Audi Concept Sports Car

2000 September: This mid-engined sports car is just a design concept from Audi; it is not (yet) a driveable car.

The vehicle would be very politically incorrect, probably being powered by the VW W16 engine that has been mooted for a possible future Bentley and Bugatti, the new study strongly resembling the latter, the Chiron. The engine recalls the W12 fitted to a VW show car.

Of course Audi has a distinguished history with 16-cylinder engines, having fitted them to pre-war Auto-Union racing cars; the nose and engine cover styling cues are taken from those machines. In this case traction would be through an Audi quattro permanent four-wheel drive system.

Since the rear view is obscured by the engine compartment, and because mirrors spoil aerodynamics, cameras are envisaged to show the driver what is going on in his or her wake.

Cars like this do not often get into production. One wonders if they are mainly publicity exercises, or if they are really to keep the designers and back-room boffins happy, trying to fit in extreme and novel engines, transmissions, instrument systems etc. - 4wd.sofcom.com/4WD.html