Autoblog

Click image for a high-res gallery of Michelin booth pics by Drew Phillips

At last year's SEMA show, one of our favorite booths by far was the one from Michelin, which brought together the world's fastest supercars for one massive display of speed. We eagerly anticipated what they had in store for us this year, and we headed straight for it. It would have been virtually impossible for Michelin to top itself, but they sure made a stab at it. While last year focused on production cars, the display this year was broadened to feature tuner cars as well as race cars. Taking the unique approach of having a production model, tuner version and race car from three prominent manufacturers, Michelin showed us that they build a tire for all sectors of the automotive kingdom. While we were particularly fond of the Audi R8 by APR, there was also a Champion Motorsport F77 Turbo and out back a Lingenfelter Corvette sporting 1,100 HP. Race cars included the R10 from Audi, an RS Spyder from Porsche, and a Corvette C6.R as well. While a production R8 and GT3 RS represented the stock crowd for the German marques, the Corvette slot was left suspiciously vacant, perhaps giving us a preview of what shoes the ZR1 might be donning for its debut. Nice follow-up, Michelin.

Gallery: 2007 Michelin SEMA Supercar Display

Click above image for a high resolution gallery of images

We can't seem to find much information on this Audi R8 modified by APR, but we all agree that it's a real looker. We spotted it at Michelin's supercar display (more on that later), and it immediately stood out among the rest. APR's web site doesn't currently list any upgrade for the R8, and the Michelin media kit, although very informative about Michelin's tire lineup, didn't provide any information as well. If we had to guess, we'd say the engine's ECU has been massaged by APR for a few extra horsepower. Behind the custom wheels appears to be a set of upgraded Brembo brakes with drilled rotors and the APR logo on the caliper. The two-tone paint scheme actually makes the R8 look better than it already did. Check out the gallery for high resolution R8 tunage.

Gallery: APR Audi R8