Audi e-Tron Vision Gran Turismo Unveiled As Electric Race Taxi With 804HP

Originally created to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Gran Turismo video game on PlayStation 4, the Audi e-Tron Vision Gran Turismo has now been brought into the real world.

Built in Ingolstadt as a one-off racing prototype, it uses three electric motors, one driving the front wheels and the other two channeling power to the rear axle, each with 200kW (272PS / 268hp), for a combined output of 600kW (815PS / 804hp).

Tipping the scales at 1,450kg (3,197lbs), the Audi e-Tron Vision Gran Turismo takes less than 2.5sec to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h (0-62mph), aided also by a power-to-weight ratio of 1.78kg per horsepower and a 50:50 weight distribution between the front and rear axle.

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Racing enthusiasts already know that some of the design elements and colors of the new e-Tron Vision GT are inspired by the ones of the Audi 90 Quattro IMSA GTO. The legendary racer thrilled motorsport fans in the North American IMSA-GTO series back in 1989, with drivers such as Walter Rohrl, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Hurley Haywood and Scott Goodyear, behind the wheel.

The race taxi will be used at selected Formula E races and other events this year, in the hands of former DTM driver Rahel Frey and Le Mans winner Dindo Capello. It will wave to the public for the first time this Saturday, in Rome, Italy.

“Although the design of a virtual vehicle allows much greater freedom and the creation of concepts, which are only hard to implement in reality, we did not want to put a purely fictitious concept on wheels”, said March Lichte, Audi’s Chief Designer. “Our aim was a fully functional car. The Audi e-Tron Vision Gran Turismo shows that electric mobility at Audi is very emotive.”