There are also no visual signs that a diesel power unit is at work in the back of the R10, which will be equipped with a pair of diesel particle filters for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, flashes of flame from the exhaust, which are created by unburned petrol in spark-ignition engines, will not be seen coming from the R10.

One of the diesel engine's biggest advantages is the low fuel consumption, especially at part-throttle and overrun. However, when compared to more classic circuits which demand a higher ratio of part throttle, the lower specific consumption will hardly be noticeable at Le Mans because the quota of full-throttle is almost 75 percent.

The enormous torque of over 1100 Newton metres posed previously unforeseen demands in the development of the R10 drive train - with the forces acting on the transmission system even greater than those experienced by a Formula 1 racing car.

The use of traction control (ASR) reduces the high loads created by the torque fed to the rear tyres, and helps the driver to modulate the V12 TDI engine's power delivery, particularly in wet conditions, which represents a new dimension even for seasoned campaigners.

"It's impressive just how the engine keeps on pushing even in the high gears," said three-time Le Mans winner Frank Biela, who was at the wheel of the R10 during the roll-out at the end of November.

Inside the V12 TDI, the extremely high pressures in particular create forces never seen before in a racing engine. However, the main target of the Audi technicians is still to reach the reliability level of the R8, which never recorded a single engine failure in the 77 races it has contested to date.