Thus far, everyone at the CAR Magazine office has been transfixed by the arrival of the Audi R8.Yet, despite this car’s snarling 4,2-litre V8, the folks at Ingolstadt are already working on a more powerful, V10 engined, version of the lithe sports car.
Many will remember the previous R8 V10 test car that burst into flames at the Nürburgring back in April. Well, Audi appears to be working through the problem and has resumed testing a V10-powered prototype. The testers are, however, mindful of the pyrotechnic end that the previous car met, so Audi has equipped the latest test car with an electronically operated foam fire-extinguisher, seen in the second picture as a set of red buttons adjacent to the driver’s side mirror.
The nature of the new powerplant is still subject to much speculation. Audi has yet to confirm if the R8 will use the same 426 kW twin-turbo V10 doing service in the RS6 or a naturally aspirated unit similar to that of the Lamborghini Gallardo.
So as not to tread on Lamborghini’s toes, it would be fair to assume that the R8 V10 will come in right around 373 kW, and the Gallardo’s powerplant would receive a shot in the arm to the tune of 400 kW or more.
Apart from the stealth bomber matte black paint scheme and lack of badging, the prototype car does not wear any disguise cladding and gives a good indication of what the final car will look like.
The enlarged side scoops will help to channel more air towards the ten-cylinder engine, while lower side sills with an additional flared section that run along the length of the wheelbase give this über-R8 a more aggressive stance that hints at the clout in the engine bay, but does not overly interfere with the R8’s clean lines.
With the power hike comes a great deal of speculation regarding the name that will be given to this new model. Some sources have ventured that the R8 monicker will be upgraded to R10, but it seems unlikely that Audi would wish to cause an identity clash between this car and its diesel-powered Le Mans racer.
The RS8 badge has also been suggested, but this could also pose a problem – potentially causing some confusion between the A8 and S8 models, as well as hampering Audi’s ability to release a more powerful “R” badged version of the A8 later on. A more likely tag for this vehicle would be R8-S, in a similar vein to the nomenclature applied to the TT-S – a sporty version of the TT, with a tweaked version of the company’s turbocharged 2,0-litre powerplant.
To read CARtoday.com Editor, Mike Fourie’s, driving impression of the Audi R8 Click here.
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