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Video: Audi R8 GT Parade
Audi only built 666 units (strange number, no?) for their Audi R8 GT Coupe and Spyder versions, so the chance of seeing one on the street is pretty rare. The chance of seeing a parade of them is even slimmer, if not impossible. Then again, if you went to the Nurburgring 24 Hours race where Audi pushed its way to incredible results, you would have seen this aforementioned parade before the race even took place. Talk about some positive energy fueling the racers! As a reminder, both versions are powered by the same 5.2 liter V10 engine that delivers a total of 560 HP and 398 lbs-ft of torque. The R8 GT Spyder will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, while the R8 GT Coupe makes the sprint in 3.6 seconds. Top speeds are 196.97 mph and 198.8 mph, respectively.
Video: Red Bull Audi R8 LMS racing around abandoned racetrack in Spain
Most racetracks are constructed so well that they last for decades after use has discontinued and unless they are made into housing developments, they will often stand the test of time and the Autódromo de Sitges-Terramar is no exception to that rule. Constructed way back in 1922 after just 300 days of work, the Terramar circuit was only used for 3 years before it was abandoned and has never been used since, until now. Professional racing drivers Carlos Sainz and Miguel Molina recently took a Red Bull-sponsored Audi R8 LMS racer to the 60 degree banked circuit to put on what can only be described as a true work of art. In addition to the eight minute long video accompanying the article, a selection of incredible pictures were also shot during the occasion. Despite the track being broken, bruised, and battered, it would have been an incredible experience for the two-time WRC champion and DTM racers.
Audi gets first over victory in the Nurburgring 24 Hours with R8 LMS Ultra
 
Audi just had a successful weekend despite terrible weather clouding the day; the company managed to record its first overall victory in the Nurburgring 24 Hours with the new Audi R8 LMS ultra. The car was driven by German driver quartet Marc Basseng/Christopher Haase/Frank Stippler/Markus Winkelhock, while Christian Abt/Michael Ammermüller/Armin Hahne/Christian Mamerow from Team Mamerow Racing completed the one-two success. This latest win adds to the overall success acquired by Audi in this particular event. In June 2011, the brand celebrated its tenth victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the R18 TDI LMP sports prototype. In July 2011, the customer racing R8 LMS race car also won the 24 hour classic at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium for the first time. "We are absolutely delighted about this long desired victory," explained Dieter Gass, Head of Racing Commitments at Audi Sport. "For three years the Audi R8 LMS was always the best GT3 car at the Nürburgring. Now we have taken overall victory in the fight with seven other brands. Over the last 24 hours nothing whatsoever was handed to us on a plate. Our victorious drivers and teams produced a fantastic, consistent and error free performance. My sincerest congratulations go to our winners. This victory in a race car closely related to the production based car once again proves that Audi Sport customer racing provides its customers with a well refined, versatile and successful race car."
Spy Shots: Facelift Audi R8 finally makes an appearance
 Back in March, Audi unveiled the first teaser video announcing "the new R8 is coming!" Well, it’s been a couple of months and there’s been no sign of the R8...until now. Our spy photographers have come across an R8 prototype as it was finishing up some of its testing. Guess, we’ll be waiting a lot longer than we would like to see the car in full production garbs. The R8 facelift prototype in these images is heavily camouflaged - dizzyingly so - but we can still make out the new hexagon shaped grille that is similar to the one seen on the Audi R8 e-Tron prototype, the new headlights with LED technology, and the new rear lights. At the rear, the new R8 has also received new exhaust pipes similar to the ones on the R8 GT. While the exterior will only see minor changes, the biggest change will be made under the hood. Audi will offer the same choice of V8 and V10 engines, but with an increased output of 444 HP (V8) and 533 HP (V10). Expect to see the new Audi R8 facelift launched in September at the 2012 Paris Auto Show. UPDATE 05/22/2012: It’s been less than an hour since we published images of a highly camouflaged Audi R8 facelift, and now our photographers have sent us new images with the next R8, but this time completely naked! Enjoy!!
Video: Making of the Audi R8 drifting tribute
A few days ago Audi has unveiled a pretty cool video presenting Audi R8 drifting as a tribute to their 500,000 German Facebook fans. Today the company has unveiled another video presenting the details behind the making of the first video. The car was driven by Dindo Capello who talks about this impressive experience. He considers that the most difficult part was making the "5:" "In the past, it would have been impossible to something like that without preparing the car for the event but now, with a Audi road car, you can do it." The Audi R8 is powered by a 5.2 liter V10 engine that delivers 518 HP and 391 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a seven-speed dual clutch S-tronic gearbox and sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and up to a top speed of 197 mph. Audi R8 caught on tape fleeing hit and run incident
Driving a high-performance car comes with various pros and cons. Whether you own a full-blown supercar, muscle car, or simply a sports car with a high power-to-weight ratio, controlling your right foot and the throttle pedal is, and always has been, a delicate balance. This is thoroughly demonstrated in the featured video. Filmed somewhere in Russia, the video depicts an Audi R8 supercar cruising the Russian streets before slamming into what’s suspected to be a Lada Samara in just a matter of seconds. As you’ll soon see, the R8 is seen making a U-turn from one direction of flow to the opposite direction of flow, before performing yet another U-turn just seconds after the first one. It’s currently unclear why the R8 driver did this, but the result is as plain as day. While performing the second U-turn, the driver either intentionally or unintentionally kicked the tail of the rear-wheel drive supercar out, performing a drift Ken Block would be proud of. However, the result wouldn’t make anyone proud. After drifting into traffic, the R8 smashes into a Lada Samara which rolls after the impact. However, instead of checking to see if the occupants were uninjured, the R8 driver instead paused momentarily while remaining in the car, before speeding off from the scene, even running a red light to escape the scene. Although no number plates can be seen in the video, it’s likely to be crucial part of evidence if police decide to investigate the matter further. Remember, please don’t try this at home!
