Audi R-Zero
August 18, 2009 by Anthony Crawford
Ever heard of the Audi R-Zero concept car? Not many people have, but it was actually created in 2006 by a group of students from the International School of Design (ISD) in France.
What you are looking at is a supercar from the very near future.
And if the car ever goes into production and the performance figures become reality, then bring it on I say, as I’m betting you won’t have a problem with 813kW or 2940Nm.
To put that into some perspective, the Bugatti Veyron produces maximum torque of 1250Nm and the Enzo Ferrari tops out at 657Nm at 5500rpm.
What that means in performance terms is nothing short of mind blowing. The R-Zero would be capable of exceeding 460km/h and the zero to 100km/h sprint in less than 3 seconds. Not bad for a car weighing a hefty 2200 kilograms.
Even more astounding, is when you realise that this is an electrically powered Audi, with one electric in-wheel motor, for each wheel.
The Audi R-Zero is one electric car we would like to see built.
Print it: 
about the same engine specs as a Mack
pretty amazing but why do all these student designed cars have to be so ugly. Enough of the outrageous shapes and excessively curved bodies.
They are being marked on how different and imaginative they can be lol.
These French students wouldn’t happen to be the same designers that designed the new Peugeot RCZ? Looks VERY similar.
Actually the electric motor in each wheel is more than likely to become a reality in performance cars – and it is a great idea.
Naturally, it will give a completely different meaning to ‘power at the wheels’….
Handy if you need to tow jumbo jets during the day.
Well it looks nice and the figures are epic but does anybody else agree that the figures are perhaps a bit too epic? When are you ever going to need or indeed be able to use 2940nm of torque? When you’re cruising at 320 miles an hour? Because we all know that you can’t do that. There’s probably not even a track in this world that would allow you to do that.
2940Nm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! when i heard the amg black sl had 1000Nm i was like holy crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but 2940Nm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if it comes in manual i’d be scared to let the clutch out
electric…
Loveable lunacy is what this is.
There will be a concept R8 at the Frankfurt Motorshow in a month’s time. 4 electric motors similar to this, one in each wheel :).
Pretty good looking, and I suspect that this will provide some styling hints for the upcoming Audi R4 roadster.
Styling looks heavily influenced by the Bugatti trademarks.
The students may have started with the Veyron and went wild from there.
Electric power/torque is astounding when compared to combustion engines. I remember the trolley buses I used to catch years ago – they had circuit breakers in them so that when the driver got too “hoony” you’d hear a bang and the accelleration would back off. Trains have them too, but steel wheels are more likely to spin up than the trolley buses.
veyron??? that you???
this looks like the car (of the future) that Tom Cruise drove in Minority Report. i certainly remember that it was an Audi in the movie.
What technology powers it? Hydrogen Fuel Cell or what!
batman called,his will be in black…
Aren’t those power figures virtually instantaneous?
That’d be all too much fun putting down 3000Nm’s from go.
Looks quite big as well, going by the wheelbase, I guess, again, something like the Veyron.
One thing we’d all miss I think would be the bumble of a V12, the scream of a V10, the burble of a V8 or the deep hum of a V/I6 =)
the shape from a side angle reminds me of 350z
@ Driver
Are you sure it was an Audi? From what I remember, It was a Lexus.
A Lexus Concept; which looked like a VW bug x’ed with a Citroen was used in the Minority Report… It was an Audi “Nuvolari” Concept [which was the inspiration for the R8] that was used in I-Robot.
Not bad for 2006. It looks like a mix between a Bugatti Veyron and an Audi TT. Maybe it can be the next batmobile.