Chismillionaire Detroit Auto Show Report- Audi R8 V12 TDI

What's special about it?
Yes, that's TDI, as in "diesel." This R8 is powered by a diesel. Not just any diesel, but a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 diesel generating 500 horsepower. It's the same engine featured in the Audi Q7 V12 TDI, a 60-degree V12 that is somewhat related to the one that has powered Audi's R10 endurance racecar to two outright victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We're pretty sure that the R8 V12 TDI represents the first time a diesel V12 has been placed in a midengine all-wheel-drive two-seater. Feel free to correct us if we're wrong.

Raiding the corporate parts bin in order to create a showcar is not an unusual practice, but we believe that the R8 V12 TDI has more than bits of double-sided tape holding it together. The clues lie in the bodywork and the transmission.

Bespoke visual cues include larger front and side intakes, a deeper front spoiler and a new rear valance that artfully integrates four reshaped tailpipe tips and twin diffusers. Rocker-sill extensions are also new, as are the blistered fenders and movable rear wing. The NACA duct on the glass roof feeds intake air to two variable-geometry turbos, which generate a peak boost pressure of 38 psi. Inside the cockpit, aluminum and carbon fiber have been applied liberally.

It all smacks of window dressing for an off-the-rack R8 just for the sake of differentiation, but then you realize that the body add-ons are functional elements that generate real downforce. Concept cars don't go into the wind tunnel to determine how effective their aero bits are.

Considering that the R8 V12 TDI thumps out 738 pound-feet of torque from 1,750 to 3,000 rpm, the need to shift gears is probably an academic exercise. Nevertheless, Audi has fitted a six-speed manual gearbox to the R8 V12 TDI, which is one gear more than the R10 racecar has. You don't design new gearboxes for showcars, but we're surprised that Audi's dual-clutch automated manual hasn't been used here.

Larger brakes of the carbon-ceramic variety help keep a total of 44 pounds of unsprung mass out of the wheelwells and are said to last the life of the car. We're certain there's still not enough braking power to offset the weight increase incurred by dropping the iron-block V12 diesel engine in place of the R8's featherweight, all-aluminum V8, though Audi is mum on the actual weight difference. At just less than 27 inches long, the V12 is reasonably compact, however.

The R8 V12 TDI, like all modern diesels, produces few pollutants. It complies with Euro 6 emissions standards that take effect in 2014 thanks to the use of a 2,000-bar common-rail fuel system, piezo injectors, particulate filters in the exhaust and a urea injection system that keeps NOx emissions in check.