Auto Blitz: Audi R8

Showing posts with label Audi R8. Show all posts

Eisenmann Takes a Shot at the Audi R8 with "Spark Eight"

Eisenmann is mostly known for its performance exhaust systems, but the German company has now presented a comprehensive tuning package for the Audi R8 sports car. It's called the "Spark Eight" and it features full-blown carbon aerodynamic kit finished in a light grey color, along with some other goodies, such as new alloy wheels, a tweaked chassis and, of course, a new exhaust system.

There's a first time for everything. For Audi, it's SEMA as this year's edition of the show will mark the brand's first ever factory-backed appearance at the annual tuning extravaganza in Las Vegas.

In addition to its lineup of after sales and electronics products, Audi will put on display six-vehicles including the driver-less Autonomous Audi TTS Pikes Peak and a customized R8 Spyder tuned by STaSIS Engineering. The latter is equipped with a 5.2-liter supercharged V10 engine delivering 710-horsepower and 523 lb-ft of torque, and can complete the 0 to 60mph [96 km/h] sprint in 3.1 seconds.

Audi has dropped a boat load of fresh images of the hard-core version of its R8 supercar called the GT. You can read all the details in our previous post here, but as a refresher, the GT is a lighter, more powerful and faster variant of the R8.

It is powered by a modified version of the R8 V10's naturally aspirated 5.2-liter direct-injection engine producing 550-horsepower, while thanks to a series of weight-saving measures that shave about 100kg (220 lbs), the car tips the scales at 1,525 kilograms (3,362 lbs).

Audi gone viral or someone at the right place, with... almost the right equipment at the right time? Well, we can't answer that, but we do know that a Youtube user filmed a series of videos showing a mysterious Audi sports coupe (or Spyder) in covers being transferred via helicopter to the Olympia Ski Resort in the Tyrolean Alps, close to Innsbruck, in Austria - or at least that's what we understood, so any corrections welcome. The person who filmed the car said Audi was making some sort of a promotional video.

In view of the more stringent Euro 5 emission rules, Audi has tweaked its 4.2-liter V8 FSI engine for the 2011MY R8 coupe and Spyder models. In the UK, the 2011MY R8 Spyder 4.2 FSI quattro is now available to order priced at £95,545 OTR for the six-speed manual version and £100,855 for the six-speed R tronic automated manual, with customer deliveries set to begin in January 2011.

Sport Wheels has released its 600-horsepower Galactic Audi R8, something that it claims will make supercar fans "buckle at the knees". Dressed in all black and riding on a set of €4,400 20-inch OZ Ultraleggeras, it certainly looks the part of some kind of space invader...one that's ready to jack you, slap you, and run away laughing.

The press release claims that the firm has added a "crank angle screw thread" in order to improve the vehicle's handling; all this coilover work is to the tune of €7,349.

First the good news; Audi has confirmed that the new RS5 Coupe is coming to America. Now for the bad; it's going to take another year and half or so for Ingolstadt's sports car to make it on this side of the Atlantic. Audi said details on equipment levels, pricing and fuel economy standards will be released at a later date.

Like the old saying goes, you win some, you lose some. In this case, Connecticut Powerball winner Rahul Patel, saw his one-week old Audi R8 destroyed by fire. According to a report from the Connecticut Post, Patel was driving the German sports car in Fairfield when he suddenly noticed smoke coming out of the engine compartment.

After he pulled over on the side of the road and stepped out to see what was wrong with the two-seater sports car, it went up in flames. And while no one was injured during the incident, the $140,000 R8 was almost burnt to the ground. Fire officials said they are still investigating the cause of the fire.

You knew it was coming ever since Audi released the V10-powered R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI. Now it's official. Ingolstadt's rag-top supercar will soon be available with the coupe's entry-level 4.2-liter V8 powerhouse that churns out 430HP launching the R8 Spyder to 100km/h (62mph) in 4.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 299km/h or 186mph.

In comparison, the 525HP R8 Spyder 5.2 V10 goes from zero to 100km/h in 4.1 sec and achieves a top speed of 313 km/h (195 mph).

The V8 engine is available with either a six-speed manual gearbox or the R tronic semi-automatic while quattro permanent all-wheel drive is standard on all models. Audi said that the V8-powered R8 Spyder consumes on average 14.9lt / 100 km (15.8 US mpg) with the manual gearbox, and 13.9lt / 100 km (16.9 US mpg) with the R-Tronic.

SR Auto Group's new Valkyrie project is all about adding some dark style to Audi's R8 supercar. The tuning house starts off with a matte black wrap for the body and continues with a series of carbon-fiber aero bits from PPI. The smoked front, side and tail lamps along with a new set of 20-inch alloy wheels complete the mid-engine Audi's exterior makeover.

