The 2003 Audi Le Mans quattro concept car later became the Audi R8.
Audi created the Le Mans quattro for the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show, drawing inspiration from the company’s run of victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000, 2001 and 2002. The concept previewed a mid-engined, permanent-quattro sports car and combined racing themes with technology intended for future road models.
Audi’s performance subsidiary, quattro GmbH, developed the concept into a production road car named the R8. The name referred to Audi’s highly successful R8 Le Mans prototype race car, which won the endurance classic five times overall. The production R8 arrived in 2007 as a two-seat sports car.
The Le Mans quattro is sometimes described as the “Audi R8 Concept,” which can make the relationship seem like a name change rather than a development path. It was not a Ferrari 360, Porsche 911 or Lamborghini Gallardo, although the concept shared technical connections with the Gallardo, including an aluminium space-frame architecture and a six-speed automated manual transmission.