First Drive: Audi Le Mans Quattro Concept

See All 5 Photos

For a company not known for cranking out concept cars in huge numbers, Audi has been hard at it lately. Of the three excellent design studies served up by Ingolstadt last year, this elegant-yet-exotic mid-engine sports car was the most inspired--and something Audi could bring to market if it so desired. The Le Mans quattro (let's call it LMq) was first shown at last year's Frankfurt Auto Show in September and was so named to commemorate Audi's historic back-to-back-to-back victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. While the all-conquering R8 and this concept have nothing in common physically, the latter is also a pretty racy piece. The LMq went from first sketch to the glare of Frankfurt's spotlights in just 13 months. Its project leader was Bernhard Voll, and the design project manager was Ruediger Kiehn. The car was never far from the watchful eyes of Audi brand design chief Walter da Silva, studio head Gerd Pfefferle, and Audi CEO Dr. Martin Winterkorn.

See All 5 Photos

No fancy design explanation is required: This thing is flat gorgeous, not just in terms of its overall shapes and proportion, but in its beautiful detailing. It's easy for design statements to become overwrought, but the Audi team kept things simple when nothing more was needed. The LMq's most striking features, to our eyes, are the silver "blade" side panels, which add visual interest to the car's profile without chopping it in half. The engine is visible through a rear glass panel, a la Ferrari Modena, and the LED head and taillight clusters serve as jewelry. The Le Mans rides on an aluminum space frame, while aluminum and composites make up the bodywork. Those 20-inch Ronal alloy wheels wear custom Goodyear Eagle F1 radials.

See All 5 Photos

At 172.0 inches long and 74.8 inches wide, the LMq covers about the same spot of ground as a Lamborghini Gallardo. Hmm. When Audi first unveiled the car, everyone assumed it was a reskinned Gallardo, easy pickings as Lamborghini falls under the Audi Group on VW's worldwide org chart. "Not so," notes Audi head of design management Martin Ertl. "There are common mechanical components here and there, such as the eGear-equipped six-speed transaxle, but this car was otherwise built from the ground up."

The issue gets murkier when discussing the twin-turbocharged, 602 horsepower (SAE), high-pressure fuel-injected, quad cam V-10. "The engine was developed for this project by Cosworth," says Ertl. "The bore and stroke are different from that of the Gallardo's V-10, even though the engines are the same displacement." No matter; it whirs and burbles as a proper exotic-car motor should, and anything around 600 horse is fine with us, regardless of the guts they used to get it. The LMq couldn't be called a quattro without all-wheel drive, this one proportioning power 60 percent to the rear, 40 percent front. Conventional doors open to a clean, tech-flavored cabin. The LMq's door panel, instrument panel, and center-console shapes encapsulate the driver, giving somewhat of a single-seater feel. There are few controls to master: The HVAC is managed by conventional knobs, entertainment and other functions by Audi's MMI central-controller system (similar to the A8's); and several buttons are mounted within the flat-bottomed steering wheel. While a large analog tach occupies the left portion of the instrument binnacle, the right portion is a digital display that can be reconfigured three different ways: a speedo and gauge cluster, MMI system readouts, or a nav display--but instead of the screen walking you to the nearest pizza joint, it coaches you through a lap at Le Mans.

See All 5 Photos

While our drive was unfortunately limited to a low-speed romp around a racetrack (talk about self-control), we were impressed by how real the Le Mans quattro is. It's not yet a prototype, but it's more developed than most concept cars. It rides on a legit suspension, and the hideaway rear spoiler is functional. The power windows even go up and down. The driving experience, assuming it were production-developed, would likely remind us of--sorry--a Gallardo. No bad thing that.

Will Audi build the Le Mans quattro, or something like it? "That's hard to say," notes Ertl. "But its purpose is to help us explore areas of the market we are currently not in." Audi would have to keep the power and price levels below those of the Gallardo and Modena, yet well north of the TT's to fit the car into the marketplace. But if an Audi exotic came out this tasty-looking, a small but discerning buyership likely would emerge.

See All 5 Photos