Just a few weeks ago, the final R8 rolled off the production line.
For several years, though, Audi toyed with the idea of creating another dedicated performance machine.
Under the ‘Skorpion’ internal designation, the German automaker worked on a sports car concept between 2010 and 2013.
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In a nutshell, the Skorpion was essentially set to be a road-going version of the Le Mans-winning R18 endurance car.
You’re probably thinking, ‘the one with the diesel engine?’ – and you’d be right.
In fact, multiple powertrains were planned for the Skorpion, both gas and diesel, with outputs varying from 400 to 550 horsepower.
A diesel supercar may sound odd, but next month Alpine plans to run its hydrogen-combustion prototype, which again is far from the norm.
Back to the Skorpion and there were going to be rear- and all-wheel drive versions, along with a hybrid setup pairing an ICE with an electric motor.
Aero work was supposed to take after Audi’s DTM cars of those days, too.
According to Audi, the Skorpion would’ve been positioned above the second-gen R8, which was being worked on at the same time, and went into production in 2015.
Unfortunately, the German brand scrapped the exciting project – but it must’ve been serious about launching it at some point.
Back in April 2013, Car and Driver reported that the car was going into production, and the rumor was that there were going to be 333 units produced.
It was also believed the Skorpion would use the race car’s 3.7-liter V6 diesel engine paired with an electric motor, producing a combined 700+ horsepower.
Apparently, the ICE would’ve powered the rear wheels, while the e-motor would’ve powered the front axle – in a kind of electrified Quattro setup.
Audi has hinted at a new flagship performance which, if you were to put money on it, will probably take the shape of an electric R8.
Fingers crossed this time that it’s more successful, as the old R8 e-tron was somewhat of a commercial flop, with less than 100 units sold.
In other Audi-related news, the brand recently unveiled its first next-gen EV with the new all-electric Q6 e-tron SUV.
