Shooting Brakes

[obscured by clouds]

Do these count:

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

Half a Beetle aft. Half a Beetle in front. This is what you get from miscegenation of the species. We should put one of those Beetle-wagons in touch with the SubaBeetle, find a teleportation device like from The Fly, and put things back into their proper places. It's not in the natural order of things. Like front-drive BMWs and Mercedes. None of this would be happening were it not for the war of northern aggression.

[Lew Barrett]

Do these count:

Sure, though they might be problematic as everyday drivers.

[Garret]

One I just thought of. One of the 4 rings Audi uses - a Borgward Isabella. My folks had one when I was a kid. Further proof that my being odd is genetic...

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

One I just thought of. One of the 4 rings Audi uses - a Borgward Isabella. My folks had one when I was a kid. Further proof that my being odd is genetic...

Nein, nein, the four rings of Audi came from its predecessor, Auto Union, which consisted of Audi, Horch, DKW, and Wanderer, and they later absorbed NSU as well. Only Audi survives to this day.

[Garret]

Nein, nein, the four rings of Audi came from its predecessor, Auto Union, which consisted of Audi, Horch, DKW, and Wanderer, and they later absorbed NSU as well. Only Audi survives to this day.

I sit corrected. Still was a car ahead of its time in many ways.

[Lew Barrett]

Rommel was fond of Horch autos. He was in one when it was strafed by an Allied fighter trying to get home for his wife's birthday, or so the popular story goes. There's a local museum that has a collection of automotive oddities that has anumber of DKWs and NSUs. The owner/curator has a thing for small European cars. I found his collection eclectic fun.

We're liking the Alltrack very much.

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

I sit corrected. Still was a car ahead of its time in many ways.

I'll have to look into them, I'm a recovering car head but had not heard of them. I know more about Audi/NSU because of direct experience. Let's not go into that, I'm having a good day.

[Garret]

I went out with a gal who had a 2 stroke DKW. Other than having to replace the rubber bands that linked the column shifter (OE - I kid you not) it was fairly reliable. She replaced it with a 1954 Chevy pickup. Not sure what that says about her. Or me...

Glad to hear the Alltrack is good Lew!

[PeterSibley]

A '64 Triumph 2000 wagon.

[Gerarddm]

I'll post pics of my newly acquired A6 Avant soon. Meanwhile it turned out Rommel's car was shot up by the Tempest of Jacques Remlinger, best friend of Pierre Closterman who wrote the classic The Big Show.

[Lew Barrett]

Interesting tidbit there, Gerard. I'd do some photos but it's looks exactly like a blue VW wagon. Not much to see, but great to have.

[The Bigfella]

I'll post pics of my newly acquired A6 Avant soon. Meanwhile it turned out Rommel's car was shot up by the Tempest of Jacques Remlinger, best friend of Pierre Closterman who wrote the classic The Big Show.

There's a lot of claimants for that Horch / shootup of Rommel. Here's an interesting thread on it

http://normandy.whitebeamimages.ie/f...ead.php?tid=67

[Gerarddm]

Wow, Ian, that is endlessly fascinating. I stand corrected BTW; Remlinger was flying a Spit, not a Tempest.


Lew, here is my A6 Avant:

[IMG][/IMG]


[IMG][/IMG]

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

I'd like this one if it didn't have expensive timing chain issues in its future; 2004 S4 Avant, 6 speed, 53k miles:

[birlinn]

Speaking of which, here is your AWD shooting brake. A Ferrari FF it's not:

http://jalopnik.com/for-7-000-this-s...shu-1791112269





I don't know why, but this is making me laugh hysterically, harder than I have laughed in a long time. I think it's the absurd melding of the two distinctly different shapes. I don't know, but it's setting off the laugh trigger and I can't stop.

Did they keep both engines???

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

Did they keep both engines???

Yes they did. See link above photos.

[Gerarddm]

http://jalopnik.com/the-callaway-c7-...ium=socialflow

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

http://jalopnik.com/the-callaway-c7-...ium=socialflow

In the early prototypes or renderings, they had replaced the rear fascia, losing the sad clown vents for horizontal slots, I thought it looked much better. In the front quarter shots, the hatch roof looks too sloped for me, not much gain in utility, but of course it is to match the front roofline, but in the rear quarter shots it looks ok. Perspective is everything, front is exaggerating the slope, rear is lessening it.

