Currently reading: Audi's autonomous TT racer
Firm ready to tackle the Pikes Peak hillclimb with an autonomous TT in September

Audi's autonomous TTS rally car is set to take part in a high-speed run up the Pikes Peak hillclimb in September.

The firm has redesigned the car to include the recent changes to the standard TT range, while it has also been given a livery to resemble the 1987 Audi S1 quattro rally car.

See pics of Audi's autonomous TTS rally car

The Pikes Peak Autonomous Audi TTS is based on a stock TTS with DSG transmission, but has two computers in the boot - one working on vehicle dynamics, the other on safety data - instead of a driver.

A GPS system is also used to keep the car on course, with a margin of error of under two centimetres.

The project has been named Shelley after Michele "Shelley" Mouton, the most successful female rally driver of all time. She won Pikes Peak behind the wheel of the Audi Sport Quattro in 1985, the first woman to win the event.

Shelley has been developed by Volkswagen's Electronics Research Lab, Stamford University and Sun Microsystems.

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WooDz 1 July 2010

Re: Audi's autonomous TT racer

I hope Autocar keep us up to date on this one.... Even better would be video footage.

Peter Cavellini 30 June 2010

Re: Audi's autonomous TT racer

What a hoot that would be!, if vould not turn sei corner because it didn't see it, an American cloud consealed it, it vas not our fault, yah?

rodenal 30 June 2010

Re: Audi's autonomous TT racer

I suppose in theory the automated car should be a good bit quicker, it has no fear and no misjudgement, it can calculate (or has been calculated for it and programmed in) how fast the vehicle can handle each bend and the correct line to take.

What i wonder about though is how it can adjust for things like hitting a bump mid-corner, or there being an unexpected loose patch on the road and things like that.