Audi R8 Le Mans Concept
Encyclopedia
The Audi R8 V12 TDI was unveiled as a diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...

d concept car based on the Audi R8 (road car)
Audi R8
Audi R8 can refer to*Audi R8 *Audi R8 *Audi R8R, a Le Mans prototype built by Audi for the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans*Audi R8C, a Le Mans prototype built by Audi for the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans...

, was presented at the 2008 North American International Auto Show
North American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...

 on 13 January, and the Geneva Motor Show in March. It was to use a 6.0 litre V12 engine
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....

, utilising Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....

's long-established Turbocharged Direct Injection
Turbocharged Direct Injection
TDI or Turbocharged Direct Injection is a design of turbodiesel engines, which feature turbocharging and cylinder-direct fuel injection, developed and produced by Volkswagen Group. These TDI engines are widely used in all mainstream Volkswagen Group marques of passenger cars and light commercial...

 (TDI) turbodiesel
Turbodiesel
Turbodiesel refers to any diesel engine with a turbocharger. Turbocharging is the norm rather than the exception in modern car and truck diesel engines...

 technology. This engine was rated 368 kW, and 1000 newton metres (738 ft·lbf) of torque. It uses Audi's quattro permanent four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...

 system, and is longitudinally
Longitudinal engine
In automotive engineering, a longitudinal engine is an internal combustion engine in which the crankshaft is oriented along the long axis of the vehicle, front to back....

 mid-engined
Mid-engine design
A mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine between the rear and front axles. Another term for this is mid-ship.-Benefits:The mid-engine layout is typically chosen for its relatively favorable weight distribution...

. It has a six-speed manual transmission
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...

. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62.1 ) in 4.2 seconds, and its top speed is 325 km/h (202 mph).
The R8 TDI Le Mans has modified suspension
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...

 settings and brake
Brake
A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....

s, to cope with the additional power and weight (300 kg (661.4 lb)), resulting from replacing the standard V8 engine with the V12 TDI. The V12 TDI requires more cooling than the standard R8, hence the NACA duct
NACA duct
A NACA duct also sometimes called a NACA scoop or NACA Inlet, is a common form of low-drag air inlet design, originally developed by the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics , the precursor to NASA, in 1945....

 in the roof to feed additional air in to the engine. The vents on the front and back of the car have also been increased by 20% in size. The headlights are all-LED. For its appearance at the Detroit Motor Show, Audi fitted 20 inch alloy wheels. The rear bulkhead
Bulkhead (partition)
A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and deckheads.-Etymology:...

 has been moved forward in order to accommodate the physically larger V12 engine, meaning it loses the space behind the rear seats usually found on the standard R8.

In May 2009, Audi decided to halt plans to produce the R8 TDI, citing "the cost of re-engineering the petrol R8 to accommodate the massive twin-turbo
Twin-turbo
Twin-turbo refers to a turbocharged engine, in which two turbochargers compress the intake charge. There are two commonly used twin turbo configurations: parallel twin-turbo and sequential twin-turbo...

charged diesel engine is simply too great – and that it would be unable to recoup its investment through sales alone".

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