Flat Chat Fever: Audi R18 e-tron quattro Longtail Testing Sounds Amazing [Video]
It used to be that racecar builders likeAlfa Romeo,PorscheandFerrariwould construct special low-drag “longtail” versions of their sport prototypes for high speed tracks likeLe Mans,DaytonaandMonza. But as those tracks were reconfigured to reduce vehicle speeds, the need for such extended-rump specials disappeared; the last one we can think of is theMcLaren F1 GTR Longtailof the late 1990s. This makes us sad.
However, the fact thatAudihas created a longtail version of itsR18 e-tron quattro diesel-electric hybrid(set to debut at this weekend’s6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps) has turned our frown upside down. And this video taken by Italian racing paparazzo 19Bozzy92 makes our smile even bigger. It showsAudi’s latestLMP racerblasting right past Monza’s tight first chicane and hauling the mail through the long, sweeping Curva Grande at a speed our cameraman estimates to be above 211 mph. And that sound? Just plain incredible! If we close our eyes we can almost picture that3.7L V6 turbodieselis wooshing its way through turn 1 at theIndianapolis Motor Speedwayin the back of aDallara DW12. Oh well, maybe it is in some parallel universe (maybe the one where we’re behind the wheel of it).
Source: YouTube