NURBURG, Germany - An Audi mule, believed to be a prototype of the upcoming Audi A7, crashed outside the Nürburgring here - giving the curious a good hard look at the German automaker's Mercedes-Benz CLS fighter.

A spy photographer was able to chronicle the car's mishap. The prototype was not wearing Audi's trademark full-cover camouflage, thus allowing the details of the car to be fully on view. The mule was unceremoniously loaded onto a flatbed truck and carted away. The driver was said to be unhurt.

The Audi A7 is expected to make its debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show. The A7 is a midsize four-door coupe that is bound for release in 2010. A convertible version is said to be in the pipeline.