We’re mid-way through the Mittelmotor Saga Series retelling the secret history of the RS 001 and RS 002 mid-engine Group S rally prototypes giving way to a quest for a mid-engine sportscar at Audi, and so I wanted to rope in the @4Rings.AI Instagram A.I.-based imagery that have been inspiring me to refocus on this somewhat unknown period of actual history.
Over the last few years since creating the @4Rings.AI account and sharing Audi-oriented image via that outlet, the idea of mid-engined vintage Audis has been a recurring one.
Here’s what I’ve found about A.I.-based images in that time. There’s an overwhelming amount of them and they are becoming ubiquitous. And, like EVs, they’re not always welcome as part of the conversation.
I find myself adjusting the work in two ways. First off, I do a basic amount of post processing, fixing odd details and fine tuning the cars to some degree. Second, I come up with a somewhat aligned backstory. Obviously these are all imaginary, but the idea of Audi choosing to make X, Y or Z rather than how history actually played out is interesting to me. So, a random image of a car gets a lot more interesting if, for instance, a quirky blend of an RS 002 Group S image and an R18 image is now described as an RS 003.
The image is what the image is, but the idea that Audi could have continued to pursue Group S with further evolutions if the rally class hadn’t been canceled before it ever began ignites a curiosity amongst fans and, at the very least, reminds us what Group S and the RS 002 actually were. The actual care becomes more real, not just an obscure white egg of a racecar on the paternoster at Audi Forum Ingolstadt’s museum mobile.
With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite mittelmotor creations. They span from the very beginning of my use with Midjourney 3, on up to the latest versions of Midjourney 7. Let’s start with the header image and a few close derivatives.
1989 Audi RS 003 Alternative Designs
In the early days of Midjourney, images created purely from prompts tended to be a bit lacking. I was getting better results using the /blend function, effectively taking several images and merging them together in order to create something that was a mixture of the two. In this case, the sample set of photos were studio photos of the RS 002 Group S prototype and the R18 LMP1.
The result was still a very egg-like design, more fitting with the RS 002 form than that of the R18 LMP1. I’ve cleaned up some details and added in a few logos in order to make the images passable, though it’s still easy to note that they are AI images. Note the detail breakdowns around the wheels, however more recent attempts to recompose these images tends to add other details inconsistent with the time. Back then, I rather preferred the almost steelie-like look of the racing wheels that seem as if they would have fit in that period of car.
1987 Audi Sport quattro E2 Mittelmotor
The Ferrari influence here is obvious. This is one of those early query-generated images I spoke about, which make it pretty easy to spot as AI today. What I love about the car is that it has this obvious sort of Ferrari F40 influence, yet retains things like a shorter wheelbase or blister-like fenders at the front. Had Audi made a road car of their Group S, would it have taken on more of a Ferrari wedge-like look? 1987 is the year the F40 came out, so it was certainly of the period, while the wheels look entirely Group B Audi Sport quattro Speedline to me.
TT RS 003 Mittelmotor concept
The image itself comes from a later Version 6 or 7 Midjourney. What struck me when it came out was how TT Mk3-like it was at the front and through the doors, yet longer at the rear and clearly with large intakes on the side.
Think of it like the original RS 001 prototypes. Those cars, seeking to test the mid-engine layout planned for the RS 002, placed Sport quattro bodywork around a mid-engine layout, changing the proportions to accommodate. In a lot of ways, this potential TT is more philosophically aligned with the RS 001, stretching a current Audi sportscar to meet the changed drivetrain.
We know that Audi and the Volkswagen Group were considering a mid-engine take on the MQB modular transverse matrix that underpinned the Mk3 TT, but those cars never came to fruition – likely victims of post diesel gate cost-cutting and momentum loss. However, even those concepts were more stand alone unique designs – cars like the 2010 e-tron Detroit coupe concept or the VW Bluesport TDI roadster. In the case of this car, it’s really more of a retention of the front of the TT and then extended at the rear for a slightly longer wheelbase.
Its consistency with RS 001 is fascinating to me.
RS 001 Alternative Designs
Okay, so there really was no “design” to speak of with the RS 001. It is largely believe to be a test mule, and so the Sport quattro bodywork fitted to it was a creative reuse of existing bodywork or design to fit over a changed set of proportions brought about by the mittelmotor configuration.
I think that’s where these cars sort of fit the RS 001 mold. They’re early Midjourney renderings, and they sort of have that same unfinished test mule appearance. Are those Scirocco 1 taillights on the green car? They sure look the part.
Much like the RS 001, I find these cars lovable for their ugly duckling vibe that harkens reestablished norms set by the quattro and ur quattro.
1986 Audi R8 GT 20V
Expect more vintage R8 renderings in the future. This is a fun recurring theme, though I chose to include this one specifically in this mittelmotor display. Whether it’s sitting on the shore of Lake Como like last weeks’ Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este or the shore of Lake Wörthersee in Austria where there’s a rather large gathering of enthusiasts this coming weekend, this vintage R8 looks the part. Vents as early inspiration to the side blades of the R8 Mk1, quattro-like headlights and oh-so-period-correct pearl white paint just sort of make it… at least for me.
RS 002 Evo Alternative Designs
Here again like the first on this list, these images are blends of the existing RS 002 Group S prototype and other cars… possibly R8 or TT. These cars are more realistic than the first set, yet retain some of the same look of the RS 002 less the more pronounced egg-like shape.
Do you have a favorite? Drop a comment below to share your thoughts. You can also follow my AI-generating Instagram account at @4Rings.AI.