New Audi and Infiniti show cars and BMW Z4 launched at Pebble ...
For several years now, the Monterey Peninsula Car Week has not just been about classic cars. Major manufacturers use the influx of the world's richest car collectors and international media to launch their latest show and production cars. This year is no exception with three interesting machines breaking cover at Pebble last night.
The most striking of the three is this Audi PB18 e-tron. Inspired by the Le Mans winning R18, it is effectively an all-electric racing car for the road. It is powered by three electric motors, one at the front and two at the back, which together can produce up to 764bhp. The lines of the PB18 were penned in Audi's new Malibu design studio and include a particularly interesting 'shooting brake' tail. The interior is adaptable as the driver can sit in the middle if there are no passengers or move over to one side to make room for a second person. For now the car is just a design study but with its all-electric e-tron powertain it should fit nicely at the top of Audi's future line-up.
Following up on the highly acclaimed Prototype 9 launched last year, Japanese luxury manufacturer Infiniti have now returned to Pebble with the Prototype 10. It is once again a minimalistic show car but this time it at least has fully enclosed wheels. Where last year's show car heralded the era of 1950s open wheel racing, the Prototype 10 is a tribute to California Speedsters of the same era.
BMW used the opportunity to finally reveal the third generation of the Z4. Compared to its predecessor, the roadster is completely redesigned and features a fabric instead of a metal foldaway roof. At the launch, the Z4 will be available in M40i trim, which means it is powered by a 340bhp version of BMW's familiar turbocharged straight six engine. Full technical details and specifications will follow at the Paris Motor Show next month.
Enjoy the links:
2018 Audi PB18 e-tron - Images, Specifications and Information
2018 BMW Z4 M40i - Images, Specifications and Information
2018 Infiniti Prototype 10 - Images, Specifications and Information
If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself, don't run in the opposite direction, but run towards him, because he's a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet - but the truth.
(Ted Joans)
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