These are the first pictures of Audi's driverless TTS Pikes Peak experimental model in Ingolstadt's traditional motorsports colors. Audi is currently gearing up the so-called "Autonomous TTS" for high-speed test runs up Pikes Peak in Colorado 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," said the German manufacturer in a statement.
Based on the standard production model using the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot, the Autonomous TTS Pikes Peak vehicle is a joint project between the Volkswagen Group Automotive Innovation Laboratory (VAIL) in Palo Alto, California, Stanford University and Sun Microsystems.
The Autonomous TTS is equipped with a fully automated drive-by-wire system that controls the steering, throttle, brakes, gearbox and parking brake as well as a special GPS system to help communicate with the piloting software, thus eliminating the need of a driver inside the car.
The company says it's "intended to explore the best capabilities of current and future driver assistance technologies."
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