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[scotty]

Audi's latest Le Mans challenger, the R18, has been revealed as a coupe.

The car, which will replace the Le Mans-winning R15-plus, was unveiled at a launch in Ingolstadt tonight.

The R18 will be powered by a 3.7-litre six-cylinder turbodiesel and will soon begin an extensive testing programme.

Audi's motorsport chief Dr Wolfgang Ullrich confirmed that the latest Le Mans rules led to the switch to a closed car, following rival Peugeot's lead, after a decade of open Audi LMP designs.

"The rules mean you have to have a roof to be competitive," he said. "Driver changes are always easier with open cars, but the changes have taken that away.

"The smaller capacity engines [turobdiesels have been reduced from 5.5 to 3.7 litres] also make aerodynamic efficiency more important.

"It breaks my heart because I love the open cars, but the expectations we have of this car are very high and it looks great."

Although Audi did not rule out introducing hybrid technology in the future, Ullrich reaffirmed the firm's commitment to using a turbodiesel.

"We believe the TDI engines are the most efficient, so it was very clear that we would use them at Le Mans," he said.

Audi confirmed it will contest the Sebring 12 Hours with the R15-plus, ahead of the R18's debut at the Spa round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup in May. It will then be used at Le Mans, the Imola 6 Hours, Silverstone 6 Hours, Petit Le Mans, and China 6 Hours.

Pic:



Looks evil! Not quite as crazy as the 15 though...

edit - ok, found some more pics. I take back what i said, it actually just looks like the frigging Batmobile

[texasmr2]

The Batmobile was kinda sexy and the R18 is no different, imo of course.

[What's Burning?]

it's really difficult to tell from these pics but it looks as if they kept the embedded LED brake lights int he uprights of the rear wing. It was always easy to spot them in the dark with those.

[texasmr2]

"Right on schedule, Audi has pulled the sheets off its next-generation Le Mans prototype. As had been rumored before the unveil, the R18 has abandoned the open-top design of its forefathers – the R8, R10 and R15 Plus – for a closed canopy to improve aerodynamics and reduce driver fatigue. The company hasn't worked with a clamshell since 1999, and we're guessing is has more than a little to do with Peugeot's 2009 Le Mans win. That victory is the only wrinkle in the Audi's domination of the world's most difficult motorsports race, and it's no small coincidence that work on the R18 began in mid 2009.

The R18 gets its grunt from a 3.7-liter TDI V6 engine, and while Audi isn't saying exactly how much horsepower or torque the oil-burner produces, we have to guess that the figures are nothing to sneeze at. Behind the engine is a new six-speed transmission, though the innovations aren't simply chained to the drivetrain. Audi used a single-piece construction carbon fiber monocoque to keep weight down and increase stiffness, and those epic all-LED headlights are the first make their way to Le Mans.

While Audi is planning to campaign a total of three R18 racers at the 2011 Le Mans race this summer, the vehicle's first appearance will be at the six hours of Spa on April 24."

[Jabberwocky]

Looks like it has an F-duct as well

[The_Stig_Money]

Very cool, i allways wondered why they did not make it a hardtop?

Nice in black but would look amazing with a nice color scheme

[MattMK45]

I absolutley love it!

I'm not too much a fan of the fin like on most f1 cars these days, for me it just ruins the balance of the looks but obviously it's on there for a reason.
You're right it looks just like a modern day bat mobile.

[Jamie]

Monstrous

[What's Burning?]

I'm all pumped for this car... my Audi A4 has the identical wiper blades!

[texasmr2]

A quick shot of Audi testing the R18 at Sebring.

oneighturbo-Audi-R18-Sebring-James-Boone-012611-0001.jpg

[Jamie]

that is beautiful

[Gaz]