Audi will end production of the R8 supercar next year, in a significant step towards the wholesale transformation and, ultimately, electrification of the Audi Sport brand.
The Audi R8 and Audi TT (also bowing out in 2023) have been pivotal in establishing Audi Sport as a bona fide competitor for the likes of BMW M and Mercedes-AMG, serving as low-volume but highly recognisable halo models of a line-up that includes some of the best-selling performance cars on sale today.
Their withdrawal is especially significant because of the rarity of their engines. The R8 is one of only two cars on sale today with a V10 and the five-cylinder turbo unit in the Audi TT RS is the last of its kind in series production.
As electric power beckons for the cars’ successors (see below), the Audi R8 GT RWD and Audi TT RS Iconic Edition have been introduced as highly exclusive commemorative variants – each the final entry into its series.
The former is the last outing for Audi’s venerable atmospheric V10 (the last of this configuration still in series production) and is at once the most powerful rear-driven Audi yet and the firm’s most expensive production car.
It’s the final new variant of the mid-engined supercar as we know it, production of which will come to a close next year, and just 15 of the 333 examples will come to the UK, expected to be priced above £200,000.
Output from the 5.2-litre unit – shared with the Lamborghini Huracán, which is also due to sign off next year – has been boosted from 562bhp in the standard R8 RWD up to 612bhp; 20kg of weight has been shaved off; and the gearbox has been tweaked for quicker shifts, taking the GT from 0-62mph in just 3.4sec and on to 199mph.
Plus, there’s a new seven-stage rear traction control system that can be adjusted for the desired compromise between accuracy and flamboyance. The so-called 'Torque Rear Drive' mode' appears for the first time on the new GT, allowing for a "little slippage" in setting one and "a lot of slippage" in position seven. It also distributes power automatically across the rear axle according to the road conditions and driving scenario, using data from sensors on the wheels, accelerator pedal, steering rack and ECU.
Join the debate
Add your comment
Reading the report above and that at Car & Driver I would suggest the lesser R8's make a more compelling road car than this, in the same way that a GT3 is a better road car than a GT3RS. This limited edition run-out version is for the speculators and collectors, and that's fine.