The Audi R8 was a runaway success for the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer’s first stab at “supercar-dom”, but just over year after its release, the R8 will silence any existing critics when Audi releases the R8 V10 at the Detroit Show next month.
Already a very distinctively-designed vehicle, the R8 V10 now features even more styling cues to distinguish it from its V8-engined counterpart – including 10-spoke Y-design 19-inch alloys wrapped in 235/35 tyres up front and 295/30 rubber at the rear. All-LED headlamps are now standard equipment, leading Audi to claim that its the world’s first automaker to use LEDs for the high beam, low beam, daytime running lights and turn signals!
The front air inlets and lip spoiler are finished in high-gloss black, while the vanes of the single-frame grille boast a chrome finish. The trademark vertical air scoops “side-blades” are more pronounced to feed more air to the mid-mounted engine and the side sills are wider than before.
To create the necessary downforce to keep the R8 V10 in firm contact with the asphalt, Audi has included a rear spoiler that automatically deploys at 100 km/h and a completely-enclosed underbody, complemented by a sharply upward-curved diffuser. The rear air outlets feature two cross braces instead of four in a high-gloss black finish, while the exhaust system ends in two large oval taipipes.
Based on the unit used in the Gallardo LP560-4 (Gallardo and R8 share the same platform), the 5,2-litre V10 engine with direct injection mounted amidships produces 386 kW at 8 000 r/min and 530 N.m of torque at 6 500 r/min and is just 31 kg heavier than the V8 in the R8. Combined with a six-speed manual gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive, the R8 will sprint from standstill to 100 km/h in a claimed 3,9 seconds, to 200 km/h in a smidgen over 8 seconds and its reportedly capable of a 316-km/h top speed. In 2009, the V10 will also have its first taste of competition as Audi prepares a new R8 racing car for teams competing in FIA GT3 class racing.
Featuring an ideal 44 to 56 per cent axle load distribution, the renowned handling of the R8 is further improved with the use of dual-aluminium wishbones in the front and rear suspension systems. Audi magnetic ride adapts the characteristics of the suspension in milliseconds to the nature of the road surface and to the driving style. Eight-piston calipers retard the 380 mm front discs while four-piston calipers pinch the 356-mm rear units. The R8 V10 is also available with a lightweight ceramic disc braking system that reportedly has a service life of approximately 300 000 km.
Highlights of the R8 V10’s interior include heated seats covered in Nappa leather, a driver information- and navigation system plus, Bang & Olufsen sound system, and automatic air conditioning, while the features list includes niceties such as the Audi parking system with integrated rear-view camera and bucket seats from the Audi exclusive programme. Luggage space is nothing to write home about, but there is 100 dm3 of space under the front lid and 90 dm3 behind the seats.
The 5,2 FSI quattro will have its world launch in the second quarter of 2009, and according to a source, the newcomer will arrive in South Africa a short while later.