Audi R8 GT (2011) with lightweight body and gets more power
Audi R8 GT (2011) gets more power
Audi dropped a very pleasant surprise on us this week with the long-awaited announcement of the R8 GT. The Audi R8 V10 was already one of our favorite sports cars in the world so how could you make it better? In the immortal words of Colin Chapman, “add lightness.” But in a modern sports car required to meet rigorous safety standards, you can only go so far short of a complete redesign. Hence, the R8 GT’s lightened chassis benefits from a power boost to boot.
The R8 GT swaps in a thinner glass windshield and polycarbonate rear windows and replaces many aluminum body panels with carbon fiber. By going over every part of the R8, Audi’s engineers have carved a total of 220 pounds off the standard R8’s curb weight.
The 5.2-liter V10 has been bumped from 525 horsepower to 560, topping its cousin, the Lamborghini Gallardo. The GT is only available with the aforementioned R-Tronic hydraulically actuated semi-automatic, and when pushed to its limit, Just how fast is it? The sprint to 62mph takes 3.6sec, 200kph (123mph) 10.8sec and top speed now stands at 199mph.
Only 333 examples of the R8 GT will be built and the price in Germany is €193,000 ($256,000 USD). No mention is made of U.S. availability, but we’d be surprised if Audi doesn’t apportion a few for Stateside consumption. Full details in the press release after the break.
Category: Audi
