Germans to build Le Mans

Newswheel staff :: 10 May 2005 :: Filed under Mid / rear engine sportscar, Audi, Audi Le Mans, Europe & UK, US,

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Mid-engine sportster is go

We’re no fans of Audi’s decision to ditch masterly understatement in favour of the gormless grilles and fussy detailing the firm is currently foisting upon it’s entire range. But forget that, because British mag Autocar is reporting that the painfully desirable Le Mans mid-engine concept car has been given he green light for production.

Due out at the fag end of 2006, it’s been confirmed the production car’s styling will mirror the concept shown here while apparently being more sporty (than a mid-engine sports car?). Whatever, while there’s no official word on the powerplant Audi will plump for, the chief suspects are the recently unsheathed 4.2-litre FSI V8 which packs 414bhp in the RS4 or the 444bhp W12 as found in a host of VW Group barges (think Bentley Continental GT and VWs Phaeton and Touareg) . Of course, the original concept sported a twin turbo V10 derived from the Lamborghini Gallardo’s mill. Mercifully, sanity has prevailed – the firm’s Ingolstadt management has clearly decided there’s enough internal competition at VW.

911 territory

With that in mind, prices are expected to kick off at as little as £60,000 in the UK. That’s Porsche 911 money. In the US, therefore, the Le Mans might be yours for a sickeningly reasonable $70,000.

 The only question mark involves Audi’s ability to turn out a truly compelling driver’s car. And a key factor could be kerb weight – it’s saying something that Audi reckons a 1,500kg total is something to show off about on the latest iteration of the diminutive TT. Back in the early 90s, the German outfit cruelly tempted sports car fans with the beautiful Quattro Syder. Courtesy of an all-aluminium space frame, that car tipped the scales at a feather-weight 1,100kg. Tantalisingly, the Le Mans is also an aluminium space frame design. If Audi gets anywhere near the Spyder’s 1,100kg mass the Le Mans will turn a few stomachs at Porsche HQ in Stuttgart. Which in a round about way is great news. The latest 997 variant of the 911 is undoubtedly a fabulous machine. But probably thanks to a total dearth of quality opposition, aesthetically it’s thoroughly stale. Here’s hoping the Le Mans is not only a great car in its own right, but also shoves a bat up Porsche’s nightdress.

 
Shown in '91, the Spyder remains fresh today.

Linkage:
Autocar story