- Auto Bild SportsCars names the Audi R8 GT the best sports car of the year in Essen
- Readers vote a further five Audi models into the top three of their respective categories
The Audi R8 GT is “Sports Car of the Year 2011” in the category “Production Supercars.” 2011 marks the 10th time that a jury from the Auto Bild SportsCars trade journal has awarded the prize, which was presented this evening at the Essen Motor Show.
George over at Fourtitude has discovered what he believes to be a design buck that inadvertently shows off the new face of the R8. As we’ve heard in the past the R8 is due for a facelift. It’s remained largely unchanged since it’s 2007 debut. We are very much looking forward to see what Audi does to keep the best looking sports car on the road looking that way.
Today we’ve stumbled across this photo released by Audi in some seemingly unrelated materials… perhaps inadvertently, but then again Audi never does things inadvertently. Pardon the pixelation, but we blew it up and pulled some shadows out of that grille to get a better view.
Meant to show off Audi’s LED design prowess, we’re 99% certain the design buck shown in the shot also reveals next year’s planned R8 facelift. When we first glanced at the small photo, all we saw was the headlight. Taking a second look, the photo really grabbed our attention.
Head over to Fourtitude to read the rest of the article.
Cable television is replete with specials that concentrate viewer attention on topics as diverse as sharks and cupcakes over the course of seven days. In that spirit, Audi is declaring next week “R8 GT Week” to celebrate the arrival of a limited-edition supercar with real bite and a profile that can only be described as sweet.
Continue reading ‘Forget the sharks. Audi will offer its fans R8 GT content with real bite next week’
- Open limited-production, top-of-the-line version of the high-performance sports car
- 85 kilograms lighter, body parts in carbon
- V10 FSI with 412 kW (560 hp), 0 – 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds
Even lighter, even more powerful, even more captivating: The Audi R8 GT Spyder delivers breathtaking performance. The open-top flagship version of the high-performance sports car develops 412 kW (560 hp) and – thanks to Audi ultra – has trimmed a full 85 kilograms (187.39 lb) from an already low weight. The R8 GT Spyder accelerates from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 3.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 317 km/h (196.97 mph).
Continue reading ‘Aggressive power and Audi ultra – the Audi R8 GT Spyder’
- Delivery of the exclusive high-performance sports car has begun
- Limited production run of 333 vehicles already sold out worldwide
- Systematic lightweight design ensures breathtaking performance
The first of 333 Audi R8 GT vehicles has hit the road: A customer from the UK received the keys for his Phantom Black high-performance sports car today at the Audi Forum in Neckarsulm. The limited-edition, top-of-the-line model of the R8 family is built in a production shop at the Neckarsulm site and was sold out worldwide just a few weeks after market launch. The 560 hp R8 GT will be delivered to customers in 23 countries, primarily in Europe, the United States and Middle Eastern markets.
The R8 GT takes 3.6 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) and 10.8 seconds to reach 200 km/h (124.27 mph). This breathtaking performance is due in no small part to its systematic lightweight design. Its hand-built aluminum body featuring an Audi Space Frame (ASF) tips the scales at just 210 kilograms (463 lb). With extensive fine-tuning and the use of carbon-fiber composites (CFC), the Audi engineers were able to reduce the weight of the high-performance sports car by 100 kilograms (220 lb) versus the Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro.
The result is a curb weight of just 1,525 kilograms (3,362 lb) and an extremely sporty power-to-weight ratio of 2.72 kilograms per hp. The 5.2-liter V10 in the R8 GT now has an increased output of 412 kW (560 hp). The mid-engine sports car never loses its composure as it delivers its power to the road via quattro permanent all-wheel drive and the lightning-fast shifts of its R tronic transmission. The Audi R8 GT has a top speed of 320 km/h (198.84 mph).
The limited edition further underscores its exclusive status with visual modifications to the interior and exterior, including newly designed bumpers in CFC and bucket seats with a chassis of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP). In Germany, the base price of the Audi R8 GT was €193,000. Average fuel consumption is 13.9 liters per 100 kilometers (16.92 US mpg).
[Source: Audi AG]
- Further optimization of the industrialization of fiber-reinforced materials in the interest of the environment and the economy
- Development of fiber-reinforced materials as a component part of an intelligent material mix for future car projects
The planned long-term and exclusive partnership between Audi and Voith is to focus on the further development and highly automated production of fiber-reinforced materials for use in future automotive projects. This is intended to use the high potential of this innovative material to benefit lightweight construction and efficiency. With a focus on implementation in volume production, Audi and Voith are looking to apply themselves to developing new, innovative high-tech materials, in addition to industrialization and process engineering for conventional fiber-reinforced polymers. One approach involves environmentally-compatible fiber composite materials that offer ideal properties for use in the automotive industry as a complement to existing materials, with respect to both total energy balance and process engineering.
Continue reading ‘AUDI AG and Voith GmbH form development partnership’
The Audi R8 GT: Extreme lightweight construction and tremendous performance
- Limited-production, top-of-the-line version of the high-performance sports car
-100 kilograms lighter, body parts in carbon
-V10 FSI with 412 kW (560 hp), 0 – 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds
Now even more powerful, lighter and faster: Audi presents a limited-production version of it R8 high-performance sports car, the R8 GT. The output of its 5.2-liter V10 has been increased to 412 kW (560 hp); vehicle weight has been reduced by roughly 100 kilograms (220.46 lb). The R8 GT accelerates from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 3.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 320 km/h (198.84 mph).
The R8 high-performance sports car has been a winner from the very beginning. This applies to both the production models, winners of the “World Performance Car” Award in 2008 (R8) and in 2010 (R8 V10), and to the race car, the R8 LMS, which won 23 races in its first season and claimed three championships. The genes of the race version are now coming to the street – in the R8 GT. The exclusive series is limited to 333 units. Each R8 GT has a badge with its production number on the shift lever knob.
Continue reading ‘Audi R8 GT: The lightweight 560hp supercar’
