‘Road Testing’ An Audi A6 Avant
To The Le Mans Test Day
Passenger testing would be more appropriate, because thanks to the generosity of David Ingram and Martyn Pass at Audi Sport UK, dsc photographer David Lord and the Ed. had a chauffeur driven ride to the Le Mans Test Day and back – with the Radio Web’s Graham Tyler at the wheel of the Audi.

An early start on Saturday morning – 05.45 at Portsmouth – saw the editorial Citroen (also a diesel) dumped in the multi-story car park, and Lordy and I collapse into the leather seats of the A6. First part of the journey? 300 metres onto the Sea Cat, prior to a three and a half hour trip across the Channel. No chance to assess anything in that distance, except that the finish of the Audi was every bit as good as expected, and the Avant was nicely understated: not garish or ‘aggressive alloys’ in any kind of BMW-type way.

The Sea Cat did the job, the weather was perfect, Peter Ustinov and his Grand Prix of Gibraltar was in the CD player (this boy Tyler comes prepared), and we were off on the 100 mile trip to Le Mans.

“I’m a cruiser not a sprinter,” said the chauffeur, which set the tone for a supremely relaxing trip. The diesel and its massive 310 Nm of torque, plus a smooth and seamless six speed automatic gearbox, saw we three emerge at the other end in better shape than we’d started.

Tyler never showed a moment’s fatigue throughout the weekend, the Audi surely helping here. When you get to this age (and began the weekend with two hours sleep on Friday night), “cruising” is just the ticket. Graham chose to ignore any new dual carriageways, and just wafted through every town and village on the way. Lordy went to sleep in the back, oblivious to Ustinov’s amazing 1950s GP car noises, and all the other amusing moments tucked inside that brilliant recording.

Is there a connection between the car we arrived at the circuit in, and the cars that were first through to fourth at the top of the time sheets? Well, the A6 and R8s all performed perfectly going to and from, or at, Le Mans, and we hear from another member of the Radio Le Mans team that one R8 3.6 twin turbo V8 covered an astonishing 12,000 racing km between rebuilds last year. The A6 would probably cover up to 40 or 50 times that distance before the engine needed looking at it, especially with GT’s relaxing, stress-free (us and car) style of driving. A diesel at (rather than to) Le Mans? We’ll have to be patient before answering that one.

Chauffeur had a little play with the Tiptronic gearlever on the way back to Caen on Monday morning: what a marvellous shift lever. You can play at racing driver with this, although Mr Cool soon settled back to D, and more wafting along. It was fun to play with, but with auto, six speeds and 310 Nm, we didn’t feel the need.

Graham did feel the need for some French cuisine. After a trip to the hypermarket on the northern edge of Le Mans – the Avant swallowed it all with ease – the next stop was lunch (a regular return journey halt for the gastronome) at the village of St Marceau, and a wonderful restaurant called 'Mariette'.

“With your publicity via dsc, I'll probably find it's full of Brits when I try to get a table Monday after the race, and have to go somewhere else!”

Thirteen and a half Euros for a four course meal was outstanding value, the Ed.’s steak was superb, and no one was allowed to mention the ‘M’ word in Graham’s hearing (that place where they sell fast food – GT never does fast food). He does mouldy food though, carefully selecting the mankiest pieces of unusual cheeses from the board.

The best nine quids worth I’ve ever eaten. Take note, you Le Mans travellers in June, but leave a table for the man who recommended it. Last job here was a photograph of the Audi, against a backdrop of the village.

Last stop before Caen (my turn to sleep on the way back) was at Vingt Hanaps. “This hill top village was named in the fourteenth century,” says our travel guide, who has eaten here before. “A nobleman stopped at the village for the night, and with his meal he partook twenty ‘hanaps’ of the local beverage. A hanap is a three-handled goblet, and the villagers were so impressed by his consumption, the village was named after this feat of excess.”

What was the village called before that, I wondered? - before dozing off, ever so gently.

“There’s loads of room in the back,” said the good Lord. Upon arrival at Portsmouth, and after a quick transfer to the Citroen Xsara, we couldn’t help but notice so many contrasts between cheap-end-of the-market Citroen, and stylish, much better-end-of the-market Audi A6 Avant.

This model remains in production until later in the year, but the A6 saloon is already available in the new-Audi-look-front version. How do Audi keep on improving their cars, model by model? This Avant was the perfect car, for those of a certain age, but perhaps the new Avant will be even better? How though?

With travel arrangements currently in a state of flux for race week in June, there remains the possibility of a blast to Le Mans with Regis in an A8. Cruiser? Sprinter more like it!