Audi R8 GT: lighter, more powerful, faster and, yes, more expensive, too.
You’ll soon be able to buy the Audi R8 in three flavors: fast, faster and, “Oh, my god.”
But getting close to the 200-mph mark will nudge you ever closer to a $200,000 price tag.
When the slick 2-seater came out, a few years back, critics found little to, well, criticize, other than the lack of oomph from the stock 4.2-liter V8. They didn’t have long to fret, however. The addition of a 5.2-liter V10 – the same basic powerplant from the Audi GT3 LMS race car – bumped the pony count from 420 to 525 horsepower.
Needless to say, that wasn’t quite enough for some folks who have gotten caught up in the numbers game. So, while the new R8 GT isn’t quite in the same rarified air as the new, 700-hp Lamborghini Aventador, it still has enough to challenge the best of the supercar breed by adding yet another 35 horsepower – 560 in all.
A race-ready interior.
All that power goes through the familiar R-tronic sequential gearbox, driving all four wheels with a locking rear differential to maximize power to pavement.
Add significant body modifications designed to both enhance aerodynamics – and to trim 180 pounds of weight through the use of carbon fiber components, such as the front splitter, rear hatch and spoiler.
The result is an aggressive coupe that will launch from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds and top out at 199 mph. (And we’re betting somewhere, deep in the Audi engineering caverns a team is hard at work trying to push the figure up at least 1 more mph.)
The official price tag? Try $196,800 (before you add in $1,250 for destination charges, taxes and everything else your dealer will throw in). And Audi reveals that just 90 of the new R8 GTs will be coming to the States. Better check with your broker to see if you’ve got enough cash in the account.