SPECIAL EARTH DAY DOUBLE ISSUE - AutoWeek

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thegreenissue IMPRESSIVE COMPRESSION DRIVING AUDI’S R8 DIESEL BY WES RAYNAL OKAY, SO IT WAS ONLY a couple of laps on an old airport runway (near the famed Sebring track in Florida) in a one-of-a-kind concept car that would get us fired or killed—or worse—if we wrecked it. But driving Audi’s V12 diesel R8 was a good indicator of what a future with diesel-powered supercars could be. That future looks bright. This is the same car we voted Most Fun at the Detroit auto show, over the BMW 1 Series convertible, the Dodge ZEO concept, the Hummer HX concept and the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. Then Audi painted the concept red for 50 AUTOWEEK APRIL 21, 2008 Geneva. The car was given a name, the R8 TDI Le Mans. All of this fueled speculation that the car is getting closer to production. The Audi is powered by a 6.0-liter V12 common-rail diesel, the first V12 diesel in a sports car. The engine cranks out 500 hp and an astonishing 737 lb-ft of torque, the latter figure more than double that offered by the standard, gasolinefueled R8—and it all comes between 1750 and 3000 rpm. Audi says the engine is based on the 5.5-liter, 650-hp powerplant used in its Le Mans-winning R10 racer. Audi also says its engine already fulfills the Euro 6 emissions standard likely to take effect in 2014. Even though this car is a concept, driving it was amazingly civilized— everything worked, nothing fell off, and, even in concept stage, it was all screwed together with Audi’s typical attention to detail. The first thing you notice is how different it sounds from inside the cockpit, like the inside of a small jet—air rushing into the engine bay from the enlarged side vents and the NACA scoop in the roof. We were told to keep it under 50 mph and that the concept car’s transmission was from an Audi A4; if the diesel R8 makes the leap to production, a new transmission will have to be developed.
Audi says there is a 50/50 chance that it will be built. The V12 powerplant is ready for production right now—it will be slipped into Audi’s Q7 SUV. To make the engine fit into the back of the R8, engineers had to move the firewall forward by six inches. All that’s missing to make the project a go is the new transmission, and with that whopping torque, bigger tires and brakes might be a swell idea, too. Audi estimates that a production version of this concept would get 25 mpg, while still making the run from 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds and having a top speed of 200 mph. We’re ready. c JIM FETS NATIONAL ARCHIVES BRITISH PIONEER DIESEL ENGINES HAVE POWERED RACE CARS SINCE THE 1930S BY BROOKS BRIERLEY THE RECENT PROMINENCE OF diesel-powered racing sports cars from Audi and Peugeot remind us that the list of oil-burning achievements is a long one. Diesel engines date back to the 19th century, but it took the Depression to spark real automotive interest. The streamlined car that British record setter George Eyston used in the mid-1930s— the AEC (for Associated Equipment Company) Fuel Oil Safety Special— is the most stunning-looking part of that history. In the spring of 1933, British motorsport craftsmen L.T. Delaney and Sons reworked a 135-inch-wheelbase Chrysler Imperial chassis into the first British diesel-powered race car. It was to be the fastest diesel in the world. Without racing modifications, the 8.9-liter, sixcylinder engine—with a 16:1 compression ratio producing 130 hp—was the same powerplant used in many London buses. Other specifications included a seven-bearing balanced crankshaft and Lockheed hydraulic brakes with 16-inch drums on disc wheels. Great fuel economy—about 22 mpg at 100 mph when an Alfa 158 might register 5 mpg—allowed for an undersized fuel tank. In contrast, the heavy (1414-pound) motor required extra-strong half-elliptic front springs. English coachbuilder Vanden Plas constructed the intriguing two-window sedan body, with surfaces of weight-saving matteblack fabric and an airplanelike four-piece windshield. Inside were pleated-leather seats and an artistic spray of bright-bezeled Jaeger instruments. Clip-on body details made the Special street-legal. It was equally adept at serious competition or a head-turning amble along Old Bond Street. The shallow parabolalike rear fenders were an enigma; when in place, they blocked opening the rear doors. In October 1933, the Special made its debut at Brooklands, setting diesel records for both the measured mile and the kilometer—first run counterclockwise, then clockwise. The best run was a 106.65-mph kilometer (clockwise), 3 mph faster than the existing record. English weather limited the day’s results—heavy rain made the concrete track so wet that the car’s racing tires had to be replaced with a nonskid set. A defective windshield wiper made things worse. However, the day proved the Special’s highspeed stability. Follow-up runs began in March 1934 at Montlhery, France. The Special now had tubular air intakes (resembling a machine-gun nest) on top of the hood, a much longer tapered tail and wire wheels on the front. Eyston improved his world record, to 115.41 mph, for both the measured mile and the kilometer. The Special’s triumphs were fleeting. Within the year, American drivers—first Dave Evans, then Wild Bill Cummings—retook the short-distance titles, raising the mile record to 125.065 and 137.195 mph, respectively. In February 1936, Eyston returned the Special to Montlhery for long-distance runs, setting a 24-hour diesel record of 94.99 mph (about 35 mph slower than the 2007 Le Mans winner). Despite the Special’s being eclipsed on the track, none of its successors or competitors was able to surpass its stylish passengercar approach to setting speed records. Some say the Special’s chassis survived World War II, but its current whereabouts are unknown. Today’s diesel speed record of 350.092 mph, by the “JCB Dieselmax” in August 2006, was set at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The Dieselmax inherited the Special’s flair for making the most of humble components: Its diesel can be found powering backhoe loaders. c APRIL 21, 2008 AUTOWEEK 51
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