“Audi at Le Mans – 24 hours for the limit” is the name of the latest special exhibition that the August Horch Museum Zwickau offers its visitors from November 29.
With 13 victories out of 18 participations (1999 to 2018) in the endurance series of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Audi made motorsport history. In the world’s most famous and traditional long-distance race, the descendants of the Zwickau Silver Arrows produced an unforgettable motorsport and achieved impressive success. To mark the 25th anniversary of Audi’s first participation in the legendary 24-hour race, the August Horch Museum Zwickau is now celebrating this successful era with its new special exhibition.
When Audi took to the podium with the R8R in its Le Mans debut in 1999, it was quite a feat. Apart from this car, the R8C, a sister car, will also be on display at the special exhibition. At the time, the Ingolstadt company was initially unsure whether “R” (stands for roadster) or “C” (coupe) was more suitable for use. The majority of drivers voted for “R”, which resulted in third and fourth place for the Audi Sport Joest team with drivers Frank Biela (GER), Didier Theys (BEL) and Emanuele Pirro (ITA) with Michele Alboreto. , Michele Rinaldi (both ITA) and Laurent Aiello (FRA) performed impressively. Two R8Cs from the Audi Sport UK Ltd team. were deleted, so a real comparison based on results was not possible, but Joest’s crew was already faster. In terms of layout, the R8R and R8C are both entry-level models in Zwickau’s latest spec.
In 2000, Audi won Le Mans for the first time. The Audi Joest team was also responsible for this success. This time with pilots Tom Kristensen (DEN), Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro. Second and third places were also achieved by Audi R8 drivers – Laurent Aiello, Allan McNish (GBR) and Stephane Ortelli (FRA) and Christian Abt (GER), Michele Alboreto and Rinaldo Capello (ITA), respectively. This historic winning car is not available for special exhibitions, but for Audi R8 TFSI from 2002 and 2005, Audi R10 TDI from 2008 and 2010, Audi R18 e-tron quattro RP2 from 2012 and Audi R18 e-tron quat. RP4 from 2014 will be colored by six winning cars A cross section of the glorious history of Audi Le Mans shown.
The special exhibition has a total of nine cars, which are decorated with a vertical cut model, many engines and driving components, driver’s suits, helmets and models. Another highlight of the exhibition is the winner’s trophy, which is almost 1.30 meters tall and weighs more than 50 kg, which Audi received from the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest), the organizers of the 24-hour race, for the third time in a row . victory from 2006 to 2008 at Le Mans.
Since the 24-hour race usually takes place at night, one part of the special exhibition is cleverly darkened and the other well-lit. The special exhibition “Audi at Le Mans – 24 hours for the limit” continues until the beginning of November 2025.
The August Horch Museum Zwickau is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm at Audistraße 7 in Zwickau. The museum is closed on Mondays (except public holidays). Closing days are December 24, 25 and 31.
The entrance fee is 13 euros for adults and 11 euros for those who qualify for a discount. Children under the age of 6 enter for free. There are special rates for families and groups. More information to www.horch-museum.de
