Rather than taking to the track to unveil its new LMP1 contender, Audi decided to hit the town and give the public a chance to get up close and personal with the 2014 R18 e-tron Quattro. This gesture was an homage to a Le Mans era from the distant past when the drivers would arrive in their own race cars, and then drive back home in them after the race.

It is not as mad as it sounds though, as the Audi R18 e-tron Quattro is a diesel-hybrid, which is a perfectly sensible powertrain, suitable for populated city centers. There is another side to this hybrid system though, which once unleashed, destroys everything in its path.

In this elaborate publicity stunt, fit for a car that is the dominating force in Le Mans for the past decade of so, Audi’s new LMP1 race car completed the near-ten-kilometre distance through the city, from Saint-Julien du Mans cathedral in the city centre to the race track, in a motorcade, did a lap on the Circuit Bugatti and arrived in front of the race track’s modern Welcome Centre. It was a new experience even for a Le Mans veteran like Tom Kristensen, who has been an LMP1 racer since 1997.

This year, and apart from a new livery, the 2014 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro features some deep mechanical changes. The cubic capacity of the V6 TDI power plant is increased from 3.7 to four litres, and there is a new energy recovery system, consisting of motor generator unit (MGU) at the front axle and a flywheel energy storage system.