The last of a breed and the best of the bunch by Luke Vandezande Ferocious yet refined. Aggressive, but subtle. Like Bob Dole’s infamous Vi agra commercial, there’s immense joy lurking just beneath the surface. As with Dole’s candid television discussion, most of what’s important about the Audi RS 5 is out of sight – thankfully in the case of the former. Only a few ripples of enhanced performance show from beneath the surface. (For the sake of clarity, we are speaking of the RS 5). That said, this metaphor has now reached an uncomfortable level. Consider it dead. ONE STUNNING GERMAN COUPE Small touches set the car apart while sticking to its maker’s stereotypical understated styling. Wide ducts sit on the lower front fascia, gulping air to help cool optional carbon ceramic brakes. The grille glints a glossy black and there’s a little RS badge nestled therein. The standard wheels measure 19-inches, although it’s a shame not to choose the optional 20-inch five-spoke alternatives. They look that much better. A small spoiler rises from the deck lid automatically at 75 mph and lies flat if the car slows below 50 mph — although the driver can manually override the automatic function.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOxQVZBULiw

If you thought the fastest Porsche in the world was the brand’s new 918 Spyder, think again. While it may be the fastest production car in the German sports car maker’s stable, behold its 24 Hours of Le Mans entry scheduled for next year. While no stats (and we mean none) are available on the new prototype endurance racer, Porsche has released a selection of photos as the car takes its first laps at the brand’s test track at Weissach. Driven by Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard, he commented that, “Already now the car feels great. I look forward to testing the vehicle in the coming weeks and months with my friend and colleague Romain Dumas.” The car itself is believed to be a gasoline-electric hybrid. Hinting at that, Porsche R&D boss Wolfgang Hatz commented that, “Our aim was to achieve the best possible efficiency without compromising performance.” That hybrid technology is expected to make its way into all future Porsche models. “The engineers were able to start with a blank sheet of paper in the design of the new LMP1 car that was out here today on the Weissach race track for the first time,” said Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche AG. “Hence, they were able to apply many new technologies within the framework of the regulations that will also benefit the customers of our road legal automobiles in the future. After all, there’s a race car in every Porsche.” Fritz Enzinger, head of Porsche’s LMP1 program commented that, “We are well on schedule. Our newly formed team has worked with utmost concentration on getting this highly complex vehicle on the track as soon as possible. This allows us a few additional weeks for more testing and further development. From 2014, the regulations are primarily based on efficiency. This makes the competition amongst engineers more interesting and presents us with completely new challenges.” Porsche will compete with the LMP1 prototype in the 2014 World Endurance Championship (WEC) and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year 2014.