The Audi R8 is the German automaker’s current top of the line model based on the Le Mans Quattro concept car. Thanks to lightweight aluminum construction the mid engine super car weighed in at under 3,500 lbs when it was introduced in 2006. The original 4.2 Liter FSI V8 powered car made 420 HP and 320 lb-ft of torque sprinting the four wheel drive dream machine from 0 to 60 MPH in 4.4 sec, through the quarter mile in 12.8 sec at 113.2 MPH and up to 187 MPH while an updated version will offer a Lamborghini 5.2 Liter V10 making 520 HP and 390 lb-ft of thrust and gets to the 60 MPH mark in only 3.9 seconds and all the way up to 196.4 MPH. The road car is named after the LMP1 endurance race car that won the ALMS title from 2000 thru 2006 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 2000 until 2005 only to be beaten in 2003 by a closed roof version from VW family member, the Bentley Speed 8.
After the E-tron concept and the E-tron Detroit Show car, Audi has brought us the e-tron technology platform based on the R8 from the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. This has turned out to be more than just a publicity stunt or science experiment. Audi is serious about bringing this car to market and has taken the time to develop a completely new ideology behind this electric R8 and the normal gasoline version.
Having the exterior design of the car already completed and in supercar form it was an easier job for the Audi engineers to develop an electric version than if they would have had to start from scratch. The mid-engine design of the R8 provides the perfect location to store heavy batteries without distorting the weight balance that Audi wanted to achieve. In essence, this electric version should be able to compete on the same levels as its V8 and V10 brothers, but will it be as exhilarating?
That all depends on what the driver sees as excitement – The V10 version will provide an unbridled amount of power and harmonious soundtrack to go along with it, but the electric version will incorporate some of the most innovative technology available today. Being able to reach high top speeds in the least amount of time is the most important thing that a sports car can deliver, if it can do it by using batteries than we don’t really see a problem. If Audi can truly create an exciting Quattro experience with its new E-Tron R8 than they will have accomplished something truly special in this emerging market.
UPDATE 09/12/2011: Audi is trying to keep the market’s interest on their new R8 E-Tron by bringing a near-production model to the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. They are calling it the "technology demonstrator" and showing off its four electric motors and a new exterior design. This pre-production model features a new grille, new carbon fiber front and rear bumpers, new rims, LED lights, and, as the most impressive addition, a highly ventilated hood.
Hit the jump for more details on the Audi R8 E-Tron.
This week’s episode of The Car Show packed many of the things that were vacant from the last week’s episode. Yes, we said it, there was much more Car Show and a lot less filler crap.
Some of the mini segments did make their way into the show, including 0-60 (one of our favorites), Behind the Wheel, and of course, One for the Road. Aside from that, there were more celebrity appearances with two different interviews and a trip up the German Autobahn and down the Pacific Coast Highway in an Audi R8 V10 Spyder.
If anyone finds Adam Carolla the least bit annoying then you’ll be happy to know that he participates in Red Bull’s SoapBox Derby and falls a little short of the finish line. One nasty scrape later and he still finds a way to piss people off. All for the love of cars.
Hit the jump for more details on The Car Show: Season 1 Episode 8.
There are many ways in which two supercars can upstage one another, but nothing is more glorious to the ears than a good ol’ fashion rev-one-upsmanship.
The protagonists on this video are a Ferrari F430 and an Audi R8. Each car comes with a bonafide monster of an engine - the F430 has a naturally-aspirated 4.3-liter V8 engine with 510 horsepower while the R8 comes with a 4.2-liter V8 engine that has an output of 420 horsepower. Basically, there won’t be any shortage of noise in both of them.
The question now is which of these two supercars is louder than the other. Personally speaking, the German supercar makes for an impressive ear-crackling sound, but in this case, we’ll give the nod to the Italian stallion, which has made a tradition out of producing some of the most powerful machines on the planet.
But at the end of the day, supercar enthusiasts will love waking up to this kind of sound from either of these mammoth beasts, so really, there are no losers here; just the sound of revving monsters that’s music to all out ears.
The Audi R8 has been one of the most popular sportscars in the past few years, particularly because when it was first unveiled at the 2006 Paris Auto Show, it came with a cutting edge design that propelled the German automaker’s first true sportscar into the stratosphere. However, the popular belief is that while other brands have introduced fresh takes on their exotics, the R8 has remained virtually the same. What this means is that it just might be time for Audi to give their supercar a much-needed successor.
Nothing has been announced yet, but a leaked photo courtesy of Fourtitude.com has people wondering whether a new R8 will arrive sooner than any of us thought. Looking at the photo, you wouldn’t be remiss if you thought that what you’re looking at is the new front end of the R8. The changes are noticeably different, particularly Audi’s new hexagonal front grille and a new razor-thin lights set-up that stretches from the quarter panel all the way to the grille.
In terms of the powertrain, there’s word that Audi will continue to offer V8 and V10 engine options for the R8, to go with Quattro all-wheel drive. Some have indicated, however, that prototypes of the car have been seen using 2.5 and 3.0-liter TFSI engines. Whether these speculations have merits to them or not, one thing that’s becoming evident is that the R8 needs a make-over.
And if this photo is any indication of what the next-generation R8 is going to look like, then we’re getting ready to have our heads blown off.
We’ve seen a lot of racing simulators in our time, but we haven’t seen anything quite like what Sony and Audi have done. It’s a Playstation Racing Simulator that has been built in the style of a carbon-black Audi R8 LMS race car.
Granted, the simulator wasn’t based on an actual production model of the Audi racer, but the whole thing was custom-built by the people over at quattro GmbH. The set-up features a bucket seat for the driver, another seat for the passenger, and a roll-cage that’s really more about aesthetics than it is for actual use. Once the driver is comfortably seated inside, he uses a race steering wheel that comes equipped with paddle gear shifters, which together with the foot pedals, are all connected to a Playstation 3. For a more realistic time inside the car, the engineers also added pneumatic cylinders in place of the suspension to bring centrifugal force to the driver during high-speed acceleration, braking, and cornering, and a Dolby Surround system that makes for a realistic time around the track.
The whole set-up first made its debut in Cologne, Germany as part of Gamescom 2011 where European GT3 champion Christopher Mies was on-hand to present the machine to the awestruck audience.
There are plenty of simulators out there that we’d love to own, but there’s nothing quite like this. Imagine having an Audi R8 LMS sitting as the centerpiece of your game room.