[Dave Lesser]

I'm disappointed Porsche didn't go for this in the recent refresh of the Panamera; concept Gran Turismo. Everything you want, Lew, and 1/3 the price of the Ferrari FF. (But 3x the price of a Camaro SB.) Choice of V8, V6, diesel powerplants, RWD or AWD. But they kept the jellybean fastback body I think this one looks better, has more crisp lines.

Looks like they heard you, Bob.

[Norman Bernstein]

Speaking of Borgward.... this one is rather handsome, in my view

[Garret]

I'd like this one if it didn't have expensive timing chain issues in its future; 2004 S4 Avant, 6 speed, 53k miles:

Timing belt - no? Around here the going price is about $900 - only a 100 or 2 more than the V6 & maybe 250 more than the 2.0 4 cyl..

The big issue for me would be the gas mileage. What's it get? 15 on a good day going downhill @ 55? I had a 3.0 A4 sedan that wouldn't break 20MPG @ 65. Pitiful in this day & age.

[Jim Bow]

Speaking of which, here is your AWD shooting brake. A Ferrari FF it's not:

http://jalopnik.com/for-7-000-this-s...shu-1791112269





I don't know why, but this is making me laugh hysterically, harder than I have laughed in a long time. I think it's the absurd melding of the two distinctly different shapes. I don't know, but it's setting off the laugh trigger and I can't stop.

It's the shape of a Dustbuster!

[Jim Bow]

I can't go through all 11 pages. Did the Callaway Aerowagen make this thread? Jay Leno just featured it.

[Lew Barrett]

Wow, Ian, that is endlessly fascinating. I stand corrected BTW; Remlinger was flying a Spit, not a Tempest.


Lew, here is my A6 Avant:

[IMG][/IMG]


[IMG][/IMG]

That's a nice looking ride, Gerard. Happy motoring!

Bob, no Panamera in my future, but a real possibility for a 911. An itch I've been wanting to scratch.

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

Looks like they heard you, Bob.

Now see, people just need to listen to me more often, and everything is going to be fine.

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

That's a nice looking ride, Gerard. Happy motoring!

Bob, no Panamera in my future, but a real possibility for a 911. An itch I've been wanting to scratch.

I've only driven a 911 for a short distance on the highway, a friend had one, I think a mid '80s natural. On the outside, sounded completely different from my 928 (expected, designs are like night and day). When driving, from the inside, just cruising at low power, sounded remarkably the same. Weird. I'm sure it would have sounded much different wound up, but it was not my car, and didn't have the later rear suspension which fixed the major handling ills. Technical presentation on the new 911 chassis ("993") by Porsche at 1994(?) SAE show:
(audience member): "Can you comment on the rear suspension system versus the previous design?"
(Porsche guy, heavy German accent): "It is better."

Lew, looking at the newest 911, I could immediately see the difference in proportions. Wheelbase lengthened about 100mm, all in back. About time. Very close to Boxster/Cayman dimensions. Far less overhang. Getting closer to mid-engine than rear. But I think the best bargain now might be a Cayman GT4, half the price of a 911 GT3, not half the performance.

For a much lower cost plaything, look for a used Boxster that has had the intermediate shaft service.

[Lew Barrett]

Cayman S has been a consideration on and off, Bob. Don't see the GT4 in my future, not many of those around and still pretty new.

[Gerarddm]

^ Ex-girlfriend has a Cayman. Pretty nice automobile, by golly.

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

I think the Cayman has elegance, something lacking in most of the boy-racer trend. Lew, what about the Toyota 86 twins? I haven't driven one but read good things, similar things that were said about the Miata when it came out; not the most powerful, but really fun to drive.

I remember a Car Talk episode, a guy called in, he had won a used Boxster in a raffle, and was wondering whether to keep it or sell it. And they first went over the costs of keeping such a car, and advocated selling it. But then Ray said that he might also want to consider keeping it, and the guy asked why, and Ray said, "Uh... because it might change your life."

