r8

Audi R8 GT Coming to America for $200K

Exclusive. Fast. Stylish. Few cars are as eminently desirable as the Audi R8. More desirable still is the V10-powered R8 5.2 FSI. But at the top of the heap is the R8 GT. Unveiled at the Paris Auto Salon last year, the R8 GT packs the same V10 engine, but tuned to 560 horsepower and with 180 fewer pounds to drag around, it's that much faster.

Only 90 examples of this raw performance machine will be coming to the United States, each carrying a price tag of $196,800, making it the most expensive car Audi offers, and probably the most expensive it ever has.

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Tags: audi, audi r8, audi r8 gt, luxury car, r8, r8 gt, vehi

Audi Debuts the New R8 GT at the Paris Auto Salon

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

As far as mainstream production automakers go, few have managed to impress the way Audi has with the R8. Then the German carmaker kicked things up a notch with the V10-powered R8 5.2 FSI. But for those looking for something even closer to the razor's edge, Audi has now unveiled the new R8 GT at the semi-annual Paris Auto Salon.

The GT model packs the same 5.2-liter V10 as the existing model, but boosts its power up from 525 hp to a full 560. To further unburden the powerplant, Audi has also trimmed 229 lbs off the curb weight, thanks mainly to lighter windows. Only 333 examples will be produced, each carrying a €193,000 ($256k) price tag.

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Tags: 2010 paris, 2010 paris auto salon, 2010 paris auto show, 2010 paris motor show, audi, audi r8, audi r8 5.2 fsi, audi r8 gt, audi r8 v10, paris, paris auto salon, paris auto show, paris motor show, r8, r8 5.2 fsi, r8 gt, r8 v10

Luxist Drives the Audi R8 V10 Spyder, the World's First Unfair Droptop Supercar

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Chas Murphy, until recently the U.S. product manager for Audi's TT, R8 and RS sports cars, said of the R8 V10 Spyder: "You have to drive the car. It can't be put into words." Well, we drove it over the hills and through the woods of the Cleveland (Cali, not Ohio) National Forest, and we can put it into words. Rather, we can put it into one word: unfair.

The ways in which the R8 V10 Spyder is unfair leave us thoroughly taken with this open-air supercar and yet a little melancholy. You see, as good as the R8 V10 Spyder is – and there's no doubt about that – when you look at it, what you behold is the dumbing down of driving civilization. On the upside, this particular kind of dumb is among the most rewarding, outstanding kinds of idiocy you could ever hope to achieve. Find out what we mean after the jump.

Gallery: Luxist Drives the R8 V10 Spyder

Tags: 2011 audi, 2011 audi r8, 2011 audi r8 v10, 2011 audi r8 v10 spyder, audi, audi r8 v10, audi r8 v10 spyder, luxist drives, luxist reviews, r8, r8 v10, r8 v10 spyder

Continue reading “Luxist Drives the Audi R8 V10 Spyder, the World's First Unfair Droptop Supercar”

Audi Announces Availability of R8 4.2 Spyder

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

When a company like Audi unveils a new model, they tend to try to keep things simple by limiting the number of choices available at launch. Makes it easier to meet orders, you see. But once those initial orders are fulfilled, they tend to open up the books to more variety. Case in point: the Audi R8.

First unveiled with a V8 engine, Audi waited a while before introducing the V10 model. But when the convertible Spyder version came along, they did things the other way around, offering it at first only with the V10. Now the German automaker has opened the order books for customers who want the open-air experience of the Spyder with the more economic V8 engine. Customers who opt for the V8 model can still choose from manual or automatic transmissions, available carbon-ceramic brakes and can upgrade to the V10 version's larger wheels and upgraded suspension. So if you've been hankering for an R8 Spyder but the V10 has been a little out of reach, now could be your time.

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Audi R8 Spyder

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Tags: audi, audi r8, audi r8 4.2, audi r8 4.2 fsi, audi r8 4.2 fsi spyder, audi r8 4.2 spyder, audi r8 spyder, r8, r8 spyder

World Class Driving Adds the Audi R8 V10 to its US Supercar Tour

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

World Class Driving runs holds a number of programs around the country that will put you into exotics from around the world and let you try for your best time around a track or try to get to 200 miles per hour. Its U.S. Supercar Tour is a five-hour event laid out on more than 100 miles of public roads that you'll pilot from the driver's seat in a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley and now Audi. The 518-horsepower all-wheel-drive R8 V10 has been added to the touring fleet, and you'll now have a chance to get it to sixty in 3.9 seconds and see why it once was the preferred ride of Tony Stark. The US Supercar Tour will hit 45 cities this year and runs $1,695 per driver, $300 per non-driving passenger.

