Author Archives: Vincent Nguyen

I’ve always been a huge fan of the Audi R8, particularly the V10 model. Sure, I too mourned the demise of the V8 in the second-generation Type 4S R8, and back when the R8 first launched in 2007, it was unlike anything I’ve seen before. The Audi Rosemeyer Concept from early 2000 and Audi Le Mans Quattro concept both surged into my mind as I watched six-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx drive the R8 for the first time. The R8 was Audi’s first-ever supercar, and boy was it revolutionary in terms of design. Whether Porsche was ready to accept it or not, it was time for the 911 to have some proper competition, and the Audi R8 was the answer.

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If you thought Rolls-Royce's SUV couldn't get any more excessive, think again: the Black Badge Cullinan has arrived with a darker, even more dramatic vision of off-road luxury. Latest in the Black Badge series, the heavily customized Cullinan not only looks different, it coaxes more power from the 6.75-liter V12 engine.

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There’s a lot riding on Volkswagen’s first-ever ID.3 electric car. As I watched the first production model ID.3 roll off the assembly line, you couldn't miss the newfound sense of pride among the 8,000 or so employees inside VW’s Zwickau factory, which was converted recently from a large car manufacturing plant into what the automaker claims is the Mecca of e-mobility.

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Numbers. When it comes to the all-new 2020 Ford Shelby GT500, it's all about the numbers. Well, numbers and obsession. By far the meanest, and fastest iteration of the sixth-generation Mustang S550, when the invite hits your inbox you're already expecting ridiculous numbers. Turns out, if exorbitant horsepower and torque at your disposal is your guiding star, the new Shelby GT500 will outshine just about everything else in the muscle car scene.

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Right off the bat, Aston Martin wanted the new Vantage to go hunting for Porsche and McLaren. I experienced this first-hand on the challenging Portimao Algarve racing circuit in Portugal, a blistering combination of blind turns, massive elevation changes, and fast straights. There, the Aston Martin Vantage felt right at home and eager for more, but there was still one thing missing.

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While digital cameras still have the advantage of power and features over even the most sophisticated smartphones, they often lose out when it comes to ubiquity. If the best tool is the one that you have with you always, then smartphones have a distinct advantage over the powerful yet heavy professional cameras. Olympus says you no longer have to choose with the new OM-D E-M5 Mark III. Combining the lineage of its predecessor and the higher-grade OM-D E-M1 Mark II, the new interchangeable lens touts advanced features from the company's high-end OM-D kits but shrunken down to a handier and more rugged size.

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If you're driving something special, you want it to look the part, and so when Audi was creating the second-generation 2020 RS7 Sportback it put in the time to differentiate not only on driving dynamics from the regular A7, but also the exterior design. Sure enough, while the new RS7 Sportback still has that svelte sloping roofline, put both cars side by side and the differences stack up. Step outside to find a Tango Red Audi RS7 Sportback waiting for you, and it's enough to give you sweaty palms.

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know Bugatti broke the mythical 300 mph - or 304.77 mph, to be exact - speed barrier in a prototype Chiron. Now that car, presented by Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann at the automaker's 110th-anniversary celebration in Molshein, is called the Chiron Super Sport 300+. It reached a top speed of 304.7 mph around Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien proving ground, and Bugatti is only making 30 examples for a starting price of roughly $3.9 million each.

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The first-generation Audi RS7 Sportback was a marvelous car, but it had some quirks. With only seating for four inside, the promise of a high-speed luxury sedan with coupe-styling felt a little cramped. Now, Audi is changing all this and more with the second-gen 2020 Audi RS7 Sportback. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder but I'm a big fan of the new design, and crucially it doesn’t look like a regular A7 Sportback. Indeed, the only shared elements between the base model and the RS7 are the roof, hood, front doors, and tailgate. Everything else is unique.

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Out of all the events I had the pleasure of attending at Monterey Car Week and Pebble Beach - a week filled with priceless classics, stunning hypercars, and the sort of rarities that give automotive enthusiasts palpitations - I wasn't expecting a bright green electric prototype to be the most memorable. I got a chance to take the VW ID Buggy for a spin, and it's fair to say it left a lasting impression.

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Welcome to America, 2020 Audi RS6 Avant! The unicorn with near-mythical status in the US makes its debut stateside for the first time later in 2020, the German automaker has confirmed, now in its fourth-generation and packing some serious V8 muscle along with a mild-hybrid powertrain. Frankly speaking, it’s still a mystery to me why station wagons lost their allure in the US. It must be everyone’s thirst for big, hulking land yachts or maybe the stigma of being seen in a boring, plebeian family car. I’m here to tell you first-hand that the 2020 Audi RS6 Avant is going to be anything but boring.

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Bugatti is creating quite a stir at the 2019 Concours d’Elegance. After the much-anticipated U.S debut of the Bugatti La Voiture Noire at Pebble Beach, along comes the Bugatti Centodieci. In this crazy world of high-stakes number games, nothing comes close to a Bugatti, particularly one which takes inspiration from the iconic EB110.

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