Through the innovative V6 TDI engine for the Le Mans 24 Hours, motorsport is yet again performing pioneering work for the production arm at Audi where there is a growing trend towards smaller, more economical but yet powerful engines.
Another new development is the six-speed transmission in the Audi R18 which has been specifically modified for use with the smaller engine.
With regard to the chassis Audi Sport wants to live up to its promise, expressed in the brand's "Vorsprung durch Technik" tagline. Unlike those of the closed Le Mans prototypes, the carbon fiber monocoque of the
Audi R18 does not consist of two halves but features a single-component design. This saves weight and increases stiffness
For the development of the closed R18, engineers at Audi Sport were able to draw on the experiences gained in 1999 with the R8C and in 2003 with the LMP1 of the corporate "sister brand" Bentley that was victorious
at Le Mans. "Also the Audi A4 DTM, which for example, features a heated windshield, allowed us to shorten the development cycle with respect to the ventilation of the cockpit, the doors and the heating of the windshield," explains Dr. Martin Mühlmeier, Head of Engineering at Audi Sport.
The chassis and aerodynamics package contains a lot of know-how from the R8, the R10 TDI and the R15 TDI whereas the fitting of identically sized front and rear wheels is new to an Audi Le Mans sports car. This configuration allows a more balanced weight distribution.
The Audi R18's headlights, which are the first to completely consist of LEDs with optimized amount of light, are a technical highlight. The new generation of headlights was developed in close cooperation between Audi Sport and the Technical Development (TE) division of AUDI AG and by using at Le Mans, will be prepared for future use in production vehicles. Audi's light designers had the chance to make their mark on the
development as well: The LEDs of the daytime light form the shape of a "1" which is intended to inspire associations with Audi's historic brand logo
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