Audi Tradition presents “rarities” at the Techno Classica classic car exhibition

The Audi quattro Spyder with its mid-engine concept was a sensation when it was presented to the audience at the 1991 International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt. With its aluminum body, it weighed in at just 1,100 kilograms (2,425.1 lb). Speculation about production of the car in limited numbers brought Audi dealers thousands of advance orders. But the envisioned price of 100,000 German marks could not be met. It remained just a prototype. Just one month later, Audi went one further at the Tokyo Motor Show and exhibited the even more radical concept supercar Avus quattro. Its highly polished aluminum body offered another demonstration of consistent lightweight construction from Audi. The development engineers selected the mid-engine concept for the Avus as well, but this time with double the number of cylinders: for spectacular drive performance, they planned a 509 hp 12-cylinder engine in a “W” arrangement.

The Audi Group S, developed for rally racing, is largely unknown. This one-off car produced in Essen was intended for racing in 1987 but was never put to use. Audi decided to withdraw for safety reasons from the World Rally Championship during the 1986 season that was already underway. A serious accident at the 1986 Portugal Rally – which did not involve an Audi – ultimately prompted the international sport authority FIA to eliminate Group B and the planned Group S from championship racing for the 1987 season. The technical features of the exhibited prototype: tubular steel frame, plastic body and four-valve turbocharged mid-engine.

The oldest exhibit is a Slaby-Beringer built in 1924. This graceful car is equipped with a one-cylinder two-stroke engine from DKW. Also equipped with a DKW engine is the Framo TV 300 three-wheeler built in 1929. The displayed transport car with platform body features 7 hp power output. The DKW F 9 built in 1941, which can be viewed at the Audi booth, is a true rarity. The 28 hp three-cylinder two-stroke engine – a new development at the time – promised outstanding performance. The body was notable for its striking aerodynamic shape. The outbreak of war prevented it from being produced in large numbers. Only ten units were built.

Two motorcycles complete the display of rarities at Techno Classica. From 1928 on, DKW ORe 250 racing motorcycles were permanent fixtures on the winners lists and dominated their cubic capacity class. The bike exhibited in Essen was built in 1930. A unique specimen on two wheels from Audi? In fact, the prototype for a four-cylinder motorcycle with the water-cooled motor of the Audi 50 was produced by Audi Pre-Development – in absolute secrecy – in 1976. The Design department provided the prototype with a typical exterior for the time. Due to sales strategy considerations, the Audi Z02 motorcycle was never produced.

The historical department of AUDI AG is presenting its rarities in a space covering around 700 square meters (7,534.7 sq ft) in Hall 7. Fans and collectors of miniatures can also purchase this year’s model here from Audi Tradition: an orange Audi Sport quattro rally car, limited to 333 copies, in 1:43 scale. Members of the Audi Club International (ACI) will display additional classic cars from the company’s history in Hall 7.1.

Audi Motorsport Newsletter 10/2016

Audi at FIA WEC prologue in Le Castellet

Audi warmed up for the fifth FIA World Endurance Championship WEC season at the prologue in Le Castellet. Over the Easter weekend, the new Audi R18 encountered for the first time the LMP1 racecars produced by the other two automobile manufacturers. “This was however no show of strength in respect of the season opener at Silverstone in three weeks time,” said Dieter Gass, Deputy Head of Audi Sport. “We have made many excellent findings during this test, which we must now implement technically.” Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F) performed the test work on Friday and Saturday. After the end of the prologue, Lucas di Grassi/Loïc Duval/Oliver Jarvis (BR/F/GB) continue the test on Sunday and Monday on the high-speed circuit in Southern France.

Audi R8 LMS ultra wins at Silverstone

An Audi Sport customer racing team won the opening round of the Dunlop Endurance Championship in Great Britain. Tockwith Motorsport took victory with the Audi R8 LMS ultra at Silverstone. After 32 laps, Phil Hanson and Nigel Moore crossed the finish line with a 2 minute 10 second advantage and also set the fastest race lap. The stewards stopped the race early as the weather continued to deteriorate.