Video: Audi celebrates its 500,000 German Facebook fans with R8 drifting
After Ferrari revealed a video showing the 458 Italia doing burnouts in order to celebrate its 8 million Facebook fans, Audi is trying to steal their thunder by unveiling a similar video. The German company is celebrating their 500,000 German Facebook fans with a video showing the Audi R8 drifting in the hands of Dindo Capello somewhere in Barcelona, Spain Make sure you check out the video and remember, not to try any of this at home. Capello is a professional and more than likely, this was performed on a closed course. As a reminder, the Audi R8 is powered by a 5.2 liter V10 engine that delivers 518 HP and 391 lb-ft of torque. The future R8 will be even more impressive with a retuned V10 that will produce 533 HP. This engine will be mated with a new seven-speed dual clutch S-tronic gearbox. Spy Shots: Audi R8 e-Tron caught testing at Nurburgring
 Usually, when an auto maker wants to rev their car’s engine as loud as possible when pushing it to its limit, they take it to the Nurburgring race track. This time, however, our spy photographers had a few problems hearing the prototype testing at the famous race track and almost skipped it entirely. That’s because the prototype is the Audi R8 e-tron test mule. The R8 e-tron is not a secret anymore and every car addict knows that a production version will arrive sometime next year, but this prototype still shows that Audi is meaning business with their e-tron projects. As you can see from the spy shots and may already know, the future R8 e-tron will look almost the same as the standard R8 sports car, except for the lack of exhaust pipes due to the fact that this a zero-emissions model. Then there’s the change in the rear window where fans can typically check out the V8 or V10 engines. That’s been covered up now that the engines are non-existent and there is also a big hole for the cooling of the batteries. A production version of the Audi R8 e-tron will arrive in 2013, built in limited numbers.
Video: Three-year old cutie still loves her dad’s Audi R8 Spyder
Safety and parenting issues notwithstanding, this video is about as cute as it gets. We all remember Cris Ostberg as the dude who once put his then 18-month old daughter in the front passenger seat of his Audi R8 V10 Spyder while she gleefully shouted "turbo!" every chance she got. Fast forward to 2012 and the little sweetheart is now three years old. But while she’s gotten bigger, her love for the Audi R8 V10 Spyder doesn’t appear to have waned in the least. In this new video, Ostberg was careful to follow all the safety precautions to ensure that his daughter wouldn’t be hurt, including switching off the passenger airbags. Understandably, some folks might have a problem with Ostberg’s rather loose interpretation of responsible parenting, but if you can put that aside, the sight of his daughter continuing in her "turbo!!!" exaltation is just too cute to ignore. Let’s just hope that dear old Cris doesn’t get any genius ideas and let his daughter drive the R8 V10 Spyder on her 4th birthday.
Facelifted Audi R8 to sport dual-clutch transmission
 The Audi R8 has been an extremely successful car for Audi, as it was originally launched as their first real attempt to compete with modern-day supercars. And boy did they deliver. The R8 is now offered in an array of versions, including the popular R8 V10 which uses the same 5.2-liter engine as the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, but just like every other car, there comes a time when it has to be updated and the facelifted R8 is set to debut in just a few months. Various spy shots have been captured of the stunning supercar, and the biggest visual changes are set to be its redesigned headlights and taillights. Although they’re expected to largely maintain their shape, the design of the actual lights within will be very different. A difference which will only be clearly noticeable at night, but a change nonetheless. However, the biggest change will happen underneath, as the 2013 model is set to feature a twin-clutch transmission, if Autocar is to be believed. Up until this point, the R8 has only been offered with either a traditional six-speed manual or a paddle-shift operated ‘box, but the inclusion of a DCT should do wonders for sales of the R8. Even though the R8’s successor is being prepped for a release in the next two years, Audi went all out to redesign the tub, suspension, and engine carrier to support the larger gearbox, and this has us coming to one solid conclusion. We’re doubtful Audi would go to that much effort just to get a few more sales and keep up with the competition, and instead believe that the R8’s successor will make use of the same tub and S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox. Additionally, the R8 V10’s engine is set for a slight horsepower increase up from 525BHP to 540BHP, but it’s currently unclear if this engine will be retained in the future model. Either way, it’s great to see Audi updating the R8 to keep up with the times and we’re extremely excited about the 2014 or 2015 model also, which is set to be a true evolution of the car. | featured reviews:Audi R8 latest reviews:Audi R8 tuning:
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