Take a look at the most extreme diesel car ever built! One of the biggest stars of this year's Detroit Motor Show is Audi's mighty new R8 V12 TDI.

Powered by a thunderous twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12 powerplant, the oil-burning supercar promises to be even faster than its petrol powered sibling. A huge 493bhp and an earth-shattering 1,000Nm of torque will make this Audi a true thriller. The sprint from 0-62mph takes only 4.2 seconds – 0.4 seconds ahead of the petrol model.

But it's the diesel engine that's the star. It's inspired by the same unit that powered Audi's R10 to victory in the 2006 and 2007 Le Mans 24 Hours, and although slightly less extreme than the 650bhp race engine, it still delivers epic performance.

Another benefit of diesel power in the R8 is a major reduction in emissions.

The car features common-rail fuel injection, plus a special catalytic converter which injects a urea-based solution called AdBlue into the exhaust to cut nitrous oxide output. As a result, the TDI already meets tough Euro VI emissions rules, which aren't scheduled to come into effect until 2014. Amazingly, it looks even more aggressive than the production version. At the front there's a deeper front bumper, while the sides feature skirts with extra holes for cooling. On top the roof gets a panoramic glass panel and large NACA duct to feed air into the monsterous engine.

Inside, the R8 gets a one-off three-spoke steering wheel. This houses the engine start-stop button and Audi's Drive Select switch, which allows the driver to choose between Dynamic, Sport or Race modes for the engine, transmission and magnetic dampers. There's no official word on when the R8 V12 TDI will go on sale, but it's expected to arrive early in 2009.