Newest Audi V-10 with 602 HP and rear-wheel drive

Since 2006, the R8 has been the highest canine in Audi’s efficiency lineup. Powered by a 5.2-liter V-10 shared with its Italian company cousin the Lamborghini Huracan, the R8 has remained one of many nicest and most habitable supercars obtainable in the marketplace in the present day. After a decade and a half, it is time to say goodbye to the venerable V-10, however Audi’s prime brass weren’t about to ship it to the dustbin of historical past with out a correct farewell. So let’s welcome the restricted version R8 GT – the alpha among the many finest canine.

Full disclosure: Audi wished me to check the R8 GT so badly, the corporate took me to Seville, Spain, the place it was a lot hotter than my house in Colorado, and let me free on the native race monitor to burn a pile of tires for the day.

Restricted to 333 items worldwide – sequentially numbered with a medallion on the gear knob, after all; solely 150 examples will come to the USA – the R8 GT is assembled by hand on the Böllinger Höfe manufacturing facility, which occurs to be the identical line that produces Audi’s fierce R8 LMS race automotive. Probability? I don’t assume so. Audi desires to make sure that the final of the V-10s is remembered because the closest factor to a road racing automotive the model has ever produced.

Audi R8 GT 2023: what’s it?

The center of the R8 GT is, after all, the 5.2-liter V-10, the identical engine that powered the R8 V-10 Efficiency RWD. This automotive produced a wholesome 562 hp. Upgrading to the R8 GT nets you a considerable 40bhp increase, bumping energy to 602bhp and 413lb-ft of torque, making it essentially the most highly effective rear-wheel-drive automotive Audi has ever produced.

The V-10 places the ability to the bottom through a brand new 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. Not solely are shift occasions improved over the usual automotive’s gearbox, particular person gear ratios have been shortened to enhance acceleration at every gear.

Taking part within the acceleration division, Audi engineers seemed for each potential method to scale back the burden of the automotive. Weight saving measures embrace GT3 racing automotive– impressed light-weight cast wheels, commonplace carbon-ceramic brakes, light-weight bucket seats and sports activities suspension with carbon fiber bolstered plastic anti-roll bar. These measures end in an general web saving of 55 kilos, bringing the curb weight down to three,516 kilos.

Extra energy, sooner gear adjustments and lighter weight imply the brand new R8 GT reaches 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds with a prime pace of 300 km/h.

2023 Audi R8 GT: Rear Torque Mode and Aerodynamic Additions

The R8 GT has as a lot energy because the quickest all-wheel-drive R8, however sends it fully to the rear axle alone. To manage all that energy – or extract most pleasure from these horsepower – Audi has fitted the R8 GT with Torque Rear mode.

A button on the steering wheel helps you to select from seven traction management settings. Degree 1 permits for just about no slippage, whereas Degree 7 helps you to take pleasure in outlandish tire punishment. This function additionally lets you adapt to the automotive and its intense energy output as your familiarity, street circumstances and driving abilities develop.

Clearly, Audi expects these automobiles to be pushed arduous. All that energy wants some management, and Audi engineers had been completely satisfied to oblige. The GT comes with a carbon fiber aero equipment as commonplace, together with a entrance splitter, entrance bumper dive planes, aspect skirt covers, aspect airflow management parts on the bumper rear shocks, a diffuser and a rear spoiler with motorsport-inspired gooseneck mounts to take care of optimum airflow.

2023 Audi R8 GT: impressions on the monitor

Like I stated, Audi engineers anticipated these automobiles to be pushed arduous, and I did not need to disappoint them. That is how our group of journalists ended up at Circuito Monteblanco, an incredible little take a look at monitor simply exterior Seville, Spain.

Monteblanco has one of many highest FIA rankings of any monitor in Europe (FIA T1/F2), which means it is authorized to host something together with Method 1 testing. It is a mixture of high-speed sweepers and low-speed hairpins that take a look at the mettle of even one of the best racing automobiles, exposing flaws which may in any other case stay hidden on a lesser monitor.

Making issues much more troublesome for the R8 GT was the sunshine rain which made an surprising look simply earlier than we hit the monitor. Fortunately, our first laps adopted one in all Audi’s take a look at drivers, so we obtained a really feel for the grip stage of the monitor and the automotive’s stability. Energy over 600 horsepower on a slippery monitor is not essentially the most confidence-inspiring factor—for us drivers or assembled Audi brass.

There was no want to fret, as a result of as highly effective because the GT is, it is also one of the accessible supercars I’ve ever pushed. You’d anticipate it to be a handful of attempting to place that a lot energy in moist circumstances, however Audi engineers did very properly with the GT, permitting me to push tougher and tougher on a monitor. which has by no means been utterly dry.

Fortunately we had been capable of sneak in one other session in direction of the top of the day when the monitor was utterly dry which allowed me to essentially begin testing the bounds of the automotive. And people limits are very, very excessive.

With Torque Rear mode at stage 1, the automotive permits little or no wheel spin, which basically saves you from doing something silly. Degree 7 principally says “you are by yourself, good luck”, supplying you with the flexibility to go very sideways with none digital intervention.

It doesn’t matter what stage you select, you’ll be able to nonetheless rev the automotive (it has over 600 horsepower in any case), however the system does an excellent job of giving the nut behind the steering wheel a good quantity of wiggle room earlier than issues do not get too sideways.

2023 Audi R8 GT: Styling

The 2023 R8 GT pays homage to the unique 2012 R8 GT through a black inside with pink highlights and particular embroidery on the seats. The brand new R8 GT is just obtainable in three colours right here in the USA: Tango Pink, Daytona Grey and Mythos Black. In whole, solely 150 copies will likely be shipped to the USA, 50 in every of those paint colours; sadly, the matte Suzuka grey paint on the media take a look at automobiles will not be obtainable right here, however US consumers get a bonus: the sports activities exhaust, which is louder than what’s obtainable on the European market automotive due stricter European rules. Extra commonplace gear contains laser headlights; carbon fiber mirrors, aspect blades and door sills; dynamic steering; a Bang & Olufsen sound system; and a diamond-stitched headliner.

Audi R8 GT 2023: worth and verdict

The R8 has all the time been one of the usable automobiles in its class. It is one of many few supercars you’ll be able to drive daily with out sacrifice. The GT Version will likely be a rarity wherever on the earth, and at simply over $250,000, that is over $90,000 greater than a base-drive R8.

However the magic is within the particulars. The R8 GT takes efficiency up a number of notches, however by no means loses the accessibility and user-friendliness which have all the time been this automotive’s signature. He is the alpha canine of the Audi lineup, and he has a loud bark, however he by no means desires to chunk. It is a very becoming send-off for the R8 vary, and the fortunate few who get one will hopefully take the time to expertise this automotive doing what it does finest.