Topspeed:Rear-Wheel Drive Audi R8 V10 Teased Before Frankfurt
Audi has just released a brief teaser video of what appears to be the rear-wheel drive R8 V10 prior to the supercar’s Frakfurt Motor Show debut.
Pretty idiotic move from Audi in my opinion but it remains to be seen.
They better offer a R8 GT, would make more sense.
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet (2015), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)
Limited Edition Audi R8 V10 RWS Is A Supercar Made For Purists
Audi has revealed the new member of the R8 family, the limited edition RWS which stands for Rear Wheel Series.
The new R8 V10 RWS will be available in both the Coupe and Spyder versions and, as you might have guessed already, is exclusively rear-driven, ditching the all-wheel drive the standard model uses.
KresoF1:Price in Germany is 140.000,00€ with Mwst and that is actually an amazing price.
Not really, considering that you can get a slightly used first year production V10 Plus for almost the same money.
This car is an "emergency" product born out of the necessity to offer a cheaper model to get rid of the many parts ordered from suppliers (wild guess) and to keep the production(s) up and running (they are still selling Huracans...).
Audi planned to offer the 2.9 l Biturbo V6 with 480-500 hp in this car but they decided against it in the last minute. Didn't make sense since R8 sales are weak and no successor is planned. Actually, I'm not even sure a facelift will come (I assume yes but you never know...).
There is only one good thing about this car: It will offer the possibility to enter the super sportscar world to people who never considered it. Also keep in mind that chip tuning this car to over 600 hp is a piece of cake since the V10 engine is the same (up to the latest screw and bolt) in all R8 models. No technical differences. At all.
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet (2015), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)
Used R8s are super cheap, so yeah, not really amazing value unless you absolutely have to buy new.
The price is more inline with the gen 1, which was one of the reasons for its success, but with used cars being plentiful and at such steep discounts, I can't see many people wanting to dip their toes in at 140K with this when they could easily find a V10 Plus for not much more.
noone1:Used R8s are super cheap, so yeah, not really amazing value unless you absolutely have to buy new.
The price is more inline with the gen 1, which was one of the reasons for its success, but with used cars being plentiful and at such steep discounts, I can't see many people wanting to dip their toes in at 140K with this when they could easily find a V10 Plus for not much more.
Used one...not new.
The only V10 rear wheel drive model making sense is actually the Spyder. 540 hp...open top...V10 sound...for the money of a 911 Carrera S Cab.
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet (2015), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)
Sep 13, 2017 3:58:03 PM
"Audi is ready to join the hypercar party"
(13 September 2017)
The boss of Audi Sport (formerly quattro GmbH) Stephan Winkelmann, has revealed that he and his “people” are investigating building a hypercar to rival the Mercedes-AMG Project One and Aston Martin Valkyrie. The former Lamborghini CEO was speaking to TopGear.com at this week’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
When asked if Audi was interested in launching a hypercar, he replied: “In my opinion yes, it’s clear that we have developed the R8 completely – but it’s a very young car with a long life cycle, we will have derivatives. And then we have to enlarge our product portfolio.
“We will go from 11 to 16 cars in the next three years, this is a major effort but the halo car, the repositioning car, is something my people are thinking about. I have my ideas, they have theirs, we have to see when there is enough space to do something like this. But to be sure this brand deserves something like this.”
Early days then, and no concrete details on the tech direction as yet. However, given the VW Group’s punchy Roadmap E strategy announced in Frankfurt – a promise to offer its entire 300 model range with at least one electric or hybrid variant by 2030 – you’d be a fool to bet against it being anything other than a showcase for future electrification possibilities. In fact, Winkelmann recently told TopGear.com that he wasn’t working on a hybrid hypercar, suggesting all-electric is his preferred route, one that could draw a link between road cars and Audi’s participation in Formula E.
“Does it have to be aligned with motorsport? Not necessarily, but if you can find a link it’s perfect. Formula E could be an opportunity for sure, but it doesn’t necessarily have to go in that direction,” said Winkelmann.
It’s not the first time Audi has felt the lure of a multi-million pound halo model. In 2012, during his tenure as Audi’s boss of technical development, Wolfgang Dürheimer (now in charge of Bentley and Bugatti) voiced his desire to leverage the company’s success at Le Mans with a diesel-electric hypercar… a project he couldn’t get past the accountants and just as well – four years later and Audi quit endurance racing to focus on Formula E.
While details surrounding the hypercar are murky, Winkelmann is crystal clear on what form the first electrified RS model will take: “It’s not easy to use electrification in performance cars, but we think there will be a shift and a trend that’s unstoppable. We will start with one and it will be a BEV, not a plug-in hybrid or hybrid.
