When it comes to endurance racing, Audi->ke14 has been pretty successful. In the past 15 years, the brand has claimed 13 overall wins in the Le Mans 24 Hours,->ke1591 and since the Audi R8 LMS made its debut back in 2009, the brand has managed to collect more than 300 wins across the globe. Those wins include a class victory at Daytona and a win at the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring last year with the latest Audi R8 LMS.

That win at the Nurburgring kicked off a successful racing year for Audi Sport, bringing the victory tally up to 323 since 2009. So, with that kind of history behind it, it’s only fitting that Audi pays homage to its resident race car with a special edition->ke2041 Audi R8 Coupe V10 Plus, dubbed the “Selection 24h.” It's a limited-production model, with just 24 examples slated for production and a number of “technical” add-ons that make it stand out from the pack.

The Audi R8->ke1440 Selection 24h will be on public display at the Audi AG presentation area in the paddock at the 24 Hours Nurburgring, which will be the car’s first time on display and mark its official debut to the public. The order books for the Selection 24h are now open, with the special model priced at €229,999 ($260,842 at current exchange rates, 05/10/2016). Surely, the few examples being built will be spoken for fast, so let’s take a closer look at it and what Audi did to make it so special.

Continue reading to learn more about the Audi R8 Coupé V10 Plus "Selection 24h" Edition.

2017 Audi R8 Coupé V10 Plus "Selection 24h" Edition

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2017 Audi R8 Coupé V10 Plus "Selection 24h" Edition
  • Engine/Motor: V10
  • Horsepower: 610
  • Torque: 413
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

What makes the Audi R8 Coupé V10 Plus "Selection 24h" Edition special

To make the Selection 24h, Audi is starting with 24 R8 V10 Coupe Plus models plucked directly from its production line. From the look of things, the Selection 24h doesn’t have any drivetrain upgrades to speak of, but that’s ok considering the car already delivers 610 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. That power is delivered to all four wheels via Audi’s Quattro AWD system. For the uninitiated readers out there, that's enough to push the R8 to 62 mph in 3.2 seconds on the way to a maximum speed of 205 mph. For the record, the Audi R8 V10 Plus is the fastest and most powerful production Audi of all time. See – like I said – not bad, right?

On the outside, there are lots of parts made from gloss-finished carbon fiber, including the engine compartment cover, rear wing, diffuser, front spoiler, and the exterior mirror housings. Furthermore, the side skirts are matte-finished and feature an “R8 24h” logo so anyone who lays eyes on it knows exactly what it is. The outlets on the sport exhaust system now have black trim, and the car rolls on 20-inch forged aluminum wheels. Those wheels, by the way, come in a 10-spoke Y design and are finished in gloss anthracite black. As you can see, the little bits of gloss-finished carbon fiber, along with the little red accents, really stand out against the white finish on the body.

Inside, performance becomes one with luxury. The Selection 24h comes with full-leather upholstery and trim in rotor gray, plus there's an Alcantara headliner. The air vents, inlays around the virtual cockpit, and door sill trim are all made from gloss-finished carbon fiber, which helps to tie the exterior to the interior. Furthermore, the inlays around the virtual cockpit also feature the matte-finished “R8 24h” logo, just like the side skirts outside. The illuminated door sill trims also display the serial number of the car (from 1 to 24.) The only exclusive feature to speak of is the entry lights on the doors. They project an Audi R8 logo onto the ground, which is a feature that will be made available to customers in the future through Audi Exclusive.

So, at the end of the day, there really isn’t that much about the car that makes it exclusive. Most of the “technical” add-ons are already available, and those that aren’t will be soon enough. That means you could probably order a similar Audi R8 V10 Plus with everything minus the serial number on the door sill trim and the “R8 24h” logos. Sure, all that carbon fiber and the paint scheme are nice, but the price tag comes to a whopping $260,000 – that’s a $70,000 premium when compared to the everyday $189,900 R8 V10 Plus.

Audi R8 Coupé V10 Plus

The Audi R8 hit the market in 2007 and was offered as a strong option for those who didn’t want to shell out the cheddar to park a Ferrari or Lamborghini in the driveway. The problem with the R8, however, was that it aged rather quickly, and by the time we got to 2015, an update was needed. It took another two years, but with the 2017 model year vehicles slowly trickling into showrooms, the second-gen R8 is finally here. With the second generation, the V-8 engine is long gone, leaving the V-10 as the only option. In base form, the R8 comes with 540 horsepower and 388 pound-feet of torque, which is routed to all four wheels via a seven-speed S Tronic transmission and Audi’s Quattro AWD system. The R8 V10 Plus model offers up 610 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. Audi released pricing for the 2017 R8 back in January of 2016, with the base model commanding $162,900 and the R8 V10 Plus commanding $27,000 more with a ticket price of $189,900.

Read our full review on the Audi R8 Coupé V10 Plus here.