Audi to Show Race-Bred Le Mans Quattro Concept at Melbourne Motor Show

The Audi Le Mans quattro concept is the perfect combination of a high-performance sports car and a road-going vehicle with the genes of three-times Le Mans 24-Hour race winner, the Audi R8.

The unveiling of both the Le Mans quattro and Nuvolari quattro concepts next month is proof that lightening does indeed strike twice in the same place, according to Audi Australia’s managing director, Graham Hardy.

“We believe that Audi has achieved an absolute coup for this year’s Melbourne Motor Show with the Asia Pacific premiere of first, the Nuvolari quattro and now, the Le Mans quattro concept,” Hardy said.

“We have been talking about our ambitious plans in Australia for some time now, and while our consistent record sales growth speaks volumes about our commitment, nothing quite shouts determination to succeed like a clear display of leadership at a major event like the Melbourne Motor Show.”

The fascinating Le Mans quattro driving machine is a synthesis of the experience gained from numerous racing triumphs, allied to advanced design and Audi’s technical competence - which has in turn become synonymous with Audi’s technological leadership (“Vorsprung durch Technik”) on the racetrack and road alike.

The first glimpse of the car gives the observer a clear picture of its leadership qualities. With its Jet Blue paint finish the Audi Le Mans quattro has a wide stance and a bullish appearance on the road. Its powerful rear gives the appearance of a top athlete bracing its muscles in order to explode, like a sprinter, from the starting line. The car’s front end and the broad curve of the roof seem to have been drafted with a single stroke of the pen.

The vehicle is 1.90 metres wide but only 4.37 metres long and 1.25 metres high, clearly reflecting the proportions of a purist sports car.

A wheelbase of 2.65 metres accommodates a surprisingly spacious cockpit and the longitudinally installed V10 ‘biturbo’ engine with FSI direct fuel injection behind it. To the rear of the doors, between the sill and the roof, there is a large outward-curving intake that supplies the V10 engine, the brakes, the oil cooler and the charge-air intercooler with sufficient air.

The trapezoidal shape of the Audi single-frame grille is a distinctive feature of the front end, flanked on the right and left by additional large air inlets. Their upper ends are flush with the flat-strip LED headlights, which have clear-glass covers. The centre of the bonnet curves up above the line of the front wings, which spread out at the sides over the large round wheel arches typical of an Audi.

The cockpit architecture dominates the car’s interior and is oriented consistently to the driver’s needs. The driving position is integrated into the space between the instrument panel with its changeover display graphics and the centre console. However, the Audi Le Mans quattro offers generous interior space for both occupants - a quality feature that clearly distinguishes it from other high-performance sports cars. The impression of perfect functionality and ergonomics is combined with materials of visible high quality and craftsmanship.

An aluminium Audi Space Frame (ASF) forms the central structure of this concept study. The outer skin and add-on parts use a weight-saving mixed aluminium and carbon-fibre concept - thus satisfying the demand for utmost rigidity at a simultaneously low weight of 1530 kg, providing a foundation for top road dynamics.

This mid-engined two-seater is powered by a five-litre V10 ‘biturbo’ engine with FSI direct fuel injection, developing 449 kW at 6,800 rpm. Outstanding ‘free-revving’ and considerable ‘bite’ are typical features of this engine, with its seemingly inexhaustible power reserves even at very low engine speeds.

The maximum torque of 750 Nm is available at an engine speed as low as 1,750 rpm and remains constant over a broad engine speed range up to 5,800 rpm. A sequential-shift six-speed sports gearbox enables the driver to use this powerful torque in the appropriate doses.

As a matter of course, any Audi as powerful as this will have quattro permanent four-wheel drive, which distributes the power variably - based on a 40:60 ratio - to the front and rear axles, thus giving this mid-engined sports car its optimum road dynamics. The Audi Le Mans quattro accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds and to 200 km/h in 10.8 seconds.

Double wishbone suspension is used at the front and rear. Firm basic suspension settings have been chosen to ensure the most effective road dynamics. Nevertheless, the innovative Audi ‘magnetic ride’ shock absorbers ensure a remarkably high level of ride comfort.