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Teutonic Engineering; American Bargain Price; Unclassifiable Beastliness The Audi Le Mans is a technological marvel rivaling the McLaren F1. At 1/8 the cost.
It looks ready to pounce even while standing still. The “cab-forward” design stoops in anticipation, waiting for one lucky driver (and perhaps a passenger) to press the electronic start button and be greeted by a V10, twin-turbocharged roar emanating from the mid-mounted engine. Audi heritage waxes poetic as soon as you approach the Le Mans quattro. In the sleek, slender shape – only 14.34 feet long and 4.10 feet high – lie traces of the long-gone 1991 Avus concept car. Peer at the one-piece roof that aerodynamically slopes down to set the boundary between the cockpit and the organic, muscular “haunches,” and the top of the TT comes to mind. Walk slightly to the fore, and you are greeted by an unmistakable front, accentuated by a series of air dams and curvaceous, LED-laced headlights, before the gentle upward slope begins. This portrait is vaguely reminiscent of the Le Mans-winning R8, but less edgy, far sleeker, and, arguably, more appealing.
Indeed, Audi’s venerable sports and racing car heritage permeates this concept automobile. But something else separates it from all other Audi’s that have made it into the company’s rich annals: this car is meant to be driven – and on the road, at that! Unlike the defunct Avus, it is meant to see the light of day – for a cool $150,000. Unlike the TT, it is a far more nuanced automobile, symbolizing the very latest in sports-car technology. Finally – and here is the big clincher – unlike its R8 counterpart, this tribute to the success of past and more recent Audi racing prowess is meant to be street-legal. The $150,000 is not only netted to grant you 70 years of Auto Union and Audi heritage, but a complete host of technological advancements that will make any science nerd’s mouth salivate.
The 5.0-liter V10 twin-turbocharged engine uses direct fuel injection (FSI in Audi-speak) is a direct descendant from Audi’s racing innovations. The electronically-controlled system is currently the zenith of fuel injection technology, calculated to waste less fuel and use up the fuel transmitted more efficiently. The turbochargers are exhaust-operated and increase boost by a whopping maximum of 29 psi. The intercoolers, situated above the engine, receive air through a side inlet and enjoy the benefit of a redundant water-cooling circuit. The staggering result is the 610 horsepower and 663 foot-pounds of torque that the engine can create. Even more impressive, the pull begins at virtually all points on the power-band, starting at 1750 rpm and ending at a reasonable 5800 rpm. This characteristic of the Le Mans gives with it an added boon of not having to switch gears before experiencing any semblance of an acceleration (as is the case in, say, a Honda S2000). 62.5 mph comes in a blistering 3.7 seconds, almost on par with the McLaren F1, and 125 mph arrives soon after, in 10.8 seconds. The purported top speed is in the range of 215 mph, 25 mph shy of the McLaren, yet on or above par when compared to the astronomically-priced Ferrari Enzo and significantly faster than either the Ford GT or the Porsche Carrera GT. Credit the Germans, however, for taking some of the fun out of demonic driving (and perhaps for knocking some sense into us Americans) and electronically governing the terminal velocity to 156 mph.
These figures make the Audi among the first real challengers to the superlative McLaren. In the spirit of Colin Chapman, let us recognize that a low weight is among the necessary prerequisites to meeting such a challenge. Audi began a hegemony of lightweight construction from aluminum more than a decade ago, and this car draws on all the discoveries the company has made since then. Carbon-fiber reinforced plastics are also used throughout. This gives the car a paltry 3374 pounds in curb weight, though the Le Mans is still significantly porkier than the McLaren. The sleek, windtunnel-tested and race-refined physique of the car only contribute to its ability to slip through high-turbulence air with little drama. The power is coupled through an emphatically elaborate transmission system, a smart one-up on Ferrari’s and Porsche’s paddle-shifting technologies. On the center-console, in Ferrari fashion, is a switch that allows the aforementioned lucky motorist to preselect between automatic, normal, and sport modes. Reverse gear is also accessed via the switch. An electro-hydraulic system enables the driver to operate the Audi sans a clutch pedal while still allowing him or her to use the sequential-shift six-speed gearbox. The Audi also gives the driver the latitude of choosing paddle-shifting capability instead. Only a proper runabout of this exalted automobile will determine how much time is saved by virtue of these tricks, but the prospects, as inferred, look delicious.
The prospect of commanding a turbine-like projectile with so much power and disproportionately frothy weight can indeed be quite alarming. But the advantages of operating such a projectile of Audi specifications soon begin to elucidate themselves. Over the course of its history, Audi has become synonymous with improvements in safety and driver security. Even in a mid-engine sportster, the 40-60 front-rear weight distribution is a good place to start (though, to some, may still seem a bit of handful). That is where the quattro all-wheel-drive system comes in. A computer can vary torque distribution between the front and rear axles on the fly, from a 20-80 to a 70-30 percent bias. The computer operates a sturdy Torsen C differential, one of the best in the business.
