source: Hypebeast.com

Amongst all the amazing rare cars that were auctioned off this past weekend by RM Sotheby’s Monterey, including the $19.8 Million USD 1994 McLaren F1 “LM-Specification,” one particular car drew an extreme amount of media attention. Unfortunately for the venerable auction house, this wasn’t the kind of press that engenders confidence amongst its millionaire bidders.

The one-of-three 1939 Porsche Type 64 — originally estimated to go for upwards of $20 million USD — was initially given an opening bid of $13 million USD. However, the auctioneer’s pronunciation of “13” was apparently misheard by the technical crew; thus, an opening bid of $30 million USD appeared on the bid counter on the rear wall. A flurry of confused bids followed, as the room of bewildered collectors began filming the ordeal. Eventually, the Type 64’s final price landed at the princely sum of $70 million USD, dwarfing the original estimate.

The New York Times explains that due to either technical errors or the auctioneer’s British accent, the bids that followed the opener were submitted in $10 million USD increments, instead of the comparatively reasonable $1 million USD increments. Whatever the case, the $70 million USD bid ( (over $20 million USD higher than the $48 million USD 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO auction) was quickly swapped for a high bid of $17 million USD, much to the befuddlement of the crowd.

A representative from RM Sotheby’s issued a statement, explaining, “as bidding opened on the Type 64, increments were mistakenly displayed on the screen, causing unfortunate confusion in the room. We take pride in conducting our world-class auctions with integrity and we take our responsibility to our clients very seriously.”

The updated Audi A4 range is due to go on sale soon, and pricing has appeared on some company car lists.

Although it hasn't been officially announced by the brand, an industry source confirmed to Autocar that the 2019 A4 will start from £30,725 in base Technik form with the 35 TFSI petrol engine. The 188bhp diesel is automatic-only and priced from £34,480.

Those figures represent an increase of around £1500 over the previous entry-level SE spec. However, technology and kit upgrades will help justify the list price increase, as will competitive leasing costs.

The non-RS range flagship at launch will be the newly diesel-powered S4. That's priced at £47,295 in standard trim, with higher-spec Black Edition and Vorsprung models also available.

In an attempt to keep pace with rivals such as the new BMW 3 Series, the compact executive saloon has received an exterior and interior revamp to bring it in line with Audi’s current design themes. The firm says the changes are more substantial than is usual for a facelift, and include a range of hybridised engines. 

OUR VERDICT

Audi A4

The Audi A4 zeroes in on efficiency, technology and quality - but is it enough to drive compact saloon buyers away from the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class?

Driven this week

The revised A4 will be available with three 2.0-litre turbo petrol engines featuring a 12-volt mild hybrid system and ranging from 148bhp to 241bhp, along with two diesels: a 188bhp 2.0-litre and a 241bhp 3.0-litre. A 12-volt mild hybrid 2.0-litre diesel unit, with 134bhp or 161bhp, will follow after the launch. 

The S4, a rival to the Mercedes-AMG C43, will be offered in Europe purely as a mild-hybrid diesel, with a 3.0-litre engine mated to a 48-volt integrated starter/motor for a total output of 342bhp and 516lb ft of torque. 

The S4 will be offered with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive, with sport suspension as standard and a sport differential and suspension with damper control available as options. 

The entry-level 35 TFI and 40 TDI will be offered after launch with a manual gearbox as standard. All other models will be automatic as standard. Seven and eight-speed ’boxes will be used, with a six-speed manual following as an option. Entry-level A4s will be front-wheel drive, with Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system available on higher-spec models. 

SOURCE: WWW.AUTOCAR.CO.UK

We’re now getting through the range of the fourth-generation Mercedes-Benz GLE (once known as M-Class), which brings us here to the most potent diesel-powered version you can buy. 

The GLE 400d uses a 2.9-litre straight-six turbodiesel producing 325bhp and a hefty 516lb ft. You can also get a lower-powered (268bhp) version of this engine in the 350d, plus an entry-level four-cylinder in the 300d with 242bhp. Whatever version you choose, power is sent to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic gearbox. 

Elsewhere, the 400d is much the same as we already know. This new GLE is longer, wider and lower than the car before it and comes with the option of seven seats for the first time. It’s also a technological tour-de-force, with a high-tech, high-quality interior and just one trim 'option': AMG Line. 

Yet the GLE’s real party piece that we were so impressed by on its international launch, the clever E-Active suspension – which integrates a development of the Airmatic air suspension with a 48-volt electrical system and camera to scan the road ahead and individually prime each wheel – remains absent from the UK options list and therefore our test car.

What we can marvel at on the GLE, though, is that engine. It’s a really lovely thing, with actual aural character. That’s so lacking in most petrol cars these days, let alone diesels that were never known for their bark, yet the growl from the under the bonnet as you explore the wide band of torque – which is delivered with some considerable shove – will raise a smile. It’s an engine willing to be revved, and one with acceleration that feels better than the official 0-62mph time of 7.6sec suggests.

The engine is ideally suited for towing, too, our GLE coming equipped with the £1150 Towing Package that boosts capacity to a mighty 3500kg. Real-world economy hovered around 30mpg on our mixed-roads test route, which is decent if not outstanding for a big, heavy car, yet the 85-litre fuel tank at least means infrequent fill-ups, thanks to a range of close to 600 miles. 

A great engine, then, but not a great car overall. While the primary ride is as about as comfortable as they come, the secondary ride really lets your backside know you’ve been over a bump or a scar in the road surface. It’s the biggest thing that lets the 400d’s mask slip from being a complete, well-rounded, luxurious and comfortable SUV.

The biggest thing, but not the only thing: it also exhibits too much roll around corners, with steering too remote to feel you’re hanging on and the car’s taking you around a corner rather than you guiding it around yourself if you display even the tiniest bit of enthusiasm.

This dynamic performance makes it all the telling that the lacking E-Active suspension is chiefly designed to counteract body lean, as well as iron out the ride by reading the road ahead, much like the previous version of the system – Magic Body Control – used on the S-Class. It’s too expensive an option for Mercedes UK to deem worth offering here, but it would be fascinating to see just how much it could transform the GLE.

source: www.autocar.co.uk