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RS4 Rumors

Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2004 12:44 pm
by Matthewbaldry
Reading through all the rumors, I assume that the new RS4 engine would have been developed by Cosworth Technology, as the old one was. So sure they are more likely to have been testing engine mules at Wellingborough long before they get taken to Quattro Gmbh.

Does this make sense or not?

Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2004 7:56 pm
by Nordschleife
Cosworth Tech is for sale.
I doubt that CT has done much apart from some casting work. CT is a world leader is casting techniques, however they don't transfer very well to the rest of the group. Consequently the company has withered. Having listened to Germans and Brits talking about the RS4 engine development, I don't know how much credit should be attributed to Audi, CT or SMS.

Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2004 7:59 pm
by Riz_RS4
Forsale.. oh dear.... dont they still build the engines for the Aston`s?

Riz

Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 3:35 pm
by Matthewbaldry
Nordschleife wrote:Cosworth Tech is for sale.
Is it? I hadnt heard that, sure your not confusing it with Cosworth Racing, which is for sale following the withdrawal of the Jaguar F1 team :roll:

I started this post because I hadnt heard the name mentioned in refrence to the RS4, but with their big involvement with the old model, I assumed they must have something to do with the new one.

Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 6:26 pm
by Morpheous
Does Audi not own cosworth then??

Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:05 pm
by Nordschleife
VAG, through Audi bought Cosworth, then discovered it was Cosworth Technology, not Cosworth Racing. At the same time VW bought Rolls Royce and discovered that they did not have the rights to the name Rolls Royce, so now BMW builds Rolls Royces, VW builds Bentleys, Ford is selling Cosworth Racing and Audi is trying to get rid of Cosworth Technology because they have no use for it.
I can't say I'm surprised, its a complete cock up. Like Rover and almost all the other Ango-German joint ventures, they don't function very well.

Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:26 pm
by FrankC
Cosworth tech did a pretty good job with the RS4 b5 engine :wink:

Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 8:14 pm
by Matthewbaldry
Nordschleife wrote:VAG, through Audi bought Cosworth, then discovered it was Cosworth Technology, not Cosworth Racing. At the same time VW bought Rolls Royce and discovered that they did not have the rights to the name Rolls Royce, so now BMW builds Rolls Royces, VW builds Bentleys, Ford is selling Cosworth Racing and Audi is trying to get rid of Cosworth Technology because they have no use for it.
I can't say I'm surprised, its a complete cock up. Like Rover and almost all the other Ango-German joint ventures, they don't function very well.
I was under the impression that Audi bought the good bit, Cosworth Tech had all the expertiese, Cosworth Racing retained the name yes, but the Racing side had very limited appeal. As for having no use for Cosworth Tech, that surprises me, They are able to do relatively short run engine manufacture, which is perfect for specialised projects such as S & RS engines. Cosworth work in secrecy so they are able to provide their services to other manufacturers, this is why they build the Aston V12 engines.

Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 9:36 pm
by Nordschleife
I think most people are entirely mistaken in how much engine development CT has ever done for Audi, VAG or any other company since they were taken over. All the Brits WANT their RS4 engine to be 'by Cosworth', but that is a fine romance, and one of the reasons why putative trips by RS4 customers to see the Cosworth Technology RS4 engine production facility came to nothing.
Seriously, CT have very fine casting technology and cast the heads and block for the V10 engine that is used in the Gallardo and destined for other companies in VAG. That engine is built in Györ in Hungary where Audi has one of the most sophisticated engine building plants in the world.
Audi will lose serious money in flipping off CT, but they have no use for a company that has done next to nothing since it was acquired. I would put the blame mostly at Audi's door, although there were almost certainly a few poms who enjoyed taking the piss out of the huns along the way, foolishly as it turns out, huns don't do humour.
Perhaps the worst example of the failure of the sense of humour, by both sides, was Bentley's Le Mans victory, which came within a hair's breadth of failure and was only rescued by running two entirely separate teams, one Brit, one German, out of adjoining pit garages. Even the victorious drivers were releaved never to have to do 'that' again, and as far as management was concerned, the wrong car won, for those that don't remember it was the German car that took the checquered flag. I have never seen the guys so intense before or since, not their three consecutive Le Mans victories or the ALMS wins, this one was 'more important' than anything else they had ever done, chearful competent relaxed Germans were on a knife edge the entire time. At some stage the story will come out, but given today's journalists, not any time soon.

Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 9:40 pm
by Nordschleife
and where are all those Aston Martin engines being built now? Cologne, Germany, and who runs Aston Martin?

Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 9:47 pm
by Paul-RS
and who runs Aston Martin

FORD.

Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2004 10:20 pm
by Nordschleife
Ulrich Bez, who is from.......

Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2004 12:11 pm
by tanoga
Nordschleife wrote:Ulrich Bez, who is from.......
Switzerland?

Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2004 12:23 pm
by JohnW

Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2004 1:49 pm
by tanoga
That clears that up. Thanks John