It can sometimes feel like Audi’s dominance of sportscar racing in the early part of this century doesn’t get quite the recognition it deserves. Porsche of course has the record for the most success at La Sarthe, and Audi is notably absent from the current Hypercar regs in any form, so its previous (considerable) success isn’t being discussed in a modern context. It really needs to be.
Back when budgets were far more generous and regulations freer, Audi wiped the floor with the opposition. From 2000 to 2014, the only times it didn’t win the Le Mans 24 Hours was when Peugeot took victory in 2009 and when Bentley tasted success in 2003. Bentley, you'll recall, being owned by Audi. There were back-to-back-to-back American Le Mans Series championships, European Le Mans Championships, WEC titles, world firsts, the introduction of the Laserlights that now blind you on the motorway… there really was little stopping Audi.
Its first diesel LMP car was the R10 TDI of 2006, and timing could hardly have been better; this was the moment of the performance diesel, just as fast as petrol but with massively better fuel consumption - perfect for an endurance race car. Arguably current attempts to capitalise on electrification with Formula E and Dakar haven’t quite chimed with an enthusiastic public like the mega diesels.
And they come little more mega than the R18 TDI ultra. It was the car for the 2011 season, a response to a rule change from the ACO that said large engines like the previous R15’s 5.5-litre V10 TDI (!) were a bit much. So the motor was downsized to a 3.7-litre V6, which would become hybridised for 2012 as well to make the first R18 e-tron. That also won Le Mans, of course. As Audi’s last non-hybrid LMP1 car, the R18 is both significant in that incredible history as well as intriguing to someone who might now want to own and race it: a big diesel is a lot easier to maintain, surely, when it’s free from batteries and motors.
Anyone who purchased this one would surely want to race it, eligible as the R18 now is for Masters Historic Racing. (Yes, 2011 qualifies for historic racing, and we’re all really old.) It’s chassis 107, the last of just eight works cars ever made and with only six left - two were biffed beyond repair at Le Mans. It’s been raced by all the Audi enduro heroes, including Allan McNish, Rinaldo Capello, Tom Kristensen, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer. Once its factory career was complete, chassis 107 was given to Lotterer, the man who put it on pole for the 2012 Sebring 12 Hours - the first ever World Endurance Championship race, featuring 64 cars. Now the R18 is for sale from a private owner.
Usually thanks to bad luck, this car didn’t achieve any notable wins, but the performance was undeniable. As well as that Sebring pole (a 2011 car competing in 2012, don’t forget), chassis 107 started on the front row at Silverstone and led. It also raced in additional North American events as well as China. This was no mere backup, or bit-part player - this is a works Audi from an unforgettable period in the brand’s motorsport history, with race pedigree.
So expect to pay accordingly. It’s not often that LMP1 cars come up for sale, let alone ones of such provenance. As well as competition, the R18 will likely be welcome at exhibition events, as this year’s Festival of Speed demo proved. Don’t be surprised if the next lucky custodian gets many more invitations to show off their spectacular Audi racing car. And just think how good the mpg will be.
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