Nürburgring World record for the Audi R8 e-tron - 8:09.099 Minutes

The Audi R8 e-tron has set a world record for a production vehicle with an electric drive system on the Nürburgring Nordschleife – the toughest test track in the world. Racing driver Markus Winkelhock piloted the high-performance, all-electric-drive sports car around the demanding 20.8-kilometer (12.92-mile) track in 8:09.099 minutes. With this Audi has achieved yet another milestone in its history, following overall wins at the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and Le Mans.

"The R8 e-tron has given a magnificent demonstration of its potential on the toughest race track in the world," said Michael Dick, AUDI AG Board Member for Technical Development. Dick, who completed a fast lap himself in the R8 e-tron, added: "The record-setting drive confirmed that we are on the right track. To us, electric mobility has never been about sacrifice, but rather is about emotion, sportiness and driving pleasure."

A comparison with the current record lap driven by a combustion engined production car shows just how impressive the 8:09.099-minute time really is. The record time of 7:11.57 minutes was achieved with a Gumpert Apollo Sport, which is powered by a 515 kW (700 hp) Audi V8 gasoline engine.

The drive system of the Audi R8 e-tron that Markus Winkelhock drove to the world record corresponds in every detail with that of the production model that will come on the market at the end of the year. Both of the car's electric motors generate an output of 280 kW and 820 Nm of torque; more than 4,900 Nm (3,614.05 lb-ft) are distributed to the rear wheels nearly from a standing start.

The Audi R8 e-tron accelerates from zero to 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in just 4.6 seconds. Its top speed is normally limited to 200 km/h (124.27 mph); 250 km/h (155.34 mph) was approved for the record-setting lap.



The R8 e-tron's rechargeable lithium-ion battery stores 49 KWh of energy – enough for a distance of about 215 kilometers (133.59 miles). Its "T" shape allows it to be installed in the center tunnel and in the area between the passenger compartment and the rear axle. It is charged by energy recovery during coasting and braking. The ultralight car body of the Audi R8 e-tron is made primarily of aluminum, along with CFRP components; this is a main reason why the high-performance sports car weighs just 1,780 kilograms (3,924.23 lb), despite the large battery.

In order to further underscore the production-relevance of the R8 e-tron and the capability of its drive technology, Audi has set another record on the Nordschleife in addition to the single lap record time. Immediately afterwards, Markus Winkelhock drove two fast laps in one go in a second R8 e-tron that was limited to 200 km/h (124.27 mph). At 8:30.873 and 8:26.096 minutes, both laps were well under the important nine-minute threshold.

"The record drives were a fantastic experience for me," said Markus Winkelhock. The 32-year-old, who lives near Stuttgart, has a high standard for comparison – the Audi R8 LMS ultra, in which he, along with Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase and Frank Stippler, won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring a few weeks ago.

"Of course, the R8 e-tron is a production car, not a racing car with the assistance of aerodynamics," Winkelhock emphasized. "But with its low center of gravity and rear biased weight distribution, it brings with it a lot of sporty qualities. The torque with which the electric motors propel the car uphill beats everything that I know – even if they make hardly any noise in the process, which at the start was really a completely new experience for me. In places where I really need traction, the torque vectoring – the displacement of the torque between the powered wheels – really helps me."

Michael Dick proudly summed up events after the record-setting drive at the Nürburgring. "Within just a few weeks we've taken on some big challenges and in the process we've shown that we are at the forefront with all of our drive concepts," he said, adding:"We won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in May in the Audi R8 LMS ultra with a ten-cylinder engine.

In mid-June we triumphed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Audi R18 e-tron quattro – the first overall victory for a hybrid-electric vehicle in the toughest race in the world. And now we've set another record with the all-electric-drive R8 e-tron on the most demanding track there is."

Hum, pretty soon the 991 is going to have the same drive system.

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

Hum, pretty soon the 991 is going to have the same drive system.

Why is that a bad thing? Electric cars are the future. Just remember that right now we are in a period of transition, where the tech is new and expensive, and we're still working out how best to achieve it. I'll bet in 10, 15 or 20 years from now, EVs will out-drive anything we have now and enthusiasts will wonder how we suffered with internal combustion engines!

Originally Posted by OBS3SSION

Why is that a bad thing? Electric cars are the future. Just remember that right now we are in a period of transition, where the tech is new and expensive, and we're still working out how best to achieve it. I'll bet in 10, 15 or 20 years from now, EVs will out-drive anything we have now and enthusiasts will wonder how we suffered with internal combustion engines!

