Rear-wheel drive R8 to be fixture in Audi line-up

Audi has announced that it is adding a rear-wheel-drive version of its R8 supercar to its range.

Previously, a limited edition was sold as the R8 Rear Wheel Series but following customer demand the two-wheel-drive version has been fully integrated as a standard option in the R8 line-up.

The Audi R8 V10 RWD shares most of the attributes of the standard all-wheel-drive model but sends all of its 533bhp to the rear wheels. It is being launched at the same time as at rack-only LMSGT 4 designed to compete in the international GT4 racing category.

“We launched a limited series of the Audi R8 V10 RWS at the beginning of 2018,” says Oliver Hoffmann,

managing director of Audi Sport GmbH .“Its rear-wheel drive derived from the R8-LMS racing car, and the special dynamics sparked our customers’ enthusiasm right away.

“Now it will become part of the R8 family as a separate model, the R8V10RWD. And we are giving it the same sharp look as the new R8 quattro models. At the same time as we are releasing the serieswe are also offering the R8 LMS GT4 racing car with a new look.”

Powered by a 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10, the 533bhp AudiR8V10RWD coup er each es 62mph in just 3.7 seconds and will hit 198mph flat-out. The convertible Spyder version takes an extra 0.1 seconds to hit 62mp hand loses 1mph from the coupe’s top speed.

Without the need for the AWD’s prop shaft, the RWD is up to 65kg lighter and Audi say the sport mode will adjust the electronic stabilisation control, suspension setup and control system to allow what it calls “controlled drifting”.

The GT4 race car is directly derived from the production model with about 60 percent carry-over parts. The engine is detuned to 487bhp to meet class regulations but the car features bespoke traction and braking systems that can be configured precisely to match track, tyre and weather conditions.