Making an Audi R8 Angrier

[Bodhii]

Easily the most beautiful R8 I have seen. And a supercharged 523HP V8. This is my perfect ride. Bravo Abt Sportsline!

The Audi R8 provides some of the finest raw material ever for a German tuner company to show off what its technicians really want to do for a living, so it's no surprise that the 2009 Audi R8 Abt Sportsline is destined to go down as one of the shining moments in premium tweaks from this German aftermarket operation. Sadly, we can't look forward to driving the supercharged Audi R8 Abt Sportsline in the U.S., as even the cosmetic and suspension tricks are hard to come by here...

The total Abt package here is priced at $48,000, and a large part of it is gobbled up by the crash-certified carbon-fiber aero bits all around. The front spoiler, rocker-sill side skirts, fender-mounted air intakes, fixed rear wing and rear aero diffuser are fabricated of pure carbon fiber...

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...cleId=133471#4

[Abt Power]

It does look great & it drives better than it looks. Abt now have Carbon wraps available for the R8 as well.

[Inrev]

Looks ricey. I don't like it one bit. Too busy.

[Bodhii]

Looks ricey. I don't like it one bit. Too busy.

I dont live in a large metro area. And I am often on race tracks. So I see these ABT R8 improvements as very REAL track performance modifications, and NOT as cheap add ons to add something superficial to a car's appearance.

I do understand that some youthful urban fads include adding ridiculous things to normal street cars. But because these other, more superficial "ricer" people do this, I don't let some fear of being seen as a "ricer", influence me as to what is important in real performance improvements. Any sports car with 500+ HP will NEED significant increases in downforce aeros, BOTH front and rear. And most track people know very well the increased difficulties that go with providing adequate cooling to a hi performance, mid-engine, motor.

Inrev, maybe increase your actual time participating with your local motorsport track, and you will gain a better appreciation as to the "form follows function" idea. I would hate to think that someone with good intelligence and responsible engineering facts, would be put off from improving their car's overall performance just because they are afraid of being seen as part of a smaller strange group of urban youths.

BTW.. Am I the only one who finds this term, "RICER", as a completely insulting and disparaging term? Sounds like one of those manipulative passive/aggressive power terms used so often by one of the USA's more irresponsible political parties in an effort to mind control the less educated people in the USA... eg.. 'patriotic', 'terrorist', 'REAL American', 'Moslem', 'redistribution of wealth'( ie. the payment ANY taxes), 'socialist'... etc

[swansailor]

What is a "ricer"? Never heard it before (I might be offended too if I knew what it meant ....I am pretty sure I am not one whatever it is!)

[desperado]

Hey, chill. Here's the etymology as I understand it:

"Rice-Rocket" originally referred to a Japanese motorcycle - which BTW had much more performance than, for example, a typical Harley of the day so it really wasn't a perjorative. Crotch-rocket is also a descriptive term for the same thing, which I like and use now that there are many makes of fast roadbikes from many countries.

So, I assume Ricer is a bastardization of the original term which refers to a car of Asian origin that has been performance-modified. If you feel the need to be more politically correct, you might like "tuner" as a more gentle and generic term. There is a whole street car performance tuning scene focused mostly on small affordable cars (by definition mostly asian origin, but also others such as VW Golf, etc). I see it as a dynamic, exciting and creative activity by people who share our enthusiasm for performance automobiles but can't necessarily afford an R8. Some of the cars get "over-modified" with all kinds of body kits, and their beauty (or otherwise) is definitely in the eye of the beholder. When he said 'ricer' I instantly knew he meant an over-kitted car but I saw it as descriptive, not as disrespectful.

Of course, it is your right to feel offended; I in turn am easily offended by the whole political-correctness scene, esp when enforced by the sensitivity police. (Should we refer to that classic American motorcycle as a Native-American..? I still prefer "Indian".) Everyone to their own...

Oh, and I think the car looks nice, too. Definitely different, but nice.

[Bodhii]

Thanx desperado. Good write up. I learned something. But I still see only a disparaging meaning with the "Ricer" word thing. Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt that the magazines who market to this automotive performance group, call themselves, "RICERS". Do you really wonder why?


New ABT R8 pic

[swansailor]

Hey, chill. Here's the etymology as I understand it:

"Rice-Rocket" originally referred to a Japanese motorcycle - which BTW had much more performance than, for example, a typical Harley of the day so it really wasn't a pejorative. Crotch-rocket is also a descriptive term for the same thing, which I like and use now that there are many makes of fast roadbikes from many countries.

So, I assume Ricer is a bastardization of the original term ........


Oh, and I think the car looks nice, too. Definitely different, but nice.

Desperado,

Thanks ... maybe I am a bit of a "ricer" after all

I checked out Wikipedia on this and their article does say it is a perjorative (but the article is disputed) ... anyway, I agree with you on political correctness and I quite like the look of it too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_burner

[Abt Power]

Urban dictionary to the rescue, for a full explination & examples.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ricer