The V12 TDI is closely related to the engine in the Audi R10, the two-time Le Mans winner, and in the R8 it sees the supercar launch from 0-100km/h in just 4.2 seconds and enables a top speed of well over 300km/h.
Some of the new features of the engine include a narrower 60 degree cylinder bank angle and a new chain drive layout that includes the two newly developed high-pressure pumps for the common rail injection system. Production of the road-going versions of this engine, which recently debuted in the new Q7, is handled at Audi’s Györ plant in Hungary.
The racing engine in the R10, meanwhile, makes do with just 5.5L of displacement but delivers more than 650hp and takes the racer to speeds in excess of 330km/h.