It was a fairly easy process – this being a concept car there’s no key, just a big red (sort of faded metallic red, almost dusky pink) starter button on the right hand spoke of the steering wheel. Press it once and it warms the coils whilst the needles do a sweep of the dials. Then hold it down for a second and the engine does something behind you. It doesn’t erupt, fire, explode, brum, chunter or even rattle into life, it sort of zizzes. At idle it’s making a thin, high-pitched whirring noise almost like an electronically synthesised imitation of what an engine might sound like. It seems a truly bizarre sound for a 6-litre V12 to be making, but cleverly it is also a very clean sound, which I’m sure is music to the ears of the boys and girls marketing diesel as the future…
Some introductions are required. The chap sitting next to me in the pink shirt and two-week Miami tan is the splendidly named Thomas Kräuter, head of concept fabrication. This is his baby, his creation, so it must take the patience of a saint to sit next to a bunch of journalists from all over the globe as they ride his clutch. Then there’s Cara, the state trooper who will very kindly be shutting down sections of road for our photographs. She has a sidearm, so we’ll be very nice to her.
Next up, the car. This is the same one that was shown for the first time at the Detroit motor show in January but repainted from matt silver to this rather snazzy red. It’s the same one because it is the only one and therefore, if not priceless, very very expensive. The chassis is stock R8. The engine, however, is based on the race-winning V12 from the R10 Le Mans car and hence has all Audi’s diesel know-how contained within it.
Some introductions are required. The chap sitting next to me in the pink shirt and two-week Miami tan is the splendidly named Thomas Kräuter, head of concept fabrication. This is his baby, his creation, so it must take the patience of a saint to sit next to a bunch of journalists from all over the globe as they ride his clutch. Then there’s Cara, the state trooper who will very kindly be shutting down sections of road for our photographs. She has a sidearm, so we’ll be very nice to her.
Next up, the car. This is the same one that was shown for the first time at the Detroit motor show in January but repainted from matt silver to this rather snazzy red. It’s the same one because it is the only one and therefore, if not priceless, very very expensive. The chassis is stock R8. The engine, however, is based on the race-winning V12 from the R10 Le Mans car and hence has all Audi’s diesel know-how contained within it.
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