Few could argue with Audi's choice of a location for yesterday evening's media event showcasing some of the German automaker's latest technologies. Pfaff Audi is among Canada's largest and most extravagant Audi
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| (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
dealerships. Located in Vaughan, Ontario, the dealership serves as a metal, concrete, and glass tribute to the brand's unarguable accomplishments and technological advancements. Some of Audi's leaders and key team members were on hand to help celebrate the event. Three new extreme performance models were on display to the public, while fans were able to get up close and personal with Audi Sport's R10 racecar, which is powered by a TDI diesel engine. Having evolved from a powerplant long known to be noisy, smelly and rough, the new R10 TDI runs lean and clean on Shell V-Power diesel fuel. But despite Audi's experience in diesel, building a race car engine proved no easy task. "The R10 TDI project is the biggest challenge ever to have been handed to Audi Sport," said Head of Audi Motorsport, Dr Wolfgang Ullrich.
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| (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
Drivers Frank Biela (Germany), Emanuele Pirro (Italy), Dindo Capello (Italy) and Allan McNish (Scotland) were on hand to field media questions about their new racecar which recently won the 24 hours of LeMans. The drivers indicated that the aggressive torque and lower-spinning revs characteristic of the diesel engine didn't pose any real challenges in terms of driveability, despite some getting used to. Says McNish: "I had the chance to drive the car in the rain. Instead of fighting the engine's powerful torque, I was able to use it to my advantage, or use it in a different way", referring to the ability to accelerate from a lower RPM in a higher gear to help maintain control on a wet track. Dindo Capello commented on the car's driveability in terms an average driver might understand. "The engine itself isn't so different from a normal diesel engine" he said. "It's quiet and smooth, really not that different from a road-car diesel engine." Commenting on the handling, he explains "the handling of the R10 compared to a road car is impossible to compare. There is no way to explain it, no comparison."
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| (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
The R10 can corner at speeds 100 kph faster than a high-performance road car thanks to its sophisticated suspension design and massive downforce, which some speculate would be sufficient to adhere the lightweight R10 to a tunnel ceiling at speeds over 160 kph. Power comes from a 5.5-litre V-12 which utilizes twin turbochargers to aid in generating over 650 horsepower and well over 800 lb-ft of torque. A five-speed transmission is used in place of a more traditional six-speed gearbox.