@wheelsaustralia 107
Twist and shout
Chopping the roof off a car
tends to have a catastrophic
effect on torsional rigidity,
often halving the original
figure. Even underfloor
cross-bracing is no substitute
for a roof when it comes to
stiffening up the chassis.
Audi’s R8 V10 coupe requires
40,000Nm of torque to
twist its chassis by one
degree. The Spyder? Just
19,500Nm will bend the
drop-top’s chassis by the
same amount. The Mercedes-
AMG is strengthened along
the sills, between the dash
and windscreen surround,
between soft top and fuel
tank and also cross-braced
behind the seats. No wonder
it feels so burly.THAT AWKWARD MOMENT
WHEN YOU REALISE
YOU COULD BE SITTING ON
THIS COW’S GRANDMOTHER