The observation here is not against EV, mind you. One of the reasons the 991 extended the wheel base and made the car longer is to accommodate future EV development (battery storage). Since VW now own both Audi and Porsche, and that VW wants to be the world biggest automobile producer, what do you think the board will do to save development cost? The end result will be marginal differences between Audi and Porsche as the result of consolidation of design and development. They will no longer have their unique characteristics. I hope VW will not reign in Porsche but to let it go its own way. Please, I don't want another 914 or a 944 in the Porsche lineup. Or, to see Porsche engines in VWs. That would be sick.

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

The observation here is not against EV, mind you. One of the reasons the 991 extended the wheel base and made the car longer is to accommodate future EV development (battery storage). Since VW now own both Audi and Porsche, and that VW wants to be the world biggest automobile producer, what do you think the board will do to save development cost? The end result will be marginal differences between Audi and Porsche as the result of consolidation of design and development. They will no longer have their unique characteristics. I hope VW will not reign in Porsche but to let it go its own way. Please, I don't want another 914 or a 944 in the Porsche lineup. Or, to see Porsche engines in VWs. That would be sick.

Nowadays, "sick" is a good thing...

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

The observation here is not against EV, mind you. One of the reasons the 991 extended the wheel base and made the car longer is to accommodate future EV development (battery storage). Since VW now own both Audi and Porsche, and that VW wants to be the world biggest automobile producer, what do you think the board will do to save development cost? The end result will be marginal differences between Audi and Porsche as the result of consolidation of design and development. They will no longer have their unique characteristics. I hope VW will not reign in Porsche but to let it go its own way. Please, I don't want another 914 or a 944 in the Porsche lineup. Or, to see Porsche engines in VWs. That would be sick.

Hardly anything. VAG has made it clear Porsche is in charge of its own lineup and will not **** with them. Hell, Audi is constantly distancing themselves AWAY from VW.

However, Audi is in charge of all the SUVs (for example, new Cajun is based off Q5, which is an MLB/MLP platform car) in the VAG portfolio and if a baby Boxster does happen, there are rumors that there will be an Audi and/or VW version of the car.

That being said, the Boxster, Cayman, and 911 stay bespoke Porsche with their own engines, platforms, etc.

Originally Posted by AutoUnion

Hardly anything. VAG has made it clear Porsche is in charge of its own lineup and will not **** with them. Hell, Audi is constantly distancing themselves AWAY from VW.

However, Audi is in charge of all the SUVs (for example, new Cajun is based off Q5, which is an MLB/MLP platform car) in the VAG portfolio and if a baby Boxster does happen, there are rumors that there will be an Audi and/or VW version of the car.

That being said, the Boxster, Cayman, and 911 stay bespoke Porsche with their own engines, platforms, etc.

CEO can say anything he wants, but Porsche has only one vote on the board. I hope VW bean counters will not win out...

Porsche Ag., the maker of the famous 911 sports car will not build an entry-level two-seater vehicle smaller and cheaper than its Boxster model, CEO Matthias Mueller said in an interview with Stuttgarter Zeitung. According to the CEO, a plan like this would risk diluting the brand and alienate traditional customers. "We would do no good to the brand if we were to lose traditional Porsche customers" by pursuing a smaller Boxster model, the CEO was quoted as saying in an interview.

The future is here...
Porsche 2016 PAJUN. Reports from Germany have Porsche working on a new sedan that's smaller then the Panorama. Called the Pajun (a contraction of Panorama and Junior), the Porsche sedan is said to be based on the versatile VW MLB platform, which serves as the basis for the Audi A6, A7 and A8. I have said that Porsche-VW-Audi will be interchangeable, further dilute the brand name.

Maybe I'm missing something so I apoligize in advance...

Several production cars have cracked into the 7's on The Ring. Most notably GODZILLA aka Nissan GT-R:

Track time on the Nürburgring-Nordschliefe for the 2012 Nissan GT-R comes in at 7 minutes and 24.22 seconds

The 2012 Nissan GT-R comes with a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 engine with an output of 530 hp (395 kW / 537 PS) and 488 lb-ft (661 Nm) of torque. It does the 0 to 100 km/h in 3 seconds flat. Though, some may need the help of its launch control R-Mode Start Function (LC4 R35) to achieve that.

The 2012 GT-R beats the 2011's track time of 7 minutes 26.7 seconds by almost 2.5 seconds and its sure grip on the track is a testament to its all-wheel drive system. The GT-R's chief designer Kazutoshi Mizuno makes an appearance in the video too. He should be proud of his achievement.

Also the ZR-1 and Porsche GT2 RS have both cracked the 7's with the GT2 RS currently the fastest at 7:18!

Originally Posted by TXSTYLE

Maybe I'm missing something so I apoligize in advance...

Originally Posted by 1st sentence in OP

The Audi R8 e-tron has set a world record for a production vehicle with an electric drive system

apology accepted