RS6 v M5 or 635 csi vs urq?

[Graham Thackrah]

Hi Carter,

> my GT does in 5th.  Those early 6's (like the early coupes) did not have a
> close ratio 5 speed, but rather a 5 speed derived originally for economy (in
> the 6's case, the original gearbox was out of the pre-E28 5 series).

5th is quoted as c. 29 mph / 1000 rpm for the 635!!

> To make a long story short, Audi's been playing catch-up in performance image
> to BMW for 23 years that I count.  Probably longer.  But it's going to take
> quite a lot to convince the public (who is very sure that BMW manufactures
> ultimate driving machines) that Audi is a viable performance option to BMW,
> and not just a stylistic equal.  And in America, it's pretty important to say
> "We've got the fastest production sedan available" if you want to convey
> performance image.  Mostly this is due to the fact that Americans are
> inherently stupid, and do very little overall research on all cars, but
> rather focus of the car that they initially want and then research it just
> enough to justify their purchace.

heh, that's what I do! You'd be amazed at how much BS I came out with to
my better half to justify my current 100 tq;)

hey... wait a moment.... what was that you were saying about stupidity?:)

> Because, as everyone knows, if you want maximum performance for around
> 50,000$, the last thing you would buy would be an M5 or an RS6 - you'd
> buy a Corvette ZO6.

or, paraphrasing Javad, buy a type 89 quattro and plonk an EFI turbo motor
in it, then take the c. 40k remaining and have the year off work;)

I think I was trying to make the same point, Audi has never been a match
for the ultimate BMWs, but thats never stopped them selling well before,
and probably never will do. Should they really take on BMW at what they do
best, or concentrate on Audi's own selling points <shrug>? It's a pity
they can't rely on the kudos of WRC success anymore, that helped define
their performance credentials a lot back then. Nowadays I suppose they
have to run the comparisons with BMW to achieve the same level of public
acceptance of their (different) capabilities? I don't think very much of
their Le Mans/ALMS success rubs off on their performance cars, not unless
they started selling road-going R8s anyway...

...not that I'm in the market for an RS6 for a while anyway!

Cheers,

Graham.