Audi R8 TDI LeMans 2008

Meet the new Audi R8 V12 TDI concept, same as the old one (except for the red paint). The diesel still makes 738 lb-ft of torque. See its MSRP RANGE:
$118,000

Audi won Le Mans in 2006 and 2007 with a 650-hp, 5.5-liter racing V-12, but the R8 TDI concept car unveiled at Detroit auto show, is powered by the next installment in the line of diesels that began with a 2.5-liter V-6 in 1997. On the heels of an outstanding 4.1-liter V-8 diesel launched in 2005, this 6.0-liter V-12 is armed with two of everything: injection pumps, variable-geometry turbos developing 38 psi of boost, intercoolers, and exhaust pipes loaded with the latest catalysts, particulate filters, and urea-injection sanitizers. It produces 493 hp, a hefty 738 lb-ft of torque, and not a hint of smoke, soot, or rattle.

The interior is lavishly tailored in soft black leather, hot red stitching, polished aluminum accents, and anodized instrument faces. According to Audi product planner Marc Trahan, a 322-hp, 4.1-liter TDI V-8 may be offered as a pick-me-up when the current R8 nears the end of its life cycle. But the diesel devout won’t have to wait that long.