Audi is short of money. And now they are trying to make their motorsport division, Audi Sport, pay the price by selling off legendary Le Mans cars.
Audi is now so short of money that the brand is selling off its collection of historic Le Mans racing cars.
A step that, in turn, gives collectors a rare opportunity to get close to cars that would otherwise never end up in private hands.
The German automaker is launching sales of the R18 e-tron quattro, a distinctive diesel hybrid that has competed in the famous Le Mans endurance race. The sale is part of a new initiative from Audi Sport.
Under the name "Racing Legends", Audi aims to sell selected older racing cars from its motorsport history to a limited circle of customers.
These customers are typically collectors or enthusiasts with the necessary resources, not only for the purchase, but also for the continued operation of the cars.
Audi sells Le Mans heritage to raise money in a time of crisis
An important part of the offer is therefore that Audi provides technical support, which is essential for handling the complex machines.
The move comes at a time when Audi is restructuring its motorsport participation and generally seeking new avenues for business, including previously announced savings in the organization.
Something that has already affected the Formula 1 team that Audi has bought into. Read more about it here.
Initially, Audi Sport is putting two cars up for sale. One is an Audi R18 e-tron quattro with chassis number 207.
The diesel hybrid secured Audi victories at Le Mans in 2012, 2013 and 2014. A car that was in many ways a technological breakthrough in Endurance racing, as the car could drive very far between each take-off.
The car offered won the 6-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps in 2012 with drivers Romain Dumas, Loïc Duval and Marc Gené and achieved fifth place at Le Mans the same year.
It is a technically advanced car that requires specialized knowledge to operate. In terms of speed, the R18 e-tron surpasses the current cars in the Le Mans Hypercar class.
Audi has not yet made it clear whether more copies of the R18 will be offered later.
The second car that Audi is putting up for sale is an RS5 DTM with chassis number 107. It is equipped with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo engine that produces around 600 horsepower.
That particular car also has a victory behind it, when it won the DTM final race at Hockenheim in 2015 with Timo Scheider behind the wheel. It represents another branch of Audi's motorsport involvement during that period.
Audi Sport presented the two cars to potential buyers at a special event in Neuburg an der Donau on April 2nd.
The first deliveries of the cars to the new owners are expected to take place during the summer. It marks a new way for Audi to handle its motorsport heritage by making some of its most significant racing cars available to private owners.
