Audi Sport Quattro concept Audi has confirmed that its superfast Frankfurt show car will be going into production as a standalone GT range. The concept car, built to celebrate the original Audi Quattro's 30th birthday, was an absolute monster in terms of potential power and performance, thanks to a 560PS V8 engine mated with a 110kw electric engine.
That meant it was capable of hitting 100kph in under four seconds and delivering a combined 700PS of power and 800Nm of torque.
However, that sort of hybrid power doesn't come cheap -- for proof just look at the only other cars offering that sort of package: the Porsche 918 Spyder, the McLaren P1 and the Ferrari La Ferrari.
So Audi is planning to offer a very slightly watered down version of the car as a serious GT car that will sit just below its R8 hypercar in terms of price tag and performance, but then also offer the car with smaller engines and different levels of trim to make it more appealing to more potential customers, and to lower production and development costs sufficiently to bring the car to market within the next two years.
In an interview this week with Top Gear, Audi's chief engineer, Ulrich Hackenberg, explained: "We used a powerful powertrain to position it [The Quattro]. But the potential is to have more volume. It needs a high investment so it makes sense to use other engines."
In the same interview, Hackenberg aslo confirmed that the company is planning to extend the TT range with a stripped back, superlight version of the sports coupé plus a ‘crossover' SUV style model, as well as that the company is once again developing an electrically powered hypercar now that battery technology and range issues have moved on.
Expect to see the Sport Quattro on the roads before 2017.
Source: Relaxnews