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Tags: audi, audi r8 v10, bentley, ferrari, lamborghini, r8, r8 v10, us supercar tour, world class driving

Less Weight, More Power: Audi Announces Limited-Edition R8 GT

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Making a car – especially an exotic supercar – go even faster may be a complicated business, but the idea is simplicity itself: decrease the weight, and increase the power. It's the same notion that has made such supercars as the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera better performers than their progenitors. And now Audi's applied the same formula to its R8.

To make the R8 GT, Audi has fitted thinner glass (replacing that giant rear window over the engine bay with a plastic one) and replaced many of the aluminum body panels with carbon fiber, shedding 220 lbs off the curb weight. Meanwhile, the German automaker has increased output from the 5.2-liter V10 from 525 horsepower to 560. Mated to the R-Tronic semi-automatic transmission, the R8 GT runs from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds and tops out just shy of 200 miles per hour.

Audi will only make 333 examples of the R8 GT, selling for €193,000 ($256,000) apiece.

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Tags: audi, audi r8, audi r8 gt, exotic, r8, r8 gt, supercar

Fleet-Footed Greenery: Audi to Cap e-tron Sales At 1,000 Units?

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

Audi e-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Audi may not be positioning itself as a "green brand," but it's still putting a rather big toe into the environmentally-friendly waters of electric sportscars with its R8-based e-tron, which is reportedly headed for production in 2012.

As a refresher – as if you needed one – the e-tron debuted as a concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September with some truly impressive statistics: four separate electric motors with 230 kW (313 horsepower) and 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 pound-feet) of torque (sort of), which is enough to push it to 62 mph in a mere 4.8 seconds.

So, um... want one? The line forms at the rear, and you'd better not dawdle as Audi says its only planning to build 1,000 of them. Naturally, pricing has yet to be set, but it's reportedly expected to be "above R8 levels." Regardless, with all those lithium ion batteries and their associated electronic gadgetry, we don't imagine that Audi plans to make much of a profit when it finally goes on sale in two years.

Gallery: Audi e-tron concept

[Source: Autocar]

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Tags: 2012 audi e-tron, 2012AudiE-tron, audi, Audi e-tron Concept, audi electric vehicle, audi etron, audi etron concept, audi ev, AudiE-tronConcept, AudiElectricVehicle, AudiEtron, AudiEtronConcept, AudiEv, Audo e-tron, AudoE-tron, e-tron, r8

Review: 2009 Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10, An Everyday Supercar

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

2009 Audi R8 V10 - click above for high res image gallery

Not so many years ago, driving a exotic supercar while clearly demonstrating the owner's financial wherewithal to own such a vehicle was not always such a pleasant experience. Such cars were typically built by small financially shaky companies that didn't have the resources necessary to properly develop the vehicles to be reliable and robust. The interiors were often poorly built and outfitted and were afflicted by assorted mechanical and electrical glitches.

Then in 1990 things suddenly changed when Honda rolled out the NSX. Instantly people realized that there was no reason why a high performance, mid-engine exotic sports car couldn't be just as a reliable and hospitable as an Accord. By the end of the 1990s exotic car builders like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin had all come under the wing of major automakers like Fiat, Volkswagen Group and Ford and the engineers began tapping into the parents resources to improve their cars.

Lamborghini in particular took advantage of its relationship with Audi to help develop the Gallardo, the best selling Lambo ever. Audi in turn decided to reverse the process with a supercar of its own to celebrate its decade long dominance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and used the Gallardo as the jumping off point for the R8. We recently got to spend some quality time with the fastest R8, the 5.2 FSI V10 and you can read about it after the jump.

Gallery: 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI

Tags: 2009 audi r8 v10, 2009AudiR8V10, audi, audi r8, audi r8 v10, AudiR8, AudiR8V10, r8, R8 V10, R8 V10 5.2 FSI Quattro, R8V10, R8V105.2FsiQuattro, review, reviewed, reviews

Continue reading “Review: 2009 Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10, An Everyday Supercar”

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Audi e-tron Concept

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

The Audi R8 ranks among the fastest cars you're likely to see on the road, but the German automaker isn't about to rest on its proverbial laurels. After the V8 version came the 5.2-liter V10, and while the turbo-diesel V12 TDI version never made it past the concept stage, Audi has tantalized the torque-happy alternative-energy crowd with the e-tron concept.

