It use to be fairly common that any sports car or any piece of serious metal followed a logical equation: huge engine, brake rotors the size of pizza pies and, most importantly, it was rear-wheel drive. Of course this meant there was a problem with all of this indulgent behavior. It was useless in the winter time if you lived anywhere snow fell.
That's all changed going into the 21st century. Now it seems that most high-performance machines looking to get the most traction have stuck to all-wheel drive setups. Take, for example, the Porsche 997 Turbo and Nissan GT-R.
When you use launch control in a 997 Turbo, you're basically planted in your seat until the driver lets off the accelerator.
Down below you'll note some of the latest videos on the web showing off the capabilities of new, high-performance vehicles in snow.
The first clip is an Audi R8 spot that uses its main clip from when Ezra Dyer reviewed the 5.2 V10 coupe, which follows.
The last clip is promotional material from Ferrari displaying the first all-wheel drive car they've produced.
You know if Ferrari is going all-wheel drive, there is a paradigm shift in the making.
According to tradition, supercars are for the flat. The track. The nice. And certainly not the biggest snowstorm in recent memory. That is, unless it has quattro and is an R8.
Ezra Dyer, a contributor to The Times, runs an important errand after a blizzard... in an Audi R8 sports car.
Completely integrated with the car's electronic dynamic control systems, the four-wheel drive technology delivers record levels of performance on all terrains and in all conditions via continuous and intelligent predictive torque distribution to all four wheels.
[Source: Audi, The New York Times, Your Car Press]
2011 Geneva Motor Show Photo Gallery
Lamborghini Showcase Photo Gallery
Audi Lightweight Tech Showcase Photo Gallery
2011 Geneva Motor Show Preview Photo Gallery
2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe Photo Gallery