Vorsprung Durch Technik at Goodwood, amazing array of Audi models

Amazing array of state-of-the art Audi models and motorsport milestone-setters create an unmissable attraction at world renowned annual festival

 ■Allan McNish drives actual 2013 Le Mans 24 Hour race winning ■Audi R18 e-tron quattro ■Hannu Mikkola & Arne Hertz in original 1983 RAC Rally winning Audi quattro A2 ■Hans-Joachim Stuck re-united with his 1988 Trans-Am Championship winning Audi 200 quattro Trans-Am ■Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason back in the driving seat of Auto Union ■All-new S3, S8 and SQ5 TDI plus RS Q3, RS 4 Avant, RS 5 Cabriolet, RS 6 Avant, RS 7 Sportback and R8 V10 plus among the stand highlightsVisitors to the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed (11-14 July) will not only be able to get up close and personal with an array of headline-grabbing Audi models including the now seven-strong RS range and the new A3 Saloon, but will also be able to see a host of Audi motorsport heroes and the equally revered cars that have catapulted them to countless victories in action.The Audi stand at the annual event in West Sussex, which in 2012 attracted a record crowd in excess of 185,000, has been designed to enable fans of the brand to experience Vorsprung durch Technik from start to finish. Motorsport stars from both ends of this scale will include a ground-breaking Auto Union single-seater Grand Prix car from the 1930s, an Audi quattro rallycar from the 1980s that changed the face of the sport, and the 2013 Le Mans 24-hour race-winning R18 e-tron quattro sports prototype employing Audis latest hybrid-diesel technology.Almost one month since winning this years Le Mans 24 Hours, Allan McNish is reunited with the victorious Audi R18 e-tron quattro to drive up the 1.16-mile hill climb course. In June, Dumfries-born McNish, along with Tom Kristensen (Den) and Loc Duval (F), earned Audi its 12th Le Mans victory since the German manufacturers 1999 race debut, and added a second consecutive hybrid-diesel powered victory to a long list of previous triumphs achieved under petrol TFSI and diesel TDI power.The R18s 3.7-litre V6 TDI single turbo diesel engine, further restricted to 490PS this year, is bolstered  by two electric motors capable of transmitting almost 200 PS of additional system power to the front wheels using energy harvested under braking at specific points regulated by the race organisers.McNish, who has now won Le Mans three-times, comments: Itll be an honour for me to drive the Audi Tom, Loc and I drove to victory at Le Mans. Ive attended Goodwood on numerous occasions and with a career in motorsport spanning over 30 years, I can confirm there is no other event like it anywhere in the world.Mikkola meets quattro againThe actual 1983 RAC Rally-winning Audi quattro A2 will also make its first public appearance following its complete restoration.  Stig Blomqvist swept this specific car to victory on the RAC Rally, but at Goodwood Hannu Mikkola and his co-driver Arne Hertz will be entrusted with this stunning sporting artefact. Together they took second place in an A2 on the RAC in 1983, enough to seal the 1983 World Rally Drivers Championship for Mikkola. The turbocharged inline five-cylinder engine produced around 350PS, and of course delivered its power via the quattro system to all four wheels.Itll be very special to be in England 30 years after I won the World Championship, says Flying Finn Mikkola. I always enjoyed competing in Great Britainthe fans were very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I drove an A2 with Arne alongside on the Classic San Marino Rally two years ago. It will be really nice to be back at Goodwood.Hans-Joachim Stuck drives an Audi 200 quattro Trans-Am. In 1988, after years of rallying, Audi entered the American Trans-Am series with the 200 turbo quattro. Based on a standard Audi 200 quattro, a competition car was prepared with about 510 PS derived from the standard production 2.1-litre, five cylinder turbo engine, modified competition running gear and a bodyshell with enhanced aerodynamics. Germanys Stuck plus Hurley Haywood (USA) and Walter Rhrl (D), shared the driving duties in the North American series and steamrollered the opposition taking eight out of 13 race wins to claim the title on its debut.Stuck has a family link with the Auto Union Silver Arrows of the 1930s. In 1934 his father, Hans, scored the first race victories for the newly established Auto Union racing department. Stuck Snr set several world speed records on the Avus racetrack in Berlin at the wheel of the 16-cylinder mid-engine racing car designed by Ferdinand Porsche.Audi Tradition also brings a twin rear-wheeled 1936 Auto Union C-Type from Germany, for Nick Mason, drummer of the Pink Floyd rock group, to drive. The six-litre, 16-cylinder single-seater was capable of speeds in excess of 220mph. Mason, a passionate enthusiast of historic racing cars and owner of an outstanding collection, is making his seventh appearance at the Festival.Mason confirmed: Its always a massive privilege to drive an Auto Unionand especially at Goodwood.A 1953 DKW 350RM and 1955 NSU Sportmax racing motorcycles complete the mouth-watering historic line-up.Modern day starsMoving into the present day, the now seven-strong Audi RS range will headline on the stand, its latest members being the stunning 310PS RS Q3, the first ever Audi SUV to bear the RS badge, the 450PS RS 5 Cabriolet and the new RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback flagships with their 560PS Cylinder-on-Demand V8 engines.Supporting acts will also include the all-new A3 Saloon and 300PS S3 hatchback models, the SQ5 TDI and the R8 V10 plus, alongside examples of all the other familiar favourites in the Audi range. During Thursdays Moving Motor Show, a number of R8 V10 plus and RS 6 Avant models will be providing passenger rides up the hill.The more rugged side of Audi quattro technology will also be very much in evidence on the Home of quattro off-road course, where the A4 and A6 allroads and Q3, Q5 and Q7 SUVs will be proving that they are made of sterner stuff.And looking to the future, the A3 Sportback e-tron will also be making its UK debut on the stand. Due for UK launch in late 2014, the advanced hybrid is powered by a combination of a 1.4-litre TFSI petrol engine and an electric motor and is capable of returning up to 188mpg (NEDC test) with CO2 emissions of as little as 35g/km. 


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