Busy schedule: Mattias Ekström presents private rallycross team for 2016

Audi driver Mattias Ekström will again participate in the FIA World Rallycross Championship title chase alongside his DTM commitment this year. With his privateer rallycross team EKS, the 37-year-old Swede will be on the grid himself in selected world championship rounds. Taking the wheel of the second Audi S1 EKS RX quattro of Team EKS for the first time this season will be the Finn Toomas Heikkinen.

Tom Kristensen attends Audi R8 Spyder world premiere

Audi Sport legend Tom Kristensen visited the New York International Auto Show. The nine-time Le Mans winner attended the world premiere of the new Audi R8 Spyder together with Stephan Winkelmann, Managing Director of quattro GmbH, and Scott Keogh, President of Audi of America. During the premiere, Kristensen also signed a painting of the Audi R8 and the R18 e-tron quattro from artist Bill Patterson.

New livery for the Audi R8 LMS

The Audi R8 LMS is starting to the new season sporting a fresh livery. In the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and at Spa, the GT3 race cars supported by Audi are going to compete in hues of silver, red and black. The conspicuous choice of colors and their geometric surfaces embodies Audi Sport’s new look and takes its cue from the livery of the Audi R18 LMP1 race car. A 28-degree angle defined by the red rhomb is the central design element. The rhomb on the roof emphasizes Audi Sport’s central position. The new silver hue creates more depth and underscores the raised power, red underscores sportiness while the mat-black areas visually reinforce the proportions.

Premiere with three race drivers

Audi Hong Kong extended an invitation on the occasion of the market launch of the new Audi R8 V10 coupé. 300 guests witnessed the presentation of the high-performance sports car and saw the Audi R8 LMS race car that is closely akin to it as well. Three race drivers accompanied the premiere: Edoardo Mortara from the DTM, and Marchy Lee and Alex Yoong from the Audi R8 LMS Cup welcomed the members of the media and other guests in Hong Kong.

Audi R8 LMS Cup announces calendar

The Audi R8 LMS Cup in Asia is about to enter its fifth season. Now, Audi’s first motorsport one-make cup has announced its calendar for the 2016 season. The twelve races will be held in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea and Taiwan.

21–22/05 Shanghai (CN), rounds 1 and 2
23–24/07 Chang (THA), rounds 3 and 4
13–14/08 Kuala Lumpur (MAL), rounds 5 and 6
24–25/09 Korea (ROK), rounds 7 and 8
15–16/10 Penbay (ROC), rounds 9 and 10
04–05/11 Shanghai (CN), rounds 11 and 12

Audi customer team with strong pairing in ADAC GT Masters

Audi customer team Aust Motorsport based in Rietberg, Germany, is entering the ADAC GT Masters with a promising driver duo. Audi factory driver Marco Bonanomi and the Swede Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky will be sharing an Audi R8 LMS in the racing series for GT3 sports cars. Åhlin-Kottulinsky competed in the Audi Sport TT Cup in 2015. Bonanomi will be assisting the young female driver with his experiences from LMP racing.

Audi R18 at Freeride Challenge in Italy

Audi is the official partner of the Freeride Challenge Punta Nera in the Dolomites. The spectators at the winter sport competition around Cortina d’Ampezzo were not only thrilled about the exciting competitions on snow, but also got a taste of motor racing. In parallel to the event, Audi displayed the R18 TDI with which the brand won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2012.

Audi R8 is the “2016 World Performance Car”

With a total of four awards, the Audi R8 is the most successful model in the history of the World Car Awards. The predecessor to the R8 had already taken home two World Performance Car awards and a World Car Design of the Year award in the prestigious competition. Now the second generation of the high-performance sports car from Audi was able to win over the international jury of 73 leading automotive journalists. This makes the Audi R8 a winner – on the road as well as on the racetrack.