As for the R8 Valkyrie's interior, aside from the carbon fiber trim, the entire cockpit has been upholstered in a mix of black leather and alcantara with contrasting red seams. More pictures after the break.

Audi's attempts to win this year's edition of the Nurburgring 24 Hours got off to an excellent start as the qualifying session for the event ended with four examples of the R8 LMS racer filling out the first four grid positions for this weekend's race.

This will be the first time in the history of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring that an Audi will start from pole position.

Three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner finished first in an Audi R8 LMS run by ABT Sportsline. Werner broke the existing lap record for the current Nürburgring circuit layout by almost two seconds with a lap time of 8 minutes and 24.753 seconds.

Since we're suckers for speed, we jumped at the opportunity to show you these awesome videos from a sports car shootout, courtesy of the folks over at M5Board. If you haven't done so already, follow the jump to watch some mega power throwdowns including Switzer's Nissan GT-R P800 versus the Koenigsegg CCR Evo and BMW's M5 Touring going against its X5M SUV stable-mate.

This year's running of the 24 hours of Nürburgring that kicks off this weekend will see three Audi customer teams (ABT Sportsline, Black Falcon and Phoenix Racing) entering a total of seven R8 LMS racers.

[Updated] Audi has lifted the covers off a more powerful, lighter and faster special edition version of its mid-engined supercar called the R8 GT. It will be produced in a strictly limited number of 333 units with prices in Germany set at €193,000, or about US$256,500 at today's exchange rates.

The headline grabbing figures are a more potent version of the 5.2-liter V10 engine pumping 560HP, total weight savings of roughly 100kg or 220 lbs, a 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 320 km/h or 199mph.

In detail and starting from the weight saving measures, Audi managed to shave a hefty 100 kg or 220 pounds off the standard R8 5.2 FSI with the R8 GT tipping the scales at 1,525 kg or 3,362 lbs.

As you've probably already heard, Audi has once again teamed up with the creators of the original blockbuster Iron Man marketing its R8 Spyder in the sequel as the personal car of billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).

Of course, the German firm is trying to make the best of its participation in the movie releasing a dedicated commercial as well as photos from the world premiere of Iron Man 2, which took place on Monday in Los Angeles and saw Robert Downey Jr. arriving at the El Capitan Theatre in the drop-top supercar. Hit the jump for both the video and photo gallery.

German tuner of all things VW Group, MTM, just released information regarding its latest take on Audi's R8, the GT3-2. Packing 560 horsepower (412 kW) and rear-wheel-drive, the supercharged 4.2 FSI V8 puts down 580 Nm (428 lb-ft) of torque to help it pop 100 km/h (62 mph) in around 3.9 seconds. Top speed arrives at a claimed 317 km/h (197 mph).

With great power comes the need for great suspension; good thing MTM has a bunch of stuff out in the back shed. The R8 GT3-2 gets the tuner's adjustable setup which has been designed to mesh perfectly with those 20-inch forged rims, behind which reside 380 mm discs.

Do you know that Audi's V10 R8s are the brand's top and highest-performing models? Of course you do. And that their 5.2 liter engines put out 525 horsepower at a screaming 8,000 RPM? Good, then I just saved you a couple minutes in poorly dubbed PR gibberish.

For the goodness that is Audi DTM driver Mattias Ekström taking an R8 Spyder through some paces in a parking garage, fast forward to the 2:05 mark and enjoy the roar. As for the dialog, Top Gear it ain't.

Never satisfied with the stock products of the Volkswagen Group, ABT Sportline presented its take on the new Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 V10 at this week's Geneva Show. The German tuner's treatment revamps both the look and the performance of the two-seater roadster.

ABT Sportsline starts with the R8 Spyder's 5.2-liter V10 engine that receives a 75HP bump for a total output of 600HP allowing the car to make the run to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.8 seconds and top out 320 km/h or 199 mph.

One-time automotive innovator and chassis-supplier Hispano-Suiza has returned from the ashes and landed in Geneva. The new Hispano-Suiza is a coachbuilder, and its debut model is a special Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10.

While the body is indeed all carbon fiber, and yes, the MTM'd twin-supercharged 10-cylinder does make 750 horsepower (and 516 lb-ft of torque), at €700,000 or US$950,000 I'll be jumping on the "Are you serious? Overpriced."-bandwagon. But hey, I'm a Pagani kind of guy (like the wee Richard Hammond).

What you see pictured here is the result of a truly horrifying accident involving an Audi R8 that occurred in Athens, Greece. As you can see, the guardrail, which by the way, is supposed to protect drivers (...), has pierced the German supercar from front to back. We don't have all the details, but it is said that the driver of the car miraculously survived the crash, but not without serious injuries, while the female passenger escaped unhurt.

Source: ScooterClubeHellas , Via: Wreckedexotics