KEY POINTS:
It had to happen - Audi's first supercar, the R8, has been universally acclaimed. The company also makes some of the best turbo diesel engines around. Now, the two have come together in a concept car called the R8 V12 TDI.
The concept R8's 6.0-litre, 12-cylinder engine is
based on the powerplant used in the Q7 V12 TDI off-roader and makes an incredible 1000Nm of torque at 1750rpm.
It rockets to 100km/h in 4.2 seconds and can hit 300km/h.
But it's clean as well because the car already complies with proposed EU6 emission limits (expected to apply from 2014), and has common rail injection with piezo injectors and twin particulate filters.
The heart of the TDI's emissions system is a special catalytic converter downstream of the oxidising catalyst and the particulate filter. The second component is an additional tank containing an aqueous urea solution.
Small quantities of the solution, known as AdBlue, are injected into the exhaust system. The hot exhaust gases break the solution down to form ammonia, which splits the nitric oxides into inert nitrogen and water. The system remains effective for the service life of the vehicle.
The concept car is equipped with magnetic ride adaptive damping system, which swaps conventional damper fluid for a magnetorheological system containing minute magnetic particles that can be influenced by an electromagnetic field. It constantly monitors road conditions and driving style, and reacts accordingly.
A tailored version of Audi drive select, the adaptive dynamics system introduced recently in the new A4, also personalises the driving experience by allowing the driver to fine-tune the suspension and the parameters of the engine and transmission.
When the race setting is selected on a circuit, the interior instrument lighting changes from white to red and the onboard satellite navigation system displays navigation information relating to the specific circuit being driven, along with a lap timer. Information such as centrifugal force and boost pressure can also be accessed in this mode.
The R8 V12 TDI is more than just a flight of fancy. It's the perfect marketing tool for diesel technology, since Audi's Le Mans-winning R-series racing cars have all been TDI-powered. Expect to see a production version soon.