“It will arrive between 2020 and 2021 and the key is what range can you have, what is the top speed, how long can you hold the top speed, how many times can you accelerate and what is the distance covered in the first 2.5 seconds – this is the new way of looking at things. And I’m definitely not thinking about an R8 as the battery electric vehicle, I see more a sporty limousine or a sporty SUV as a first try.”
Top Gear link: https://www.topgear.com/car-news/frankfurt-motor-show/audi-ready-join-hypercar-party
Sep 13, 2017 5:54:07 PM
Sep 14, 2017 8:31:19 AM
DaveGordon:Exit the sports car market (R8 discontinuation) and introduce a halo sportscar??
I don't get this either...maybe they changed the decision? It was reported in two major publications as well (at the same time I reported it here, with more details...so definitely not based on "my" rumor), pretty weird.
it’s clear that we have developed the R8 completely – but it’s a very young car with a long life cycle, we will have derivatives
So how long is he planning to continue the current R8 if the next gen development has been discontinued?
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet (2015), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)
I still dont get the entire idea. The car is too powerful for a 2WD. The R8 is performing so great, the 4WD does an amazing job. Why would you change this? 50kg less on the front
Pricewise - the R8 is probably the sports car with the highest depreciation here in Germany. This 2WD will make things not better.
Lars997:I still dont get the entire idea. The car is too powerful for a 2WD. The R8 is performing so great, the 4WD does an amazing job. Why would you change this? 50kg less on the front
Cheaper...they needed a cheaper model. They threw out AWD completely (incl. the front axle cooling system as far as I understood) and the 50 kg weight reduction is only vs. the V10. The V10 Plus is basically the same weight.
Pricewise - the R8 is probably the sports car with the highest depreciation here in Germany. This 2WD will make things not better.
I agree, it may actually make things worse but like I said, I guess they needed a cheaper model and marketing did a great job (I think) to "mask" it as some sport of special edition sports model.
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet (2015), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)
Gorgeous spec
https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/audi/r8-spyder/52-fsi-v10-plus-quattro-2dr-s-tronic/first-drive
1992 Mercedes-Benz W124 500E / 2003 BMW M3 CSL (sold) / 2008 Porsche 911 GT3 RS / 2014 BMW-Alpina D3 biturbo Touring / 2014 BMW-Alpina B3 biturbo Touring Allrad
Rossi:sfo:stunning colour combination
Very British.
British and elegant.
I was actually thinking about switching my R8 Coupe for a R8 V10 Plus Spyder (as a keeper, most powerful V10 plus cabriolet) along the way but I'm not so sure I like that rear wing lip. Not really looking good in my opinion but Audi may offer (rumors) the Plus Coupe rear wing as an option in a couple of months, apparently I'm not the only one who dislikes it.
If I knew for sure that a R8 GT is coming (based on current Huracan Performante), I would definitely choose that one as a keeper but right now, I don't know what is going on at Audi. Neither my sales guy nor the general manager of the Audi dealership group knew about the R8 RWS, they got the information only a few days before IAA. Actually, they were told a few months ago the the 2.9 l V6 Biturbo is coming as an entry level model...
So everyone is a bit scared with what is going on at Audi and VW Group right now, model decisions seem to happen basically last minute.
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet (2015), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)
SciFrog:I like RC “keepers” that get flipped every 2-3 years
Leases...I have to flip them.
Seriously: I plan to keep the R8 but I don't know how much I'd have to pay at the end of the lease. Depends on the market at that time. This is why I am looking at the alternative to get a R8 GT instead or a R8 V10 Plus Facelift, so I get another 3-4 years lease and enough time to come up with the money I'd need.
Of course I cannot exclude that Porsche makes that 960 I really want, so I come back to Porsche but right now, with the whole emissions and sound emissions stuff going on in Germany, I think that a car like the R8 will be one of the last of it's kind.
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet (2015), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)
Na Mezger:
Turbo Cabriolet has the same chassis as the Turbo S Cabriolet as far as I know.
R8 V10 Spyder has a much "softer" setup than the Plus version, Sport Auto actually criticized Audi for this setup on the Spyder because it feels more like an Audi A6 sedan than a sportscar. I drove the R8 V10 Spyder and I do not agree with Sport Auto, the R8 V10 Spyder is still fun to drive but it lacks the directness and go-kart (now someone will object to that expression... ) feel of the V10 Plus Coupe chassis. Especially when you drive the car close to the limit, the Spyder suddenly kind of creases over and looses that directness of the Coupe. The same is btw. valid for the V10 Coupe (non Plus model). The mysteries of Audi...
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet (2015), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)
Audi has quietly raised CO2 figures for all R8 models, which is weird.
I assume it has something to do with the current VW emissions scandal and the strong headwind Audi is facing right now as well.
RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet (2015), Porsche Cayenne S Diesel (2017), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mini JCW (2015)