How Audi built a new LMP1 car overnight

"ncasolowork2" (ncasolowork2) 06/12/2014 at 10:39 • Filed to: None

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This is a bit of speculation on my part, but from watching Le Mans over the years I have a very good idea how Audi managed to build an entire car in a single night. Don't let the article on the front page confuse you. They didn't use the car that was destroyed last night. They may have used some parts from it but they didn't use the chassis itself.

The thing about Le Mans is a mechanical problem can rear up at any point in 24 hours. In a 24 hour race you don't just pack it up and go home if your gearbox stops working. You take the broken gearbox out and you replace it. These prototypes are so compartmentalized that you can build multiple sections of the car all at once and then just bolt them together when you're finished.

This isn't like an assembly line with step 1 through step 1000. This is like a LEGO set where you build multiple sections of the model and then just snap the sections together when you're all done. (Hey LEGO we need an Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro set). Multiple teams can work on multiple sections simultaneously. It is like 10 step 1's through 10 step 99s with 10 more steps of putting the pieces together at the end.

It is still amazing that Audi was able to essentially build up a race car from scratch overnight, but if you're curious how they did it I suspect intelligent design had a lot to do with it.

BKRM3 > ncasolowork2 06/12/2014 at 10:43

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Spares. Lots and lots of spares.

Mattbob > ncasolowork2 06/12/2014 at 10:47

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Hey man, take that intelligent design claptrap somewhere else. That racecar there is a miracle!!!! A sweet German miracle. And it was said unto the people that the five ringed car shall die for the sins of the non-hybrid race cars. But on the morn' shall be REBORN anew!! And all shall rejoice and race and drink heavily of fuel and there shall be a mighty trumpeting of exhaust from upon high, for all is well with the world. The race will go on.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > ncasolowork2 06/12/2014 at 10:49

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The R8 was semi-revolutionary in that Audi specifically designed it to be taken apart in less than 10 minutes to be able to remove major suspension components or engines/transmissions. I believe the original idea was to be able to access, remove, replace, and reassemble the suspension components in 15 minutes? Half an hour? Something like that. And that philosophy has stuck with the team's cars ever since. So Audi probably took the front and interior bits out of the car in an hour or so, and bolted them on a fresh tub while the drivetrain and hybrid pieces were snapped into place.

phenotyp > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 06/12/2014 at 10:54

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Exactly this. The fact that they could replace the transmission+suspension in less than 15 minutes is what made the R8s so dominant in the early 2000s.

Destructive Tester > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 06/12/2014 at 10:54

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So why can't they apply this design philosophy to their road cars? I don't think an alternator can be replaced that fast in an Audi road car...

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Destructive Tester 06/12/2014 at 10:57

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Crash srtructures are different. THe prototype cars' chassis are a series of tubes and specially designed panels. Trying to incorporate such a design on a road car would make it next to impossible to have more than one person in it and make it nearly impossible to see out of, not to mention limited to no cargo space and in general a VERY expensive design.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > ncasolowork2 06/12/2014 at 11:02

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That idea started with the GT40's brake rotors. They were held on with the lug nuts like American cars are today. They could change out rotors much faster than any European teams.

Gamecat235 > Destructive Tester 06/12/2014 at 11:04

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Cost and reliability are, I would imagine, also factors.

Destructive Tester > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 06/12/2014 at 11:06

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Obviously your sarcasm meter is broken...

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Destructive Tester 06/12/2014 at 11:10

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Having seen what other people post on this website, your comment was not sarcastic at all.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Mattbob 06/12/2014 at 11:15

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Five ringed car? The Olympics can into racecar?

Destructive Tester > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 06/12/2014 at 11:18

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Good point... In all honesty, I'm fully aware of why this isn't even remotely feasible in road cars it was a reference to the notorious "Service Position"... I'm pretty sure this was to change a headlight bulb... /sic

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Destructive Tester 06/12/2014 at 11:24

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Oh I know the struggle, I'm restoring an old Audi 200 20v Quattro Turbo........My service manuals weigh over 15 pounds in the complete set and one 400+ page book is JUST electrical diagrams and repairs. German engineering is just another way to say "Good luck you naive son of a bitch"

Destructive Tester > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 06/12/2014 at 11:33

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Fortunately I have never owned an Audi but I have made the mistake of helping a friend do some work on his older A4. That was a mistake I made exactly one time...

Mattbob > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 06/12/2014 at 12:00

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got me, I was real tired.