Based on the R8 and unveiled last week in Frankfurt, the e-tron replaces the gasoline-burning engine in the existing supercar with no less than four electric motors and an enormous lithium-ion battery pack to supply it with juice. The result? A relatively modest 313 horsepower, but an absolutely bonkers 3,319 lb-ft of torque. And no, that's not a typo: it really does have more than ten times the torque of most of the cars. To go with the alternative power, Audi updated the e-tron's design details. But don't take our word for it: have a look for yourself in our high-resolution photo gallery below.

Gallery: Audi e-tron concept

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2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Audi R8 5.2 FSI Spyder

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

It's been a long time coming, but the Audi R8 Spider is finally here. The convertible version of Audi's mid-engine supercar debuted at the Frankfurt auto show after months of speculation, finally giving enthusiasts the car they want.

The design is essentially the same as the R8 coupe, but replaces the fixed roof with a folding soft-top. Gone as well are the iconic side blades that characterize the coupe's profile. The structural reinforcement and collapsing roof structure add an extra 476 lbs to the curb weight, but the 525-horsepower V10 engine should have no problem hauling the extra heft in return for the open-air experience and unmitigated exhaust note.

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Audi R8 Spyder

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Tags: 2009 frankfurt, 2009 frankfurt auto show, 2009 frankfurt motor show, 2009Frankfurt, 2009FrankfurtAutoShow, 2009FrankfurtMotorShow, audi, audi r8, audi r8 roadster, audi r8 spyder, audi spyder, AudiR8, AudiR8Roadster, AudiR8Spyder, AudiSpyder, frankfurt, frankfurt 2009, frankfurt auto show, frankfurt motor show, Frankfurt2009, FrankfurtAutoShow, FrankfurtMotorShow, r8, r8 spyder, R8Spyder, spyder

Audi R8: Turbodiesel V12 Canceled, Convertible Coming Soon

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The Audi R8 took the supercar market by storm when it launched in 2006. But if you were waiting for a better version, we've got good news and we've got bad news. The good news is, after launching the V10 version at the Detroit show late last year, plans are reportedly moving ahead to introduce an open-air version of the Audi supercar which should be on the road within the next two years. That's bad news enough for the likes of the Aston Martin DB9 Volante and Jaguar XKR, but the real disappointment is that Audi has reportedly canceled the development of its V12 turbo-diesel version. After previewing the idea as a concept car at the Detroit show in January 2008 and then again in Geneva the following March, Audi has determined that the costs involved with reshaping both the engine and the chassis to fit the former into the latter are just too high to be justified in this economy, particularly wit diesel prices as high as they are in the United States, a key market for the R8's financial success. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

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Audi and Seal Go On Tour

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Shopping

Audi AG has plucked Seal, singer of 1994 hit song "Kiss From a Rose," to serve as a brand ambassador as he tours the world. It's quite the natural fit, in fact -- Heidi Klum's British-born beau and self-proclaimed technophile already hosts the Audi Q7 and R8 sedan in his personal garage.

Seal has already begun his work as an Audi brand ambassador, first early last January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit to sing his hit "Crazy" while the company launched its Q7 V12 TDI, then later in January in Las Vegas when Audi launched the new R8.

This week, Seal will hit Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Berlin and Hamburg as Audi launches the A5 in Germany through events themed "Talk of the Town."

Click through to the jump for Audi's full release.

[Source: Audi]

Tags: a5, audi, bmw, mercedes, q7, r8, volkswagen

Continue reading “Audi and Seal Go On Tour”

$100,000+ For An Audi?

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Sure, if it feels like it should cost $200,000. The always-funny Ezra Dyer got to take a spin through Beverly Hills in the 2008 Audi R8 for the New York Times, where he bemoans the car's sideblades (or "sideburns," as Dyer calls them) but not much else.

Despite the price tag of $110,000 and up, the DNA shared between the street-bound R8 and Audi's lauded race car R8 -- midengine layout with most of the torque going to the rear wheels, dry-sump lubrication, etc. -- makes the 2008 Audi R8 one of the few cars allowed on municipal pavement that truly feels like a race car. In effect, the R8 is more like its Lamborghini cousins (also owned by VW) than like its other Audi siblings.

Unlike most Audis, which Dyer says are criticized for lacking any soul, the R8 offers up plenty of meat to get us grunting like cave men -- yes, even the women -- from an exhaust note that gets your blood rushing to optional LED lights that appropriately light up the engine under its transparent cover when the parking lights are on (should you be showing things off under the hood after dusk).

Click through for the full review, and watch this space in the coming months for more news about the R8, including rumors that it will soon be packing an optional V10 courtesy of Lamborghini.

[Source: The New York Times]

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Tags: audi, audi r8, AudiR8, ferrari, lamborghini, maserati, porsche, r8

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