It’s very easy, relatively speaking, to create a car for a motor show or a set of images. It’s far more difficult to productionise that idea at any kind of volume. But the E-Legend EL1, the 800hp EV celebration of the Audi Sport Quattro first seen in 2021, seems to be moving in the right direction. Production of the 30 units is still on for 2024, the ludicrous specs of the concept have pretty much carried over, and these test pics show the beautiful carbon composite monocoque off in all its glory. None of that is the work of a moment.
As a reminder, the E-Legend was going to have three-motor four-wheel drive, with a 204hp unit up front joined by a pair of rear 306hp items. That will carry through to production, meaning 816hp in total; the EL1 should be even faster now than claimed in 2021 as well, with a full second taken off the 0-124mph time - it’s now said to be 7.5 seconds. There’s plenty of detail that augurs well for production prospects, even those numbers that are less impressive than they once were: the battery is now 80kWh and can charge at up to 200kW, rather than the originally proposed 90kWh and 300kW. But realistic is always better than ridiculous for these sorts of projects, and E-Legend still maintains that the EL1 can complete two flat-out laps of the Nordschleife on a single charge. A 22kW onboard charger will help at home. Weight is said to be 1,790kg without the driver, with 1,650kg claimed back in 2021.
Look how neat it is, too - shorn of its body there’s nowhere for the EL1’s gizzards to hide. And for a car that’s going to be sold in such small numbers (with ‘two more icons of the same model’ to follow) that’s still at the prototype stage, it’s impressive. Working with Roding Mobility, E-Legend says development has improved rigidity, performance and sustainability of the car There are new aluminium subframes to give access for maintenance work, wide opening doors to help access and even exterior mirrors now for approval in the US. All the boring stuff, basically, that a new model needs to be sold and used, is making its way to this mad EV that looked like it would only ever be fit for Pikes Peak. Exciting stuff.
CEO Marcus Holzinger has suggested that the chassis development has been the toughest part of the development stage, because this architecture will underpin future cars also - yet that unmistakeable, truncated Sport Quattro aesthetic was crucial to the EL1. Certainly, this still looks like that superb concept, so that’s encouraging. Three-way adjustable suspension, two drive modes, a nose lift and ESP will also make it to the customer cars, which will go into hand-built production from next year. Any hope that the original price prediction might have softened should be forgotten, though - it’s going to be €890,000 plus VAT for one of the 30 EL1s. But when an EV reimagination looks this good, and promises so much, they may well be spoken for sooner than you think.
1 / 17
