Image courtesy of CarScoop

It is believed that Audi will show a V12 Turbo Diesel version of its R8 supercar in Detroit next week, a very cool idea.

Reportedly carrying a civilized version of Audi’s R10 TDI LeMans race car engine. Possibly pushing 500bhp and 738 ft-lbs of torque, it would certainly be a site to see fueling up at your local truck stop. Though nothing else is confirmed, it will be interesting to see how this holds up performance wise to the current V8 R8 and the currently testing V10 R8.

For those who don’t know, a diesel engine operates differently than a gas powered engine as seen here. It has some limitations that have kept it from being a true speed performer including rev limit (the maximum number of times the crankshaft can spin per minute) and shear weight.

Consider this: a typical, purpose built LeMans racer can hit 10,000 rpm on its way to top speed.  The  faster the engine the spins the faster the car can go. However the R10 TDI’s power maxes out at 5000rpm. This is compensated in most diesels by either wider gear ratios or more gears.

As for weight, because of the higher compression in a diesel engine, the engines have to be stronger and often can weigh twice as much as a similarly displaced gas engine.

So, all in all i can’t wait to see how a diesel R8 truly performs. Also, how much is the tow package?