Audi Dresses Up the TTS Racecar for Pikes Peak

Audi has taken the TTS Pikes Peak autonomous race car to the next level by offering the vehicle a new appearance, as the project is approaching the high-speed test session up Pikes Peak in Colorado. The testing will not take place during the upcoming Pikes Peak International event, but will be carried out this fall.

“With the changed appearance, the Autonomous Audi TTS Pikes Peak is now squarely aligned with Audi cars that made motorsports history a generation ago in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and other rally racing events,” stated the press release.

The project, which was developed by The Standford University, uses the production Audi TTS as a base, as the car features a drive by wire throttle system and a double clutch DSG gearbox that allow it to be electronically controlled. The vehicle also comes with a quattro awd system.

The developers claim that the computing hardware used by the car isn’t much more advanced than the one used by an average laptop. In its current layout, the vehicle uses two computers mounted in the trunk, one running algorithms using Oracle’s Real Time Java and the other one ruining vehicle dynamics algorithms. It is also fitted with a differential GPS system that allows it to stay within two centimeters of the center line of a normal course.

The car promises to drive “at the limits of handling on a variety of surfaces, speeds and conditions”, so we probably won’t see its performing all wheel drive drifts up the Pikes Peak, but we might receive a decent high speed climb.

“Our aim from the start has been to show how the future of driver assistance technologies will lead to dramatic improvements in traffic safety and saving lives,” said Dr. Burkhard Huhnke, Executive Director, ERLand saving lives,” said Dr. Burkhard Huhnke, Executive Director, ERL.