Spy Shots: Four Doors, Four Liters for New Audi S7

Brenda Priddy's spy-cam crew caught a 2011 Audi S7 four-door coupe mule attacking the bends at The Ring. Larger air intakes, sportier wheels and tires, bigger brakes and rotors, along with the typical "S" quad exhaust, indicate that this is no ordinary A7 prototype! Riding on a version of the next-generation A6 platform, the S7 should go into production towards the end of 2010.

There are a few possibilities for what may be lurking under the hood of this S7 prototype. The first is a tweaked version of the 4.2L V8 found in the current Audi S5. Another motor Audi may be considering is the supercharged V6 from the S4.

To see use in the S7, however, that blown V6 would need some upgrading to move the S7's mass. There are also rumors of an all-new 4.0L V8 that could debut in the S7. This new motor is supposedly good for almost 400 hp.

The S7 should debut sometime in early 2011.