Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Audi sending off the R8 with a bang
Audi’s R8 supercar is not long for this world, at least in its current form.
The Four Rings manufacturer is preparing an all-electric successor, which might not be all that far away because it has just revealed the R8 V10 GT RWD as a final send-off for that glorious combustion engine.
The name is a nod to the last generation of R8, which also departed with a GT badge, and brings with it a slew of changes compared to the standard model.
There’s a swan-neck rear wing, aerodynamic facial hair on the nose, ceramic brakes, a new drift mode called ‘Torque Rear’ which should sound familiar to Audi buffs, a carbon fibre anti-roll bar and, weirdly, no more power.
Output from the 5.2-litre naturally aspirated screamer of a V10 is the same 449kW/580Nm as in the R8 V10 Performance quattro, routed exclusively to the rear wheels.
Sounds strange for a brand built on all-wheel drive? It is, but it’s not the first time Audi has dabbled in rear-drive. A previous version of the R8 ditched the quattro system, and was quite highly regarded overseas for it.
The car will still crack 100kph in 3.4 seconds, not much slower than the Performance quattro’s claim of 3.1 seconds, helped by lightweight wheels, bucket seats and a carbon fibre anti-roll bar dropping weight to 1570kg.
This new GT, with that new Torque Rear mode, can adjust how much rear-end slippage you get in seven stages, selectable via a wheel-mounted dial.
As for local pricing and availability . . . Sorry, but Audi NZ confirmed that we aren’t in line to get the V10 GT RWD.
If your pockets are deep enough, you could probably sweet talk them into importing one . . . Just remember that just 333 will be made globally, overseas prices haven’t been confirmed yet and the V10 Performance quattro is currently on Audi’s website for $364,500. We wouldn’t expect much change from $400,000, considering the GT RWD is a pretty special R8.