“With its distinctive design, its driving dynamics and its closeness to racing, the R8 is one of the strongest calling cards for the four rings and is the flagship car from Audi Sport. The first generation of the R8 paved our way toward becoming a premium brand and raised the aura of Audi to a new level. The new R8 will continue this success story and further accelerate the growth strategy of Audi Sport,” said Dietmar Voggenreiter, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG.

The Audi R8 Coupé offers more performance than any other Audi production model. The V10 mid-engine and a newly developed quattro drive offer extraordinary driving performance. The top version, with 610 hp (449 kW), sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in just 3.2 seconds and its maximum speed is 330 km/h (205.1 mph).
A high-revving mid-engine, consistent lightweight construction concept and extremely dynamic suspension with quattro drive in addition to fully variable torque vectoring all make the R8 Coupé a truly exceptional car.

The genetics of the Audi R8 contain the know-how acquired from numerous wins by the brand in auto racing: the sport prototypes have won the 24 hours of Le Mans 13 times since 2000, and the R8 LMS contributed seven more overall victories in 24-hour races since 2009.

2005Audi A6World Car of the Year
2007Audi RS 4
Audi TT 
World Performance Car
World Car Design of the Year
2008Audi R8
Audi R8
World Performance Car
World Car Design of the Year
2010Audi R8 V10World Performance Car
2014Audi A3World Car of the Year
2016Audi R8World Performance Car


Fuel consumption of the models named above

Audi R8 Coupé

Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 12.3 – 11.4** (19.1 – 20.6 US mpg);

Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 287 – 272** (461.9 – 437.7 g/mi)

** Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions data are dependent on the choice of wheels and tires as well as on the combination of engine and gearbox.

“The best brands in all classes”: multiple victories for Audi

“Rated tops in quality from the small car to the luxury class, from convertibles to SUVs – this survey of readers confirms the high quality of our models yet again,” said Werner Zimmermann, Head of Quality Assurance at AUDI AG. “Audi stands for premium quality, perfect craftsmanship and high reliability. We work on this day in and day out, and this fantastic result proves we are doing it right.”

No other manufacturer racked up more wins than Audi. Audi is the most successful brand in the “Best brands in all classes” reader survey. In the “Quality” category, the brand won in the categories small car, compact car, midsize class, full-size class, luxury class, convertibles up to 50,000 euros, compact SUV and large SUV. In the full-size class, Audi also won first place in the “Design” category. 

New Audi R8 Spyder V10: debut at the New York International Auto Show

“With its spontaneous throttle response, quick revving-up and inimitable sound, the 5.2 FSI naturally aspirated engine in the new Audi R8 Spyder delivers undiluted emotion,” remarked Dr.-Ing. Stefan Knirsch, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development. “Compared to the R8 Coupé*, the engine sound in the open high-performance sports car now delivers an even more intense experience.”

Typically Audi: the lightweight cloth hood
The R8 Spyder has a lightweight cloth hood tapering into two fins. These stretch the cloth so that it, along with the large hood compartment cover, harmonizes perfectly with the athletic design of this high-performance sports car. An electro-hydraulic drive opens and closes the hood in 20 seconds up to a speed of 50 km/h (31.1 mph). The rear window, sunk into the bulkhead, can be retracted and extended. With all windows up, the air stream strokes the body with a minimum of turbulence.

Aluminum and carbon fiber components: the new Audi Space Frame
Dry, the two-seater weighs just 1,612 kilograms (3,553.9 lb). Its strong backbone is the newly developed Audi Space Frame (ASF) using the multi-material construction principle, made from aluminum and carbon fiber.

The aluminum components make up 79.6 percent of its weight. In a progression from the R8 Coupé, they form a lattice that Audi’s engineers have used to incorporate specific reinforcements especially into the sills, A-posts and windscreen frame. Innovative manufacturing methods lower the weight of individual components by up to ten percent. As a result, the highly rigid body weighs a mere 208 kilograms (458.6 lb), and its torsional rigidity has increased by over 50 percent compared with the previous model.

