Audi has decided to funk up their diesel-powered R15 prototype racing car with a brazen new colour scheme. Discarding the familiar all-silver livery that adorned last year’s car, the 2010 “R15 Plus” is already a lot sexier thanks to its designers streaking a liberal amount of black and red paint across its wind-cheating bodywork. In addition to this extra visual oomph the new model also benefits from a completely redesigned nose cowling that, resembling a gaping basking shark, is said to significantly improve the way this machine slices through the air. This, along with heavily revised side-pods and a re-worked rear wing, will also help give the R15 Plus more downforce through high-speed corners. Set to debut with Audi Sport Team Joest at the Le Castellet 8 Hours on April 11, Ingolstadt believes that their new racer will come into its own at this year’s Le Mans 24-Hour starting on June 12.

“We’re happy that we were allowed to give the car such a progressive look,” say Markus Auerbach and Tobias Drews from the Audi Design Team. “We wanted to add a dash of surprise when the Audi leaves the pits at Le Mans. We practically opened up the bodywork and are exposing the light-weight construction and its uncompromising technical development – and with a little rock ‘n’ roll for good measure.” Hopefully the R15 Plus will do a lot better than last year’s disappointing model that was fairly and squarely trounced by the might of Peugeot’s 908 HDi.