According to Hans Lehmann, who provided us with these unorthodox spy shots, this morbid smoldering hunk is actually what remains of an Audi supercar test mule that immolated itself at Germany’s legendary Nürburgring.

As the story goes, Audi’s engineers had been testing a high-performance version of the new R8 coupe when it somehow caught fire, burning to the ground. Rumored to be powered by a V-10 engine and dubbed “RS8,” little was left of this costly mid-engined prototype, its aluminum skin disintegrating to reveal little more than a roll cage and alloy wheels.

Lehmann reasons the fire was likely triggered by an oil or gasoline leak, and he was quick to assure us that the test driver escaped unharmed. That’s great news—we only hope the same can be said for the RS8’s development calendar after this spectacular flameout.