Audi->ke14's dominance of endurance racing->ke2345 has become the stuff of legend and just when it appeared that the company had earned a slack off in preparations, think again.

The 2014 R-18 e-tron quattro LMP1 racer will make you believe otherwise.

Fresh off of another dominant showing at the 2013 World Endurance Championship, Audi->ke14 is taking to heart the saying "the early bird gets the worm" with the early development of the R18 e-tron quattro LMP1 race car->ke148. Testing is set to begin this week with particular emphasis being put on achieving high fuel efficiency, using its sophisticated hybrid->ke147 drive systems.

That's the kind of thing you'd expect from a champion that wants to win more and not sit on its laurels and bask in all the glory it has earned.

As for the car itself, the 2014 R18 e-tron quattro LMP1 racer is expected to feature a flywheel-based, electric-drive system paired with a powerful TDI engine. Exact specifications have yet to be revealed, but preparations are already underway to build a race car that can take advantage of the company's expertise in endurance racing, while also fitting in new rules in the WEC with particular focus being paid to efficiency, and the use of advanced fuel-saving technology, like hybrid drive systems and diesel engines, to ensure that the race car is more than just competitive, but one that can live up to Audi's sustained excellence in endurance racing.

Judging by its looks, the race car retains all the shapes and lines of the current R-18 e-tron quattro that the company used to win the 2013 WEC title. The full-blown, cockpit-style look is going to be kept, as are those vertical LED lights, the swooping flat nose, the enormous rear wing, and those bulging wheel arches that helps in keeping the race car low to the ground.

With Porsche->ke1, Toyota->ke88, and a host of other brands determined to push Audi off of its pedestal, the company is preparing a revised version of the R18 to ensure that things of those sort never happen.

Updated 03/26/2014: The new Audi R18 e-tron quattro made its first miles during the 2014 WEC season, not on the legendary race track in Western France but in public traffic. And these new cool pictures come to prove it. Enjoy!

Click past the jump to read about the 2014 Audi R18 e-tron quattro's predecessor

2014 Audi R18 e-tron quattro LMP1

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2014 Audi R18 e-tron quattro LMP1
  • Engine/Motor: V6
  • Horsepower: 510
  • Torque: 470
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

2012 Audi R18 e-tron quattro LMP1 Race Car

The R18 e-tron quattro LMP1 race car has a lot to live up if it aims to achieve the same level of success as its predecessor. If for noting else, those are some big shoes to fill considering how much success the previous R18 was able to achieve.

At that time of its introduction, the R18 worked under the same principles as that of the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, which uses kinetic energy that’s recovered whenever the car brakes, storing that energy in the flywheel accumulator as electricity before being sent back to the electric motors on the front wheels.

The motors take car of the front of the vehicle, while the rear wheels get their power from the car’s 510-horsepower V-6 TDI engine. The only difference between the aforementioned Porsche and the R18 e-Tron hybrid quattro is that the latter is considered a mild hybrid, using a petrol engine along with electricity.