O.CT. Tuning Supercharges Audi R8 V8 to 565-Horses

Owners of the entry-level Audi R8 with the 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 seeking a healthier output may want to take a look at O.CT. Tuning’s latest offering. The European tuning firm has developed a new performance package that bolts on compressor to the Audi model’s V8 engine while also tweaking the ECU and adding a custom exhaust system. Read more »

Audi UK Celebrates 24h of Le Mans Win with R8 V8 Limited Edition

Earlier this month, Audi snagged its tenth victory at the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans marathon race with the R18 TDI and to mark the event, the firm’s UK division has churned out a special edition version of the R8 V8 sports car with a unique paint and enhanced standard equipment.

The R8 V8 Limited Edition is reserved exclusively for UK customers, with only 100 examples currently scheduled for production. It is available to order from July in coupe form only and with either manual or R tronic automated manual transmission priced from £93,935 OTR.

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2011 24-hour Nürburgring Race: And the Winner is….

Porsche triumphed in the 2011 24 hours of Nürburgring, with the 911 GT3 RSR of Marc Lieb, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Lucas Luhr crossing the line after 156 laps and 3,958.968 km (2,462.044 miles), a new record for the legendary endurance race in the demanding Nordschleife.

The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR first led the race at Saturday evening, at 23:25, and then its drivers held on to it for the following 16 hours and 35 minutes, or 108 laps.

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Shiny Happy People: Chromed Out Audi R8 Spyder Auctioned at Elton John’s White Tie and Tiara Ball

Every year, British musician Elton John throws the famous White Tie and Tiara Ball at his house to raise money and awareness for the Elton John Aids Foundation (EJAF).

At this year’s event, which took place on Thursday, June 23, Audi UK decided to donate a unique R8 Spyder V10 coated in a unique mirror-like chromed finish with all proceeds from the auction going towards the charity.

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Audi Drops the Top on Extreme R8 GT Spyder with 560HP V10

Audi continues to expand its vehicle range filling every possible niche in the market. After the recent debut of the A6 Avant, today, the Ingolstadt-based automaker revealed the convertible version of its hardcore R8 GT coupe, which was launched as a limited edition model in 2010 with only 333 cars being produced. The new R8 GT Spyder follows the same recipe featuring a more powerful V10 engine and a lighter body.

Power comes from an updated version of the standard car’s 5.2-liter V10 engine with a modified ECU that helps lift output from 525HP and 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) to 560HP and 540 Nm (398.28 lb-ft) of torque at 6,500 rpm. An R tronic sequential manual transmission and Audi’s quattro permanent all-wheel drive system with a strong rear-wheel bias completes the setup.

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SCOOP: Audi’s Über R8 GT Spyder Hits the ‘Ring

There’s a new Audi model coming to town. We’re talking about the 2012 R8 GT Spyder that will make its global premiere at the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and which we caught testing in and around the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany. Even though Audi recently teased us with a set of renderings, these are some of the first real life photos of the R8 GT Spyder, which is seen here in prototype guise.

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Project Kahn's Lil' R8 is a dressed up Audi TT

Given the huge price difference between Audi’s two core sports coupe models, the mainstream TT and the niche R8, it doesn’t come to much of a surprise that many tuners have tried to offer the first a taste of the latter, both in terms of performance and styling. In the case of Project Kahn’s newest tuning take on the Audi TT, the goal was to flavor the small coupe with some R8 seasoning. Read more »

STaSIS Engineering Brings 540 Ponies to the Audi R8 V8

After the 710HP Audi R8 V10 we told you about earlier this year, American aftermarket specialists at STaSIS Engineering introduced to the UK another upgrade for the German sports car, albeit this time for the V8-powered model. At 540HP, the Audi R8 V8 Challenge Extreme Edition has 120 more horsepower than the standard V8 model and 15 more horsepower than the V10 factory version. STaSIS says the car also features an upgraded suspension response and handling abilities. Read more »

It Came from Kyrgyzstan: Steel Drake’s Volkswagen Concept Sports Car

Imagine for a second that, in the very near future, Audi is facelifting the TT to look more like its big brother R8. Then, halfway through the project, Audi cans it and hands over all its sketches and prototyping model to Volkswagen which then decides to put the two-door coupe into production.

Kyrgyzstanian graphic designer “Steel Drake” has created something very much fitting with this scenario in the form of his Volkswagen Concept Sports Car. Looking like a scaled-down, front engined Audi R8, Steel Drake’s Concept Sports is a simple-yet-sleek design let down only by some questionable design choices.

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New Audi R8 Print Ad: "A Sporty Car Full of History"

Longtime VW Group advertising partner DBB has come up with a new print advertisement for the Audi R8 to highlight the brand’s rich sports car heritage. The print ad, which is the creative work of DDB Barcelona, plays on the tag-line “Audi R8: A sporty car full of history” and shows a cut of the R8 coupe incorporating three racing models from Audi’s past including the Ur-Quattro rally car, and what looks to be the NSU TT and Auto Union Type D. We’ll remind you that NSU and Auto Union merged in 1969 to create what we know today as the Audi brand.

