The raves and accolades bestowed upon Audi’s R8 two-seater exotic have been impressive, but it seems that Audi is not content to leave well enough alone-and this is good news. To critics, the R8 has proven to be a docile, livable exotic that is up to the rigors of a daily driver, but can deliver the goods on track day as well. The R8 GT ups the ante considerably.
Audi engineers went over every aspect of the R8 to shave weight off a car that was originally designed to be light. A total of 220lbs was saved. Weight savings came from using thinner windshield glass, a polycarbonate rear window, use of carbon fiber body pieces, lighter carpeting, and glass-reinforced plastic seat chassis. Audi also reconfigured the electronics to its 5.2L V-10, which is now good for 560hp-a 35hp increase over the “normal” V-10. The R-Tronic sequential manual will be the only transmission available. Audi claims 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds, 0-124mph in 10.6 seconds, and a top speed of 198.8mph.
The Audi R8 GT will be a limited run model, with only 333 cars scheduled to be built. With the R8 GT, Audi took an unusual route in pursuing a lighter, faster car in that it retained creature comforts. Automatic climate control, stereo and navigation are standard-items other manufacturers typically delete when making such a car. The R8 GT will sell for $256,00USD, but there is no word yet the car will make it to North America.
