quattroexperience

Latest

  • Audi goes arty, crafts A4 replica slot cars for 'quattro experience' installation (video)

    by 
    Joseph Volpe
    Joseph Volpe
    01.16.2013

    Audi and art? Those two worlds aren't ones we'd necessarily lump together. But the luxury car-maker's done just that, collaborating with Slot Mods USA to create the "quattro experience," an installation replete with remote controllable A4 replicas and a custom track. Let's be clear, though, this is no mere hobbyist recreation. As the accompanying mini-documentary shows, the team behind this project not only put great care into constructing the 20ft x 7ft custom track with the right bends, it also faithfully crafted the slot cars so as to mimic the Audi quattro's all wheel drive mechanic. So, how'd they do that? Through a combo of 3D printing, a four-wheel drive chassis and, most importantly, a calculated arrangement of traction magnets, the crew was able to get the cars up and running, and even outfitted with in-dash cams. And, in an appropriate modernist twist, there's an app for all of that -- a custom one designed by Audi that runs on the iPad and lets "drivers" steer via a POV feed and onscreen controls. Unfortunately, the whole shebang's only on display in Toronto for the time being. So, unless you're planning a trip to the Great White North anytime soon, the mini-doc after the break's about as close as you're going to get to the real thing.