In the midst of Frankfurt Motor Show and all its amazing new cars, this new Audi A5 DTM race car still manages to grab some attention.

The coupe Audi DTM racer sits lower and wider than the previous car, and on the whole looks much cooler. It is much more advanced technologically, some of it forced by regulations, some of it innovations by Audi.

Underneath the body, which is completely made of carbon, a new type of chassis features a hybrid construction. The combination of a carbon fiber monocoque and steel cage sets new standards in terms of safety for a race touring car. In addition, the chassis is one of more than 50 components which are identical for all DTM vehicles.

The car’s powered by a V8 engine with an output of about 340 kW (460 HP). The six-speed transmission, now pneumatically operated using paddle shifters in the steering wheel, is a new development. The shifting events are more precise compared with conventional manual gearshifts and allow the mileage of the unit to be quadrupled to up to 24,000 kilometers. It is also fitted with a safety fuel tank with a capacity of 120 liters.

The homologation of the A5 DTM is scheduled for March 1, 2012 – until then the engineers at Audi Sport in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm still have time to fine-tune the detailed solutions.