Two Race-Winning Cars from Audi Are up for Sale, Ready to Go Again

• Audi is selling off these R18 LMP1 and RS5 DTM racing cars.

• The cars aren’t just collector’s items but come with full factory support to take to the track again.

• Strict regulations means that the modern cars racing in these series are actually slower.

In 2012, Audi introduced an evolved version of its LMP endurance racer called the R18 e-tron Quattro. It promptly won the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans. And the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans. Same again in 2014. Job done, then. Now, thanks to a new program from Audi Sport, you can drive one of the fastest Le Mans–winning cars ever.

Rolling out this year, Audi Sport’s racing legends project looks to offer some top-level driving experiences for customers with very deep pockets. Today’s endurance racing is more regulated, with strict budget caps and rules, but the earlier cars were cost-no-object missiles. The situation is much the same in DTM racing, which now uses GT3 cars rather than the full-fat Class 1 racers of the past.

Being able to buy a car that competed at Le Mans is nothing new, but what Audi’s offering here is a little different. Along with the R18 itself, the buyer gets full factory support, including spare parts, technical inspections, and access to repairs. It’s not unlike manufacturer programs to support older F1 cars, although here the R18 Hybrid is nightmarishly complex. There’s no way a private owner would be able to turn a wheel without help from Audi.

The actual car on offer is R18 chassis 207, which finished fifth during its Le Mans outing in 2012 but claimed victory at the Spa Six Hours. Also being presented is a 2015 RS5 DTM car, chassis 107, also a race winner.

The DTM car is similar to the top-level cars currently competing in Japanese Super GT racing, with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making about 600 horsepower. It’s far further from a production car than the current GT3 racers competing in DTM racing, and it would frankly blow the current field out of the water without breaking a sweat.

Audi Sport will be showing off both these cars at several events in Europe this year, notably including the Goodwood Festival of Speed. If the project meets with success, other chassis may join the two currently available.

A track experience in either one of these cars will, of course, be very expensive. However, in motorsport, old horses are often just put out to pasture, tucked away in storage or at best put on display in a manufacturer’s museum. It’ll be nice to see these two megafast Audis gallop again.

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