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Audi Drops Sketches of a Spyder Version of its Hardcore R8 GT

The 2012 A3 Sedan and Hatchback weren't the only future Audi models to be teased today, as another set of drawings previewing the R8 GT supercar in drop-top guise also hit the internet. Scheduled for a reveal in early 2012, the R8 GT Spyder will be the roadster version of the lightweight R8 GT Coupe. Read more »

Two Years the Wiser: Marouane Bembli Retackles his Audi R10 Design Study

Back in November of 2009, then 23yo Swedish industrial design student Marouane Bembli brought us an impressive design study for a proposed halo model for Audi to sit above the R8. With its sharp lines, centralized cockpit and Rolls-Royce Phantom rivalling proportions, the R10 was a pretty if unlikely proposal for a next generation Audi supercar.

Now, two years older and presumably a little wiser, Bembli has once again tackled the R10 in what I call the R10 v2.0. Though the concept of a low roofed, widebody coupe with a mid-mounted V10 remains the same, Bembli’s new-for-2011 R10 features a more aggressive front-end treatment, larger rear view mirrors and cabin windows and the addition of fighter jet-inspire side intakes.

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STaSIS Engineering Launches 710HP Audi R8 V10 in the UK

North American aftermarket specialist STaSIS Engineering has introduced its Challenge Extreme Edition package for the Audi R8 V10 to Britain. Available in the US since 2010, the performance kit includes powertrain, suspension and brake upgrades that transform the R8 V10 into an even more ferocious supercar, capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h [62mph] in 3.1 seconds, 0.6 seconds faster than the stock model.

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VIDEO: A Wonderful Road Trip through Brazil in an Audi R8 Spyder V10

Truth to be said, any journey would be a blast if you were behind the wheel of sports car like the Audi R8 Spyder V10, but we can’t help but applaud the brand with the four rings for this beautiful, 2-minute long clip filmed in remote, untouristy parts of Brazil. Sit back, turn up the volume and enjoy the ride in the video right after the break.

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Audi’s 560HP R8 GT Arrives in the States, Prices Start from $196,800

Audi has announced pricing details for its limited production R8 GT sports car at the launch of sales in the U.S. market. The flagship version of the R8 series is priced at $196,800, compared to $114,200 for the entry-level 4.2-liter V8 model and $149,000 for the standard 5.2-liter V10 variant. Nevertheless, that is considerably less than what a German would pay for the R8 GT in its home market where pricing is set at €193,000 or about US$269,300.

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Carbon Love: Audi R8 Hyper Black Edition by Anderson Germany

Anderson Germany, one of Europe’s lesser known tuning firms, has set their sights on the flagship version of the Audi R8 with the 5.2-liter V10 powerhouse. Named Audi R8 Hyper Black Edition, the tune includes both aesthetic modifications and a few modest performance upgrades.

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Fail: How Not to Park an Audi R8 Spyder

There’s no background story on this costly parking fail, but we can only think of two explanations for why an Audi R8 Spyder would end up in such a tight fit with the concrete pillar. One includes the driver and plenty of alcohol and the other, a team of immature, or for whatever reason annoyed individuals, who wanted to offer a special surprise to the owner of the drop top sports car from Ingolstadt. Read more »

VIDEO: Norwegian Ice Racing Puts Four to the Fjord

If there’s one motorsport event that’s least likely to see the light of day in Australia, its winter track days. We just don’t have the climate for it. Norway, on the other hand, is perfect for these sorts of things. All you need is some snow tires, the right sort of car (either AWD or RWD) and a large enough area of snow and ice.

From modern day Porsche 911’s to decades old 944’s, from Subaru WRX STi’s to Fiat Panda’s and even what looks to be a Tesla Roadster; these events attract all sorts both young and old, novice and experienced drivers alike. Filmed on a frozen lake called Tisleifjorden in Norway, this video has enough action to keep even the staunchest of ice racing fans happy.

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Audi R8 Commercial: It’s a Good Day for a Drive in the Snow

While the worst of winter may soon be over in the northern hemisphere, carmakers continue to roll out snow-theme advertisements, which proved to be rather popular this season as even Ferrari touted the capabilities of its newest offering, the FF GT, on the snow.

This advertisement comes from Audi, which is an automaker with a long tradition in all-wheel drive models. The German company questions the notion that supercars are only good for the track and for flat, dry roads and not for the “biggest snowstorm in recent memory” showcasing an R8 Coupe having some fun on the snow. Watch the video right after the jump.

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Geneva 2011: ABT Carves a 620HP Beast out the Audi R8 V10 Spyder

At last year's Geneva motor show, VW Group specialist ABT unveiled a 600HP version of the Audi R8 V10 Spyder. The German tuning house returned to this year's edition of the Swiss show with an updated tune on Ingolstadt's flagship roadster model featuring 620 ponies and a red and black styling theme.

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