DRIVEN BY STYLE

The connection between cars, couture and celebrity
continues as the 2008 models roll in

BY JAYME O'ROURKE

Bright lights, sleek curves, meticulous detailing, faster-is-better attitudes, limited editions with impossible waiting lists, celebrity hookups and astronomical price tags - is it any wonder that cars and fashion are so symbiotic? September is style's ultimate moment: fall fashion hits stores and boutiques and Fashion Week shows at the world's chicest capitals reveal the new "It" in everything for seasons ahead. Just a few weeks later, it's the engine-chrome-and-leather crowd's turn when luxury car companies unveil their much-coveted new models. These are two industries linked at the tailored hip. It's no big surprise that on occasion they even share the same runway.

Audi R8
Price: $109,000. Substance: The R8 is Audi's first-ever premium mid-engine sports car. Hand assembled by Quattro GmbH in Germany - where only 15 models a day are produced - the new model is a collaborative effort from Audi's years of experience in racing. Designed by the head of Volkswagen Group Design, Walter de'Silva, the R8's highlights include a lightweight aluminum chassis, high-revving 420-hp 4.2 V8 engine, race-inspired suspension, Quattro all-wheel drive system, and a low center of gravity, which can all go forth to from zero to 60 in an impressive 4.4 seconds. Style: Upgrade options include the convenience package, which contains a six-disc CD changer, hill holder assistance, Bluetooth phone technology, a HomeLink transceiver, auto-dimming rearview mirrors and parking sensors. For a total upgrade, though, buyers can opt for carbon sigma "sideblade" exterior styling panels, as well as a 465-watt, 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. Couture Connection: In recent years, Chanel devotees know that Karl Lagerfeld has added photographer to his prolific resume of visionary talents, and just recently the Audi powers-that-be tapped the designer to photograph the R8 in a whole new light, highlighting the sharp angles of the R8 as though they're being seen through a kaleidoscope. The photographs (which debuted at an exhibition at the Audi Forum in New York in May) appear in an art calendar entitled Kaleidoscopic Vision of a Car (available only to buyers of the R8) and feature model Brad Kroenig, the fashion industry's most in-demand male model, at the wheel of the car.

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