2013 Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet

With an output of 155 kW / 210 PS (from 5,300 rpm to 6,200 rpm), the TSI engine which lies at the heart of the new Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet has exactly the same power as the classic GTI with a steel and/or panoramic sunroof. Specifically, this is a GTI direct-injection petrol engine of the EA888 series. The turbocharged 16-valve four-cylinder engine develops a maximum torque of 280 Newton metres at a low 1,700 rpm. And this torque remains available at a constant level up to 5,200 rpm – an ideal plateau for a torque curve, which is actually not curved any longer.The TSI engine accelerates the most powerful Golf Cabriolet ever from 0 to 100 km/h in just 7.3 seconds. A special strength of the engine is its great flexibility: the manually...

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2013 Audi A3

The new Audi A3 was designed with succinct lines, and its dimensions are compact. Its length of 4,237 mm (13.90 feet) and height of 1,421 mm (4.66 feet) are practically the same as on the previous model. And yet its proportions are sportier: The car’s wheelbase grew by 23 mm (0.91 inches) to 2,601 mm (8.53 feet). Its front overhang is now shorter, and its width increased by 12 mm (0.47 inches) to 1,777 mm (5.83 feet).At its launch, Audi is offering one TDI and two TFSI engines for the new A3; these three four-cylinder engines were developed from the ground up. They bundle many efficiency technologies – direct injection, turbocharging, innovative thermal management and the start-stop system. The engine downsizing concept – reducing displacement...

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2012 Life Ball Mini Roadster

Franca Sozzani, chief editor of Italian VOGUE, has designed and presented her very own MINI model exclusively to mark the 20th anniversary of the charity event. The model in question is a MINI Roadster, the first open-top two-seater in the brand’s history. The one-off creation, which went under the auctioneer’s hammer at the AIDS Solidarity Gala and raised a donation total of 54,000 euros for HIV projects, left the audience of around 43,000 in no doubt: this is set to be a sporty, feminine summ...

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SOUTHSIDERS 'WHEELS AND WAVES'

The hippest moto-event of the year happens in just a few weeks (June 15-17th) in the south of France.  The Southsiders present 'Wheels and Waves', and expanded format from their impressive event last year in Toulouse; along with an art showcase and party at the fantastic Chateau de Brindos, and two rides, they're including an auction of classic vehicles (14 bikes and 8 cars), including this very impressive Ace '4' (estimate 45-48,000euros), a pair of 1900 DeDion-Bouton motorcycles, and a 1905 Diamant, all visible online on the Southsiders website.  The Vintagent was lucky to attend both the Southsiders' 2009 Biarritz border raid into the Pyrenees, and the 2011 weekend extravaganza (click here for coverage of the Party, and here for...

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CONCORSO DI MOTO 2012 - EXCLUSIVE!

The 1937 Mercury, with 596cc Scott twin-cylinder two-stroke engine, and all-aluminum body construction. One of perhaps 6 built by Mercury Motors of West Croydon, Surrey.BMW, host of the Concorso d'Eleganza di Villa d'Este,  have graciously provided a 'sneak preview' of the motorcycles to be displayed over the weekend of May 26/27 at the Villa Erba, exclusively for use on The Vintagent.  The second edition of the Concorso di Moto promises an exceptional viewing opportunity; the grassy park at Villa Erba will be dotted with 'one-offs' and 'sole survivors' among the simply stunning and rare machines - which fairly describes all 36 of the entries.The grounds of Villa d'Este on Concorso day (Jaguar XKSS and Lancia B20 Aurelia convertivle...

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VELO SPRING OPENER 2012

Yep, it was warm in the sun...seek ye shadeThe Velocette Owners Club of North America (whew) is renowned for its hard-riding members, whose annual week-long ride/rally has been racking up a thousand miles per year since 1983.  While the riding season in California is nearly year-round, the Spring Opener informally opens the riding year for the club, and has been hosted by John and Sue Ray from their home in, variously, Santa Cruz and more recently, a hilltop outside of Napa.Jeff Scott enjoying the -finally- repaved roads northeast of NapaIt isn't that the roads in Cali are the best in the world - often they're in sore need of repair, and deferred maintenance in the cash-starved state is the rule rather than exception.  It isn't that...

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