Skip to main content

1,200 HP Electric A3 Beats 911 GT2 RS… In Reverse

Remember last week when we shared a video of a 1,200 hp A3 beating a Lamborghini Huracan and a Porsche 911 GT2 RS in a drag race? Well, it turns out it’s not just good at accelerating going forward.

It’s a popular refrain from automakers, that since EVs don’t really need gears, they can conceivably hit their top speed in reverse. Whereas in gas-powered cars, whose reverse gear tends to be even lower than first gear, EVs just make the prop shaft go in the opposite direction. Meaning that any speed it can hit going forward, it could conceivably hit in reverse.

Now, there are a few limitations. Cars tend not to be as aerodynamic going backward (a few alleged exceptions notwithstanding) so that could hamper the top speed. The biggest limitation, though, tends to be that running in reverse at high speeds is super dangerous.

With the wheels that do the steering now at the back, even the smallest corrections can send you veering off course and can start a fish-tailing disaster of a situation. It’s also best practices to look where you’re going when driving at speeds, something made not a little bit harder when you’re backing up.

So don’t expect to be able to do this with your e-tron, because Audi will limit its reverse speed.

But if you’re a race car driver whose team is partners with a company that made a high-power A3 for seemingly no other reason than capturing silly stunts on camera, that just about qualifies you to have the reverse limiters lifted.

And, indeed, Daniel Abt is just such a person and has set a reverse driving record at 130 mph in the 4ePerformance. Proving that both he and the 4ePerformance are quick in any direction.

Just a quick warning, Abt’s language gets a little blue near the end of the video, so maybe be careful around sensitive ears.

The post 1,200 HP Electric A3 Beats 911 GT2 RS… In Reverse appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex https://ift.tt/2IOV1ON
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Project SportWagen: Going Stage 2 with APR

    When we last left you, the humble little SportWagen was fresh from the development process with our friends at AWE Tuning, sporting a new downpipe, exhaust and intake, allowing things to breathe a bit easier.  The car sounded great, but there was no getting around the fact that our wagon was still quite, well, slow.   While we realize that nothing we do to the Golf SportWagen at this point will make it a race car, we still felt compelled to do something .  To put it bluntly, we had a fever, and the only cure was more power. Flash forward a few hours, and we found ourselves at Waterfest, staring down APR’s palatial spread and the numerous tuned vehicles surrounding it.  Earlier in the year, APR had hinted to us that their 1.8 TSI files would be quite impressive, and based on what they were able to do with the 2.0 TSI found in the new GTI and our time in their Golf R, we knew it’d be worth the wait.  So with this in mind, we lined our G...
Post a Comment
Read more

Watch: The Zerouno Cruis’n USA

ItalDesign is drumming up excitement for its new supercar based around the same 5.2-liter Audi V10 that powers the R8. Naturally, it hit the road for a cruise around California last week to celebrate Monterey Car Week. There isn’t much in the way of V10 noise—which is a real shame given the sound it makes—but you do at least get a good look at the car inside and out in this video. With a body made entirely of carbon fiber and designed to be as aerodynamic and light as possible, ItalDesign figures that it will be good for a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds. “We put it our best skills into the production of the first car,” said Massimo Bovi, head of pre-series production, when the Zerouno was first unveiled in Geneva earlier this year. “Using some of the finest productions methods and engaging our high-skilled workers.” The car features clever aero tricks gleaned from single-seat racing, like a y-duct up front to improve downforce and turn-in. Available in a number of trim levels, the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Volkswagen Golf GTE Wins Top Honor at the 2015 Business Techies Awards

Golf GTE wins Green category in the 2015 BusinessCar Fleet Technology awards Judges praised the Golf GTE for its performance, ease of use and economy Golf GTE launched earlier this year with plug-in hybrid technology – priced from £33,755 204 PS performance combined with CO 2  emissions of just 39 g/km Volkswagen has added to its growing list of 2015 automotive industry accolades by winning the Green category in the annual BusinessCar Fleet Technology Awards – the Techies. The prestigious title was awarded to Volkswagen for the Golf GTE, an innovative plug-in hybrid that combines sporty dynamics with exceptional fuel economy and low CO 2  emissions. Now in their seventh year, the Techies are judged by both BusinessCar’s experienced editorial panel with help from TRL’s technology expert. The industry’s only technology-specific awards, the BusinessCar Techies reward the use of technology to make business car fleet operations easier, cheaper, cleaner, safer and more straig...
Post a Comment
Read more