Of course, in adverse conditions, that may not be sufficient to keep the front end ahead of the back. To the driver’s rescue comes a rear spoiler, which much like in many Porsches, extends at 75 mph to provide extra downforce and does not slide back in until the Audi slows to 50 mph. A console-mounted button enables the driver to permanently engage the spoiler. (An interesting feature which that is a first in automobile-dom is the retraction of the spoiler when reverse is engaged, to better project the spoiler-mounted reverse-indicator LED’s). Aiding the maximization of grip are 20-inch wheels married to 255/30 tires in the front and 295/30 tires in the back. Incidentally, the wheel-retaining nut houses another freewheel so as to avoid the unthinkable – a separation of the wheel from the assembly at ultrahigh speeds. The car is held together by double wishbones in the front and rear. The upper rear wishbone is triangulated, and the lower counterpart is of trapezoidal form, which, Audi claims, “[proves] ideal for maximum steering precision and precisely defined self-steering effects in motor sport.” With Audi’s racing heritage, it should know.
Direct-action rack and pinion provides accurate feedback with power assistance that is computer-controlled to vary based on road surface, sure to feel natural whether traversing the Nürburingring or scuttling up the icy Alps. But the technical ingenuity of these features pale in comparison to the zenith of research applied to the area between the wheels and monocoque. The spring and shock absorber are vanguards for the “Audi magnetic ride,” borrowed from the A8 über-sedan. In such a system, the hydraulic shock absorber fluid found in some of the less distinguished automobiles is scrapped in favor of a magneto-rheological fluid, which depends on an applied magnetic field to vary its viscosity on the fly. The Le Mans features an elaborate electronic brain which activates an electromagnet that, in turn, varies the modulation of the shock absorber. Not a trace of the computer’s operation can be detected, as the shock settings fluidly change in the span of a scant few thousandths of a second. An additional switch allows the driver to elect a sportier setting, which consigns the shock absorber to a low-viscosity modality, or, alternately, a comfort mode. The spirit of innovation continues to the exterior, from a real air diffuser near the bottom of the automobile to a moisture-repellent windshield, to a full-LED headlight construction which features a swivel mechanism activated by a turn of the steering wheel. But, frankly, it is the exterior, with its deft amalgamation of technical accents with a sexy, curvaceous body that, I presume, will make us ham-fisted automotive journalists drool. To be exact, the front of the car is less interesting to peer at than the “schnozz” of a Ferrari Enzo or the multiple hood scoops of the Ford GT. At the same time, the simple, ever-so-slight upward curve of the front appears more functional and down-to-business, dare I even say more elegant? The more interesting silhouette is from the side, where the roof scoops down in a way akin to a TT roadster, but in a smoother, more sensual way. I cannot help seeing the outline of a Nissan Z roadster in the design. There are a few character lines and impressions in the side, but not an overwhelming amount. The rear continues the “form-over-function” motif with the prim spoiler, a simple array of taillamps (apparently, someone in the Audi design room decided against pushing the envelope a la headlights), and more air vents, punctuated by twin exhaust pipes neatly slotted in the middle. Granted, this is not the esteemed impression of a Ferrari or Lamborghini (perhaps, as Audi has less of a sports car heritage to go off), but it is built in the vein of a Porsche – simple, no-nonsense. What does it matter anyway if the car is meant to be a blur at high speeds? The clincher becomes the price – a bargain compared to the $652,000 premium of an Enzo and the $440,000 tag of a Carrera GT. The only stock supercar in this price ballpark is the Ford GT, at a $135,000. The Audi enjoys a huge advantage in top speed (at least once the governor is ridded of) and should be in the same range as the Ford in terms of acceleration figures (again, I will reserve evaluation until a road test). At this point, however, the question becomes academic. The Ford is raw, brutal, and wild, distinctly American. The Audi could be described by the same words, but in a true European fashion, it might take a bit of driving to discover the unfettered beast inside it (perhaps a quick, clutchless burnout should do the job). Audi has worked hard to temper all the powerful tendencies with a driver-oriented interior, something that was less of a priority on Ford’s agenda. If you are auspicious enough to have the money on you, I would fully recommend to at least give the Audi a chance. Contingent on whether this car will see showrooms, an opportunity to purchase something akin to the McLaren F1 in every driving characteristic at an eighth of the price is special indeed and will likely not repeat again soon. Buy it, and you will have a car that will hold its own against even the Ferrari 333SP Le Mans machine. And you can celebrate your trackside exploits by driving to the nearest Ralph’s and stocking up on wienerschnitzel that fits snugly into the front compartment. How many lifetimes do you have to live to experience this? © Copyright 2001 by YourSITE.com |
