As the new F1 season kicks of on Sunday we thought we would share a nice mock up of a F1 Car in Audi livery.

Audi have said that they have no interest in F1 though there have been rumours of them supplying engines to Red bull for the 08 season and last year there where a few whispers  of Shumi joining them to run a F1 campaign.

There is a longer article by designer Kim Stapleton the artist (and long time Audi Fan) that did the mock-ups here still maybe in a year if  Michael gets bored with life as a civilian who knows what might happen.

The high performance A5 coupé

V8 FSI technology, quattro permanent four-wheel drive, specially tuned sports suspension and high performance brakes are just a few of the characteristics of the Audi S5 which will be launched alongside its A5 sibling at the Geneva Motor show on 6th March 2007.

The Audi S5:

• 260 kW (354 bhp)
• 440 Nm of torque
• 0-100 km/h in 5.1 seconds
• Six-speed manual gear box
• 18-inch alloy wheels with S design and 245/40 R 18 tyres
• Xenon plus headlights with daytime running lights with LED light strip
• Sports seats with electronic adjustment

The S5 has its own distinctive profile with the stance of the most finely tuned athlete. The grille incorporates the ‘S look’ painted in platinum grey and fitted with vertical chrome inlays. The front and rear bumpers are more pronounced and the air inlet grilles are more striking.

Our first demonstrator will be in our showrooms soon – as soon as we have a date it will be posted here so bookmark this site to keep up-to-date. UK price lists have yet to be announced but we expect the A5 to be priced around £25,000.

The A5 has just been launched more information later today

 (Update - Separate post on the S5)

The Lineage of the A5

The A5’s concept was named for the legendary motor racing star Tazio Nuvolari the last driver to win a Grand Prix in an Auto Union car – in Belgrade on 3rd September 1939.

Nuvolari was born in Mantua, Italy in 1892 and died in 1953, his trademarks were his daring, spectacular driving style and the yellow pullover that he always wore in the car. Nuvolari was a motorcyclist until 1926. After numerous victories with other cars, he switched to Auto Union in 1938 and drove its 12-cylinder Type D mid-engined cars in Grand Prix races and hillclimbs.

He won his first race in 1938 when he was the first across the finishing line in the Italian Grand Prix held in Monza on 11th September 1938. Only a few weeks later, he won another race in Donington, England.

The Gran Premio Nuvolari, a long-distance historic car race covering a distance of approximately 850 kilometres, with the start and finish in Mantua, honours Nuvolari. The main sponsors of this event, in which numerous high-calibre racing cars participate, are AUDI AG and its Italian importer, Autogerma.

We’ve just received the word from  Audi that you can watch the world premiere live via the internet .

You can experience this exclusive event as it unfolds via a live video stream. This will be broadcast live on Tuesday 6th March between 8am and 8.15am (CET) via the A5 Microsite.

Exclusive Audi A5 content will then be available on the A5 microsite, including footage of the A5 in action and an interactive showroom.