Looks better in the orange metallic of the preceding post. This particular shade of red is pretty vulgar.

Btw, engine torque isn't torque at the wheels, there's a transmission and final gear in-between. The R8 with a gasoline V8 comes in at 1860kg curb weight, so figure about 2000kg for this V12 diesel monster. For simplicity's sake, let's assume a 50/50 distribution for both weight and torque between the front and rear axles. The wheels are 18", so figure ~12" (0.3m) effective radius from the hub to the road. The friction coefficient between rubber and road is ~1 at best (wheel slip ~10%).

On a good dry road, maximum permissible torque per wheel is therefore 1 * 500kg * 9.81m/s^2 * 0.3m = ~1470Nm. That implies a total transmission ratio of roughly 6:1.

Yes to the car. No to the paint job.

@rgseidl: I feel smarter already! ;)

@rgseidl: With a set of Hoosiers, I challenge your coefficient of dynamic friction.

@Turboner -

yes, racing slicks can achieve even higher coefficients of friction. This car comes with road tires, so how is that relevant? My point was simply that just because an engine produces high torque doesn't mean it will pulverize the tires.

Yep - the red with black and chrome really detracts from the lines of the car. Very distracting.

Looks RF good to me and as informative as the above info is, I couldn't care less about coefficients and ~'s. The package looks good as it sits.

500 HP and you're quibbling over the color? Sumbitch.

Hmm, What is the color of Iron Mans final suit again?

I hate to say it, but that's tacky. I would love to drive it, but I wouldn't want to be seen in it.

They ought to call that shade "Retina-burn Red",
or "Ophthalmologists rejoice"!

@やのГ人Ӄ: whore red is about right. Hey Vee Dub, un-pimp your ride!

Do you know what's sad? For all its coolness - and I think that this is completely badass - it's still slower than $70K Corvette. From 2005. Lots of sturm und drang, but 500HP and 4,000 pounds...interesting, fun, diesel but...NEXT! And I'll bet it's creeping into Ferrari price territory.

Mmm...this dragon likes the lady in the red dress...
*growl

Actually, I was about to post that the color really does it for me. I love it.

@dolo54: Is that pronounced Horred?

@cgates1: One has to wonder though,

can you keep going partner,

is your V12 TDI top end unlimited!

DoctorNeyene

I really dislike the wheels, but hey, I figure if I can afford the car then I can afford a nice set of BBS wheels instead of the stock ones. And we'd have to see which car would fare better in some real-world performance tests, and not just 0-60 numbers racing.

@やのГ人Ӄ: "DoctorNeyene"

Sometimes, what you want is 'slutty'. In this case, I think it works.

This is definitely the future. We should all get our ears tuned to blowoff valves, high-rev diesel clatter, the 8 shifts of 9-speed automatics, and really sick high-torque driven top speeds.

If this thing sounds like the low-frequency diesel-missile ALMS R10, then I'd give up a kidney for it.

@DoctorNine: I wouldn't say it's slutty. This is more like
one of them fancy escorts with a hot tub and all...

@cgates1: You should be criticizing Astons, Jags and Maseratis. This is whole 'nother ball of wax.

yea, i wasn't if the press shots last night were actually red, cause they had a burnt orange look to em, but the red is very VERY red. and red don't do it for me... Black, matte stealth grey, i even dig the ice blue silver... but no red, and no white unless I can get a white out version... though white no showy the sexxy sensual curvitude. Like putting Sofia Vergara in a sheet (and not a sexy one)

*insert "sure" as the 4th word

"Though we're wondering how the boffins can keep the tires from powdering with peak torque at 1,750 RPM. Questions, questions."

It's astonishingly simple, and also astonishing how little understood.

How do the tires not powder with some high peak torque crankshaft value of a diesel engine?

Because it is geared taller, yielding absolutely no more torque at the rear wheels than a gasoline engine of the same horsepower but which produces it at higher rpm.

If the engine spins for example 2/3 as fast, then at same road speed you need gearing 50% higher. Have you ever noticed that rear-wheel thrust is lower in higher gears? The diesel is running in a "higher gear," for same road speed and percent-redline rpm (or percent-anything rpm, e.g. percent peak-hp or pecent peak-torque or percent max-fuel-economony or anything else) at all times.

That's why the higher number that so impresses moto-writers at the crankshaft yields absolutely no better acceleration than a gasoline engine of same hp and worse than a gas enginge of greater hp "but" lower crank torque.

Moto-writers don't understand this? It's about as basic as one can get.

Moto-writers don't understand this?

(oops, editing error that last having been said twice.)

Anyone know why so many high-torque vehicles are limited at 738 ft lbs? I read a review of an S65 AMG once that it's because it's all that their supplier's (5-speed?) automatic transmission can handle. I've seen the 738 ft lbs figure on at one other non-Merc as well. Does this mean that the R8 diesel will have the same automatic?

Ok, that was really dumb... I should have looked at the GATED 6-SPEED in the pictures before commenting. :)

A nice magnesium color would make this lovely lady look simply stunning. This + a new XKR-S please? Thanks.

This thing makes a lime-green, fast and furious Eclipse look tasteful. And with a redline of 4500 RPM, its probably going to feel like driving a Peterbilt.