Strong motorsport DNA: the V10 power unit
The mighty mid-engine with dual injection system sets the tone in the new Audi R8 Spyder V10. The naturally aspirated 5.2-liter engine has a dynamic throttle response. Its roar – which can be optionally amplified by a sport exhaust system with gloss black tailpipe trims – is goosebump-inducing. 397 kW (540 hp) of power and 540 Nm (398.3 lb-ft) of torque at 6,500 rpm deliver phenomenal road performance: from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.6 seconds, and a top speed of 318 km/h (197.6 mph). Efficiency technologies such as the new freewheeling mode, where the R8 coasts with the engine decoupled, also promote fuel efficiency by ten percent compared with the predecessor model. The new R8 Spyder consumes 11.7 liters per 100 kilometers (20.1 US mpg), corresponding to 277 grams CO2 per kilometer (445.8 g/mile).

Stability and dynamics: quattro drive
Behind the V10 there is a seven-speed S tronic with lighting-fast action, which the driver controls electrically – by wire. The dual-clutch transmission directs forces to a newly designed quattro drive system with an electro-hydraulically activated multi-plate clutch at the front axle. The all-wheel clutch, watercooled for maximum performance, distributes the drive torques fully variably according to the driving situation – in extreme cases, up to 100 percent to the front or rear wheels. The intelligent control system is incorporated into the Audi drive select system, which offers four modes ranging from overtly dynamic to comfort-oriented. In conjunction with the optional R8 performance leather steering wheel, three more driving programs are available: dry, wet and snow. They make handling even more precise and stable, to match the specific conditions of the road being traveled.

Focus on the driver: the controls
The controls place the focus squarely on the driver, who can operate all important functions with the multifunction and satellite push-buttons without having to take their hands off the steering wheel or look away from the road. The large 12.3-inch, fully digital Audi virtual cockpit presents all information using rich 3D graphics – if desired, in a special performance view that includes driving dynamics information. The intuitively operated MMI navigation plus with MMI touch is standard, as are belt microphones. These make it even easier to use natural-language voice control and the phone. MMI search, which makes search suggestions after input of just the first few letters, offers a shortcut to the required information.

High bandwidth: infotainment and Audi connect
With the Audi smartphone interface, a new technology makes its entrance in the R8 Spyder. This makes it possible to display selected content from the smartphone directly in the Audi virtual cockpit. From the middle of this year, this option will also be available for the R8 Coupé. Audi phone box can also be supplied. It connects mobile phones to the car aerial and charges them inductively. Audi connect gets the R8 Spyder on the Internet via LTE and provides a wide range of services – from online media streaming to real-time traffic information. The Bang & Olufsen Sound System is another highlight: For the first time, Audi integrates two head restraint loudspeakers into each seat, for an excellent audio experience even when driving with the hood open.

No compromises: build quality and equipment
The build quality of the new R8 Spyder, which is extensively hand-built at a manufactory near Neckarsulm, is of the highest standard. The driver and passenger sit on sport seats or bucket seats with a more highly contoured seat shape, for superior lateral support. Over and above the extensive standard equipment, customers have almost unlimited scope to tailor both the interior and exterior to their individual preferences. Add-on body components such as the front spoiler, the diffuser and the new sideblades are also available in carbon. LED headlights with newly developed laser technology maximize visibility and range for the driver, bringing increased safety at night.

Fuel consumption of the models named above:

Audi R8 Spyder V10:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 11.7 (20.1 US mpg);
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 277 (445.8 g/mi)

Audi R8 Coupé V10:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 11.4 (20.6 US mpg);
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 272 (437.7 g/mi)

Audi R8 Coupé V10 plus:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 12.3 (19.1 US mpg);
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 287 (461.9 g/mi)