AUDI R8 V12 TDI

Audi seems to be enjoying driving us all insane with anxiety. They've been hinting for months that they'll put their Le Mans conquering TDI V12 engine into the supercar of the moment, the R8. But hinting is one thing, confirmation is quite another. And so here we go again, for round two of psychological warfare with this, the R8 V12 TDI unveiled in Geneva. This is now the second R8 to be put on show with the same V12 that made motor sport history a couple of years ago, as Audi displayed a similar car at the Detroit Motor Show. Reception to that car was such that Audi has modified and decorated a second R8 with the same killer diesel. What's interesting with this one is that it definitely looks like a production car, with nothing unrealistic or 'showy' about it's appearance which couldn't be put into build. Not that it isn't fantastic to look at, anything but in fact. The V8 R8 makes a 911 look like a common Commodore. This red example, with it's tweaked carbon fibre body kit and sinister alloy wheels takes the R8 to Ferrari and Lamborghini levels of excitement, anticipation, and suggested motor sport pedigree.

The most important ingredient, of course, is that engine. Does 368KW sound special? Not particularly? Well how about 1000NM of torque? This engine could pull a fully laden bus and still be faster than any hoon's HSV. The sheer acceleration of this car will be absolutely extraordinary, and will surely be tailor made for GT production racing. Providing they adjust the chassis accordingly to host that torque then this will be one of the most desirable cars for a long long time. The R8 was destined for an engine like this, and for those petrol heads out there who still can't get their head around diesel power, then look at what Audi has been doing at Le Mans. Just about everyone, including their competitors, thought Audi were biting off more than they could chew when they announced they'd be moving their Le Mans cars to turbo-diesel power. Traditionalists thought they were stupid. So what happened? Audi walked the 24 hour race at their first diesel attempt, leaving their rivals looking pedestrian. Such was the dominance and power of their V12 turbo-Diesels that Peugeot (a maker synonymous with diesel engines) announced they'd return to Le Mans with their own diesel powered cars. In 2007, diesel powered cars dominated Le Mans.

The moral of the story? Like motor sport, ideologies and attitudes in the automotive industry are changing. These days, the majority of the market is now shifting to alternative technologies. Without that, the industry is unsustainable. The supercar market is more than ready for a diesel hero. Come on Audi, put us out of our misery and confirm what we already (almost) know!