The Audi Sport racing program has won 11 of the last 13 grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance races. Celebrating a remarkable dynasty, the automaker from Ingolstadt is slated to unveil an extreme R18 inspired Le Mans road car.
According to Car and Driver, a source from inside Audi has spoken out, sharing some interesting details on the project, internally known as "Scorpion":
"It wouldn't make sense to use anything but the R18′s racing engine in the Scorpion," said the source.
The exotic R18 racing engine is a 3.7 liter V6 TDI engine with a front mid-mounted hybrid system. In race car form, the engine intakes are restricted. Performance specs are rated at more than 500 hp and 625 lb.-ft. of torque. That said, the automaker will likely crank up the power even more for the ultra-exclusive production car. Industry observers believe that the hyper-Audi will not be unveiled until 2017.
Despite wild success with its main line of mass production models, Audi research and development chief Wolfgang Dürheimer believes that a Le Mans road car can add luster to the brand in order to raise its profile and keep its motorsports efforts relevant.
Audi isn't the only marque to introduce a street legal Le Mans race car. Here are five racing icons you can have in your own driveway:
5. Ford GT
4. Mercedes Benz CLK GTR
3. Nissan R390 GT1
2. Ferrari 275 Speciale Competition
1. Porsche 962
