The guys at Fourtitude have driven the Le Mans Prototype R8 V12. I officially hate them now. Here's the juicy bits:
Power delivery is something akin to what I’ve felt from the big W-12
twin turbo fitted in the Bentley Continental GT. It simply doesn’t feel
as fast as the R8 4.2, but the speedo says it is. Delivery is smoothly
brutal and that makes gauging pace hard to do. The low noise level,
save intake suckage, is another factor. It’s there but not snarling
like the R8 4.2.
I’m on to third and I want to keep on it, but my co-driver (read:
minder) starts motioning his hand down. Alas, I’m caught red-handed,
but it is what it is.
I’ve driven the Audi R8 V12 TDI and even wrung it out a bit. When I run
into Audi Sport team driver Allan McNish at the track, he mentions he
hasn’t been able to do more yet than sit in the car. Alas, while
talking to Allan that’s my only bragging right. He’s nabbed pole for
the 12 Hours and I think that’s trump. Oh yeah, he’s also got a couple
Le Mans wins under his belt.
As for the R8 V12 TDI, Audi executives refuse to be pinned down on
actual production of a car such as this. If they did, they’d have
instant credibility given their diesel wins in races like Sebring and
Le Mans. The current R8 is sold-out for months, with V-10 and open-top
variants already in the pipeline. It’s possible that an R8 V12 TDI
could be sold, or Audi could wait until the car’s successor -
presumably something with a longer wheelbase to accept this big engine.
For now, time will have to tell; Audi’s staff isn’t saying boo.
[ fourtitude.com ]
Comments