quattro sport concept offers sharp, precise race car handling. The stiff setup brings the body closer to the road when compared with the series-production TT. 54 percent of the weight rests on the front axle, 46 percent on the rear. ESC electronic stabilization control, which can be partially or fully deactivated, complements the suspension鈥檚 sporty character. When cornering, wheel-selective torque control kicks in. If necessary, drive torque is transferred from the wheels on the inside of the bend to those on the outside. Thanks to the distribution of torque, the car turns very slightly into the corner, helping the driver. This allows for precise and neutral cornering and the TT greatly increases its dynamism and stability. A significant part in the Audi TT quattro sport concept鈥檚 lightweight design is played by the body, which is based on the MQB modular transverse matrix. Its hybrid concept represents the latest evolution of the Audi Space Frame (ASF) and further lowers the car鈥檚 center of gravity compared with the second-generation series-production TT.
The front end is made of steel. The passenger compartment floor comprises high-strength, hot-shaped steel components which, thanks to their extremely high strength, feature very low wall thicknesses and thus weigh accordingly little. The compartment鈥檚 structure, the entire exterior skin, and the doors and lids are made of the classic Audi semi-finished aluminum products cast node, extruded profile, and sheet metal. The flat Matrix LED headlights and the broad Singleframe grill dominate the study鈥檚 front end. The grill鈥檚 striking frame displays the quattro logo and holds the dark diamond-pattern grill. Through their pronounced edges, the substantial air intakes - which also feature diamond-pattern grills - appear almost like inserted airboxes. They thus illustrate a key element in the new Audi TT鈥檚 design language: elements like the greenhouse and wheel arches create the impression of being individual bodies, thus producing the typical tension. The show car rests on 20-inch wheels with a central locking mechanism and semi-slick tires.
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