Beckham bends it and defects to Audi's new Q7

DAVID Beckham was handed a £70,000 car for free yesterday - days after hi-tech thieves stole his armour-plated BMW.

Beckham, 30, landed a posh Audi Q7 4x4 with £20,000 worth of extras - then took it for a spin on a race track.

Real Madrid's 23 star players each get an Audi every year as part of the club's sponsorship deal with the car manufacturer.

The England skipper opted for a 4.2FSI in phantom black with pearl-effect paintwork, black leather interior, car phone, flat screen television, Bose stereo, satellite navigation and a keyless entry and starting system.

Beckham then tested the 154mph motor on a specially built dirt-course in Madrid, driving French star Zinedine Zidane, 33, and Italian striker Antonio Cassano, 23, round the track - under the watchful eye of an instructor.

A Real Madrid source said: "It is a specially constructed track near our training ground, with ramps and plenty of steep descents to make it challenging.

"David insisted having a go at the wheel. Zidane and Cassano looked a bit nervous at first but David is a great driver and was 100 per cent in control the whole time."

Beckham's estimated fortune is £87million and earns £100,000 a week with the Spanish giants.

But he was loaned the Audi Q7 for the year for free - on condition he drives it every day to training.

An Audi source said: "Beckham asked for just about every extra possible on the car, bumping the price up by £20,000." L On Monday, it was reported that a gang of car thieves stole Beckham's £70,000 armoured BMW X5 while he was eating lunch with his sons.

The gang used hi-tech software to start the car's engine electronically in a car park.

Source: Daily Record UK

Audiose - 4/28/2006 12:12:45 AM

+1 Boost

Did you notice the part of this story where the new Audi 4.2 V8 engine will propel an SUV to 154 MPH.

Now I wonder what that same engine will do in the new 2007 A6 with much better aerodynamics and gearing.

A lot of people are going to be watching four rings disappear out of site in front of their Mercedes, BMW, or Lexus. And all with a 4.2 liter engine when BMW and Merc are using 5.5 liter engines.

So, who has the best engineering?