One year ago the Audi R8 LMS won the 24 Hours Nürburgring on its debut. The GT3 car’s victory marked the start of a successful year of motor racing for Audi Sport. The brand now celebrates the R8 LMS with the “selection 24h” special edition, a homage to its tally of 323 wins in national and international race assignments since 2009.
The “selection 24h”, being built in a limited production run of 24, is based on the Audi R8 Coupé V10 plus. Its 5.2-liter V10 mid-engine develops 610 hp and accelerates the top model of the Audi R8 car line from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 3.2 seconds, before advancing to a top speed of 330 km/h.
That makes the Audi R8 Coupé V10 plus both the fastest and most powerful production Audi of all time. A newly developed quattro drive distributes its power fully variably between both sets of wheels. The suspension, the aerodynamics configured to handle high downforces and the operating concept featuring the Audi virtual cockpit are all motorsport-inspired. That is because Audi developed the second generation of the R8 in parallel with the GT3 racing model R8 LMS.
The dry weight of the Audi R8 Coupé V10 plus is 1,454 kilograms; its body built using the multimaterial construction principle weighs a mere 200 kilograms. The combination of aluminium and carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRP) in the Audi Space Frame opens up entirely new dimensions with regard to weight, rigidity and crash behaviour.
The front spoiler, the exterior mirror housings, the engine compartment cover, the rear wing and the diffuser are made from gloss-finish carbon fibre. The same applies to the sideblades with matt-finish “R8 24h” logo. The tailpipes of the sport exhaust system feature black trims and the 20-inch forged aluminium wheels in 10-spoke Y design are painted gloss anthracite black.
Inside, the limited-edition model offers full-leather upholstery and trim in the colour rotor grey, with Alcantara headlining. The door sill trims display the serial numbers 1 to 24 for each of the limited-edition cars. As an exclusive feature of the limited edition, the entry lights on the doors project the Audi R8 logo onto the road surface.
The Audi R8 “selection 24h” will be on view to the public for the first time at the AUDI AG presentation area in the paddock at the 24 Hours Nürburgring. Orders for the special model can be placed from May 10, 2016. It costs EUR 229,000 in Germany.
