This is the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo, which
is the latest addition to the Vision GT project organised by Kazunori Yamauchi,
founder of the Gran Turismo video game series. Unlike other Vision GT cars,
Audi’s creation exists both in the virtual world as well as the real one.
However, this isn’t just a full-scale model meant to
be put on display at trade shows either as it is fully functional. Propulsion comes from the electric e-tron quattro
all-wheel drive system, which features three electric motors – two at the rear
and one in front. Each of these motors provides 268 hp of output, and
the combined output is 804 hp.
As the curb weight is just 1,450 kg, the electric
race car has a power-to-weight ratio of 1.78 kg per hp, and will accelerate
from zero to 100 km/h in less than 2.5 seconds. There’s also a 50:50 weight
distribution between both axles to keep it as balanced as possible.
Design-wise, the e-tron Vision Gran Turismo appears
like a more futuristic version of a R8 GT3 race car, and sports a wide bodykit,
plenty of flics and canards, a big rear wing and racing wheels. The paintjob is
inspired by the legendary Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO racer.
The electric one-off model may have taken just 11
months to be built, but it will be used to provide taxi rides to customers and
guests at all European Formula E races starting with Rome, Italy on April 14.
At the wheel will be former DTM driver Rahel Frey from Switzerland or Le Mans
winner Dindo Capello from Italy.
