According to Wikipedia the priest-chronicler Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix described the city of New Orleans in 1721 as a place of a hundred wretched hovels in a malarious wet thicket of willows and dwarf palmettos, infested by serpents and alligators.
Yup. Sounds about right. And at this very moment they're all looking at an Audi R8 cruising Bourbon street...
Yo, not on the car, dude.
The tight confines of the French Quarter, which is thriving despite being under water a couple of years ago, would normally knock a mid-engine supercar off its rung. But not the R8. The same wonderful machine that got us here on 469 miles of mindless interstate, is just as wonderful on these heavily crowded, heavily potholed streets.
No it isn't a Lexus, but it's certainly comfortable. And compared to that Nissan GT-R I drove 2,000 miles a couple of months ago, it is a Lexus. Even the R tronic transmission, which we honestly didn't want, now makes all the sense in the world. We've been stuck behind a horse and buggy for ten blocks, but with the transmission in Auto mode, its been very easy to work my Blackberry while dodging the animal's sizable stool.
Although part throttle take off and upshifts still aren't as smooth as a conventional automatic, they're better than we've experienced in other cars with similar gearboxes. Hate to say it, but if your R8 is going to spend most of its time in the city R tronic just might be the way to go.
Now, what are these beads for?
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 7,510 miles
prndlol says:
06:14 PM, 06/17/08
I don't think any one car deserves four separate posts in one day, regardless of its cache, price, "it" factor or top speed.
stovt001 says:
06:56 PM, 06/17/08
Man I want this car.
By the way, this is a far more interesting car to devote the entire website to than the GT-R.
carlisimo says:
08:20 PM, 06/17/08
I think the multiple posts are great. You should keep a log as epic as the Korean guy who sold his possessions to come to the US, buy a 50cc Honda Ruckus, and ride across the length of the country. Except you can use hotels I guess, and go more than 25mph.
powell_jr says:
08:52 PM, 06/17/08
I think you guys should take the GT-R and the Audi to the Pig Trail in Arkansas. It is a drive unlike any other.
ewilfong says:
09:08 PM, 06/17/08
"I don't think any one car deserves four separate posts in one day"
Ignore that, Scott. Traveling cross-country in a car most of us will never even sit in demands frequent updates. So thank you for them. In fact, feel free to double your posts and the accompanying pictures. :)
drinkduff77 says:
09:32 PM, 06/17/08
+1, these are the most interesting blogs on IL in a long time.
sgude says:
05:01 AM, 06/18/08
I agree -- post away! My cross-country trips (from Camp Pendleton to Atlanta via 2001 GTI 1.8 turbo) averaged about 40 hours each way, but I saw a lot, got to know my car and most importantly, got to know myself! I love long-distance driving.
jaguar36 says:
05:24 AM, 06/18/08
Great posts, can't wait to hear more about the car, and your trip!
dougtheeng says:
05:59 AM, 06/18/08
"By the way, this is a far more interesting car to devote the entire website to than the GT-R."
Agreed.
Also, love the choice of sign to take the pic beside --> bottmeless AND topless lap dances at moderate prices? lol
technetium99 says:
06:42 AM, 06/18/08
>>>The tight confines of the French Quarter, which is thriving despite being under water a couple of years ago,
Nope, the French Quarter was never under water. It is on the highest hill near the water. The French built it there on purpose so that it wouldn't be under water when the yearly floods came.
ddsurace says:
06:46 AM, 06/18/08
Yours was probably one of the only R8s in town that day, at least the only one in that color. I haven't seen one in the flesh anywhere in SE Louisiana yet.
canadaphant says:
08:25 AM, 06/18/08
You were driving the amazing R8 through a party town, and you had to make yourselves look like nobs by using your blackberry while driving, huh?
gillygan1 says:
09:05 AM, 06/18/08
This is freakin' awesome!!!
henvog says:
10:21 AM, 06/18/08
You guys need to ditch Santa Monica and end the test at Laguna Seca! Please...
altimadude00 says:
10:44 AM, 06/18/08
The R8 just doesn't do anything for for me. The 308 stirred my soul with more passion than this teutonic tornado. It just doesn't register on my radar as a super car; maybe a hopped up TT.
carmizvi says:
11:19 AM, 06/18/08
Land of hosers and mounties...
Please tell me you weren't fingering your BlackBerry while driving. Even IF you were following a horse's behind, using handheld devices behind the wheel - especially one that requires you to read the screen - constitutes a pretty bad idea.
estreka says:
11:39 AM, 06/18/08
You guys need to drive through East Texas (Tyler, Nacogdoches, Lufkin area). The Piney Woods make for some incredible scenery and roads in that area are to die for. Plus I grew up in Nacogdoches. ;-)
langlebl says:
09:47 AM, 06/21/08
The grille and lights in the front remind me slightly of the 04-07 Chrysler Sebring. This is a pretty sharp car. Keep those posts coming!