Audi R18

Grim.

Audi have unveiled their new Le Mans contender the R18

http://www.quattroworld.com/audi-motorsports/audi-r18-le-mans-prototype-unveiled/

looks awesome imo

Frank Bullitt

What a car.

ShamoBuc

savage looking beast

AugustusMinimus

I find it quite ugly.

A few notes.

1. They cockpit surround is very steep. Looks like the engineers are trying to force air around it rather than over it.
2. Audi will be running the same width tyres on the front as on the back due to a rule change by the ACO. The front wheel covers are massive.
3. That stabilising fin mandated by the ACO looks terrible.


Very ugly, especially compared to the Audi R8C from 1999.

Jordan 199

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

I find it quite ugly.

3. That stabilising fin mandated by the ACO looks terrible.

I agree with what you say about the fin, it not only looks ugly on the R18, it looks awful on the Peugeot 908 aswell. Down with it!

AugustusMinimus

Jordan 191 wrote: »

I agree with what you say about the fin, it not only looks ugly on the R18, it looks awful on the Peugeot 908 aswell. Down with it!

I just can't wait to see the new Aston Martin that Lola are building. They have strangely opted for an open cockpit design, even after Audi quickly realising that the open cockpit designs just aren't past enough anymore.

Open cockpit and a stabilising fin is going to make for one ugly car.

amacachi

Pity about the closed cockpit, must've run a few hundred hours with an open cockpit Audi in Forza 2. :pac: Serious deja vu happening typing thing, proper drunk. :pac:
But yeah, I wish people would stop posting about Le Mans because I'll end up going on my own if they don't shut up. :pac:

Jordan 199

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

I just can't wait to see the new Aston Martin that Lola are building. They have strangely opted for an open cockpit design, even after Audi quickly realising that the open cockpit designs just aren't past enough anymore.

Open cockpit and a stabilising fin is going to make for one ugly car.

There was an artists impression of how the Aston Martin will look without the roof a number of months back in Autosport and even though it was a only a drawing, it looked awful.

I'm begining to wonder will they go back to having a car with a roof now that Audi have chosen to go that route.

Kxiii

Now we know what Batman goes racing in.

AugustusMinimus

Jordan 191 wrote: »

There was an artists impression of how the Aston Martin will look without the roof a number of months back in Autosport and even though it was a only a drawing, it looked awful.

I'm begining to wonder will they go back to having a car with a roof now that Audi have chosen to go that route.

I doubt they'll have enough time to redesign the car. IIRC, the whole crash structure around the top of the car would be different. Roll over bar and all.

The only advantage in running an open top is in quicker driver changes. A closed top car is simply faster due to much better aerodynamics.

This wasn't always the way though. Up till a few years ago, closed top cars had to run restrictor plates on the engines and had to run with narrower tyres in an effort to promote the open top cars. The ACO seem to have done an about turn and are focusing on the closed tops now. It wasn't long ago that suggestions were flying around about banning open tops in LMP1 altogether.

PJTierney

Nothing beats this for looks:

AugustusMinimus

PJTierney wrote: »

Nothing beats this for looks:

The aerodynamics are far too fussy for my liking.

I'd take either the Mazda 787 or the Porsche GT1 98 over it.

TheChrisD

PJTierney wrote: »

Nothing beats this for looks:

*snip*

Except for all that PlayStation and GT5 shíte splattered across it...

PJTierney

TheChrisD wrote: »

Except for all that PlayStation and GT5 shíte splattered across it...

Yeah, as it was Forza 3 that made the car famous among the gaming community

timt

+1 on the Porsche 911 GT1 '98

Went to Germany to see it, Unbelievable car

AugustusMinimus

timt wrote: »

+1 on the Porsche 911 GT1 '98

Went to Germany to see it, Unbelievable car

In my mind, the most elegant Prototype car that LeMans had seen for years.

You have to go back to maybe the GT40 for a better looking car.

frostie500

LIGHTNING wrote: »

For me it has to be the 962 in the Rothmans livery.

Would I be correct in saying that you took that picture at the Le Mans museum? There are some unreal cars there, look around any corner and there's one that you could make an argument for being the most beautiful car ever!

AugustusMinimus

Must say the livery which I thought worked best with the 962 was the Shell livery from 1994.



Sadly for 94, Dauer had to run the 962 in a mangeled form with a flat bottom and a restrictor on the engine. Still won LeMans though

SouperComputer

not so much looks but Mazda's rotary gives me the jitters....

Grim.

anyone else hearing rumors of redbull entering lmp1 in 2013? have seen it mentioned a couple of times on twitter but nothing else

AugustusMinimus

Grim. wrote: »

anyone else hearing rumors of redbull entering lmp1 in 2013? have seen it mentioned a couple of times on twitter but nothing else

Haven't heard anything although it would make sense. As it stands, F1 budgets are being cut. Why not plough the excess of the team budget which is unuseable into an LMP1 project.

It wouldn't even cost that much. One problem though. Unless the ACO try to further level off the performance of petrol and diesel engines, it might force RBR to go out and try to get a diesel engine. I seriously doubt Audi or Peugeot would be willing to supply them.


Here's two speculations on what the painted R18 will look like.






Would prefer no 2.

timt

I'd prefer No.2 as well, More flowing and contrasting

''

For me it has to be the 962 in the Rothmans livery.

That was taken in the Porsche Museum in Stutgart if im not mistaken