Audi’s ultimate Le Mans Prototype, the first ever Hybrid car to win at Le Mans
Chassis 420, 5th at Silverstone, 4th at Spa and 7th at Le Mans in 2015
One of a handful of privately owned Audi R18s
Eligible and highly competitive for the new Peter Auto Legends of Le Mans grid as well as Masters Endurance Legends.

The story of Audi in Endurance Racing is the prime example of absolute domination in sport. Out of the 17 starts the German motorsport team took at Le Mans from 1999 to 2016, they won the 24H race a staggering 13 times. The R18 e-tron Quattro is the ultimate Audi Le Mans machine, the last of the breed, the most technologically advanced and fastest of all.

Off the back of the experimental R8R and R8C models of 1999, Audi Sport introduced the now legendary R8 LMP in 2000, a car that would become the most successful endurance racer of the modern era, winning 63 of the 80 races it entered. The R10 TDi, first raced in 2006 and introduced diesel technology to the world of racing, aiming to further improve fuel efficiency and power output. Audi’s V12 diesel would prove all-conquering once again, with a 100% win rate at Le Mans from 2006 to 2008. The 2009 R15 TDi continued the streak of Le Mans wins, setting a record distance of 5410.7 km achieved in 24 Hours, still unbeaten to this day.

For 2011, the ACO introduced new regulations in a bid to crack down on speed and shake up the classification at the top of the Le Mans Endurance Series, including a ban on large capacity V12 and V10 turbo diesel engines. Audi opted for a 3.7L V6 diesel, and for the first time since 1999, for a closed cockpit car in search of optimal aerodynamic efficiency.

While Formula 1 was experimenting with the part-time KERS hybrid and electric regenerative systems from 2009, Audi went one step further in 2012 and became the first manufacturer to win the Le Mans 24 Hours with a fully hybrid-powered car, the R18 E-tron. A 532 hp V6 Turbo diesel powered the back wheels, while the hybrid system recuperated energy from the brakes and drove the front wheels, essentially making the R18 a 4-wheel drive racer. The R18 was also the first ever car to feature full LED headlights, a feature now implemented in most road cars!

A revised version of the R18 was fielded for 2014, christened the R18 E-tron Quattro with new improved aerodynamics, hybrid system and Audi’s new laserlight LED headlight system, and a larger 4,0L engine installed. Chassis 420 presented here is one of the 3 new cars built for the 2015 season. In 2014, Porsche had joined Audi and Toyota in the LMP1-H (hybrid) class. By then, Porsche had re-entered the ring and was giving the veteran Audi R18s a good run for their money in the World Endurance Championship.

This car was deployed for the first time at the Silverstone 6-hour race, the opening round of the season, as the #8 car driven by Luca di Grassi, Loic Duval and Oliver Jarvis. The trio qualified 3rd behind the 2 Porsche 919s, however contact during the race saw them lose 7 minutes for repairs in the pits, eventually ending up 5th overall, while the sister car #7 won the race.

The next round was the Spa 6 hours in May. Audi had decided to use this race as a test for their low-downforce package ahead of the main event of the year at Le Mans, which was fitted to the #7 and #8 cars. Chassis 420, now running as #9 and driven by Filipe Albuquerque, Marco Bonanomi and René Rast, kept the higher downforce package it used at Silverstone, hoping that would suit Spa Francorchamp’s fast sweeping curves. The car qualified 8th, and although they managed to finish 4th overall in the race, it seemed that the package of the winning #7 Audi of Lotterer, Treluyer and Fassler would be more adequate from here on.

A few weeks later, the circus was off to Le Mans for the official test. While the Porsche 919 Hybrids were fastest, this R18 was best of the rest with a 3rd fastest lap time once fitted with the lower downforce package.

2 weeks later, chassis 420 was back on the Circuit de La Sarthe for what would be its 3rd and last race. While Audi had banked on optimising tyre wear and fuel consumption to the detriment of outright speed, Porsche definitely seemed the faster of the two packages over a lap, taking a 1 – 2 – 3 in qualifying and leading the first few hours of the race.

Albuquerque, Bonanomi and Rast had qualified 6th in the #9 car, but would quickly be challenging for the lead and jostling for positions between pit stops with the two leading Porsches. Indeed, the #7 and #8 Audis encountered a number of issues in the early hours of the race, including a puncture for Andre Lotterer and a kiss with the wall for Loic Duval. Right up until Sunday morning, the #9 car looked the most likely to win the race, taking the lead several times until hybrid system issues and a resulting driveshaft change hindered their chances with a 17-minute pitstop for repairs, eventually finishing in 7th position.

Chassis 420 was then rested for the remainder of the season and became one of a handful of R18s to be sold off by the Audi works team, this particular chassis being purchased by her current owner in 2019.

The R18 is also a testament to innovation and performance in motorsport and would be worthy of any great collection. Audi Sport’s recent launch of their “Racing Legends” program supporting existing privately owned R18s and newly sold examples from the factory, this Audi R18 e-tron Quattro represents an incredible opportunity to own and race a highly competitive car for both the burgeoning Masters Endurance Legends as well as for the new Peter Auto Legends of Le Mans grid, and Le Mans Classic.

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