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

Timing belt - no? Around here the going price is about $900 - only a 100 or 2 more than the V6 & maybe 250 more than the 2.0 4 cyl..

The big issue for me would be the gas mileage. What's it get? 15 on a good day going downhill @ 55? I had a 3.0 A4 sedan that wouldn't break 20MPG @ 65. Pitiful in this day & age.

No. The previous V8 had belts. That V8 went to chains, I don't think to improve maintenance costs, but because they needed to shorten the engine to shoehorn it into the A4 chassis. BUT (and there's always a but with Audi), they put the chains on the BACK OF THE BLOCK. Saves even more length, and hey, they're chains, they're not going to need service, right? Yeah. They do. Usually after the warranty, before 100k miles. Starts with a rattling sound. Engine out service. Parts and labor $8000. EIGHT GRAND. Might be done cheaper if done earlier and you can replace the chain tensioners without pulling the engine, not sure. There's a whole article about this on Jalopnik, how the author pined for a Nogaro Blue S4 Avant with a stick, found one and was going to dive in, and then he learned about this, and dodged a bullet. Really too bad, because they go typically with 100-150k miles for $10k, that one with 50k is going for $19k, but that's for a German rocket-wagon with AWD and hot-and-cold-running everything, leather, heated seats, you name it. But, like S8s going cheap just before or after warranty, there's a reason for that.

And yeah, I heard that V8 was thirsty in the A8 and S8, but I don't drive that much. I would never get a A4 wagon, read about all kinds of problems on the turbo-4, plus other typical Audi things like switchgear. But lacking the timing chain issue, I might be tempted on the V8. They don't put the V8 in the S4 any more, probably never will again. To me, an S4-V8 is the German equivalent of an Hemi Dart. But handles better.

[Jimmy W]

2016 Callaway Corvette Aerowagen

[Garret]

No. The previous V8 had belts. That V8 went to chains, I don't think to improve maintenance costs, but because they needed to shorten the engine to shoehorn it into the A4 chassis. BUT (and there's always a but with Audi), they put the chains on the BACK OF THE BLOCK. Saves even more length, and hey, they're chains, they're not going to need service, right? Yeah. They do. Usually after the warranty, before 100k miles. Starts with a rattling sound. Engine out service. Parts and labor $8000. EIGHT GRAND. Might be done cheaper if done earlier and you can replace the chain tensioners without pulling the engine, not sure. There's a whole article about this on Jalopnik, how the author pined for a Nogaro Blue S4 Avant with a stick, found one and was going to dive in, and then he learned about this, and dodged a bullet. Really too bad, because they go typically with 100-150k miles for $10k, that one with 50k is going for $19k, but that's for a German rocket-wagon with AWD and hot-and-cold-running everything, leather, heated seats, you name it. But, like S8s going cheap just before or after warranty, there's a reason for that.

And yeah, I head that V8 was thirsty in the A8 and S8, but I don't drive that much. I would never get a A4 wagon, read about all kinds of problems on the turbo-4, plus other typical Audi things like switchgear. But lacking the timing chain issue, I might be tempted on the V8. They don't put the V8 in the S4 any more, probably never will again. To me, an S4-V8 is the German equivalent of an Hemi Dart. But handles better.

Ouch. The one you'd pictured was early enough to have a belt I thought.

Problems with the 2.0? Other than the 09-12 oil burning issue, they seem to go at least 150-200K without trouble.

[Stiletto]

[Bob (oh, THAT Bob)]

Ouch. The one you'd pictured was early enough to have a belt I thought.

Problems with the 2.0? Other than the 09-12 oil burning issue, they seem to go at least 150-200K without trouble.

If the V8 is in the S4 chassis, by definition it has to have chains. The belt-driven one won't fit. Oh and you should see the chain drive on that one. BAAAhahahaha! And once again, BACK of the block:





The 1.8T, I don't recall all the details, but oil burning is not a minor issue, Subaru just replaced a whole bunch of entire engines under recall due to oil burning, I heard bad rings. And to me, with regular oil changes and average use, an engine should go at LEAST 200k before starting to burn two quarts between changes; one in the middle and by the second quart drop, it's time to change the oil.