Autoblog

Audi insider claims V10 R8 will beat ZR1 around the 'Ring

Noah Joseph — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:27:00 EST

Click above for gallery of the Audi R8 V10

Them's fightin' words, but when we're talking about a V10-powered version of the Audi R8, you'd better be taking them seriously. According to an Audi insider as reported by Auto Motor und Sport in Sweden, the more powerful R8 will set a new lap record for a production car at the Nurburgring. That would mean coming in under the 7:26 lap time claimed by the Corvette ZR1 (and taken by the Pagani Zonda F), and faster than the Nissan GT-R's 7:29, but the big question remains whether it could out-gun the GT-R V-Spec's purported 7:25.

The R8 V10 - with whatever name it will adopt - is expected to make its production-guise debut at the Paris Motor Show this coming October. That'll make for some delicious eye-candy, but the real treat will be to see how the German supercar holds up against the Americans and the Japanese on the 'Ring.

Gallery: Audi R8 V10 spied at quattro GmbH

[Source: Auto Motor & Sport (Sweden) via Motor Authority]

Audi insider claims V10 R8 will beat ZR1 around the 'Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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R8 V10 spied again at Audi's quattro GmbH

Noah Joseph — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:27:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Supercars, Audi

Click for hi-res images of the Audi R8 V10 at quattro GmbH

If the latest batch of spy shots are to be believed, the V10-powered version of Audi's R8 supercar must be nearing its public release. Following earlier shots snapped by the folks at Bridge to Gantry, more photos of what seems to be the same vehicle were caught by audiblog.nl at the source: quattro GmbH, Audi's equivalent to Mercedes' AMG or BMW's M division.

In addition to the wider intakes and fewer front grille slats discerned from the last spy shot, these images also betray a more aggressive body kit, a flux capacitor, larger exhaust pipes and two fewer horizontal fins in the rear. (We're kidding about one of those.) Check out the images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Audi R8 V10 spied at quattro GmbH

[Source: audiblog.nl via World Car Fans]

R8 V10 spied again at Audi's quattro GmbH originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: God's ringtone is a V10-powered Audi R8

Damon Lavrinc — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:31:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Supercars, Audi

Click above for a gallery of the V10 Audi R8.

We've been following the developments surrounding the V10-powered R8 for what seems like eons. But today, we received the most definitive proof yet; engine-bay shots and a video of a white prototype shot in Florida. According to members of AudiWorld, a few V10 mules have been handed out to current, and supposedly trustworthy, R8 owners for evaluation, sporting oval exhaust pipes and a revised fascia. While that's a rather unconventional move on Audi's part, it's proof that the automaker is getting ready to launch the new RS8 (or R10) in the near future.

Hit the jump to hear the V10-powered R8 stretching its legs.

Gallery: Spy Shots: V10 Audi R8

[Source: AudiWorld via German Car Scene]

Continue reading VIDEO: God's ringtone is a V10-powered Audi R8

VIDEO: God's ringtone is a V10-powered Audi R8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 May 2008 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Audi R8 to get twin-turbo V10 power next year

Noah Joseph — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:39:00 EST

Filed under: Supercars, Audi

If you were disappointed by the news that Audi would not put the R8 V12 TDI Le Mans into production, we've got some exciting news to lift your spirits. According to emerging reports, Audi has confirmed previous rumors that a V10 will find its way into the R8's midship engine bay in the second quarter of next year. And not just any V10, either: the 580-hp twin-turbo V10 from the RS6 Avant. (And here we thought Audi developed that engine just for a station wagon.)

The news is attributed to an interview in Autocar magazine with Wolfgang Hatz. What, you don't know who Wolfgang Hatz is? Tssk-tssk. (Okay, we didn't either.) He's the head of powertrain development for the entire Volkswagen Group, and he says the engine has already been signed off on. Initial cooling problems that caused previous prototypes to burst into flames have been solved chiefly through the addition of a roof-mounted vent like the one seen on the previous R8 V12 TDI concept. Reports suggest the supercar will get the nameplate RS8, although there's the potential for Audi's halo car to be confused with an RS version of the A8 sedan. While we're forced to take everything with a grain of salt today, this is one lead we hope isn't an April Fool's Day hoax.

[Source: Autocar via German Car Scene]

REPORT: Audi R8 to get twin-turbo V10 power next year originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UPDATE: 520-HP V10 for Audi R8 coming in 2008

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Supercars, Audi

If at first -- or three times -- you don't succeed, then try a V10 without turbos. After a few RS8's went up like popcorn while testing with the twin-turbo V10 from the RS6, Evo magazine bolsters our report from yesterday that the new supeR8 will come with a normally aspirated V10. However, it will be a clean-sheet-of-paper engine, and not related to the V10s in the RS6 or Lamborghini Gallardo, but rather an evolution of the V8 in the RS4.

In his interview regarding the incinerated R8s, Quattro boss Werner Frowein said that Audi was experimenting with a V10 that would get more than 500 horsepower, but the fact that the brand would commit to a brand new powerplant -- even if it is an evolution -- is somewhat surprising. Evo pegs the new engine at about 520 brake horsepower, which would put it ahead of the M-division unit from BMW and even the freer breathing versions of AMG's 6.2-liter lump. The car's arrival has been pushed back slightly to satisfy demand for the regular R8, though. In the mean time, we'll savor the possibility that the new engine will go in the S8.

[Source: Evo]

UPDATE: 520-HP V10 for Audi R8 coming in 2008 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mysteriously burnt Audi revealed to be V10 RS8

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:54:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Supercars, Audi

The phrase "580-HP twin-turbo V10" is hot enough to raise the temperature of any sports car enthusiast. And as sad photos of flambeed Audis have attested, without glacial cooling it's also hot enough to turn Audi RS8 test mules into fireworks.

When we first wrote about the burned out Audi R8 in the picture above, we mentioned scuttlebutt saying it was a test mule. Now, Quattro GmbH director Werner Frowein reveals that it was indeed an RS8 test mule, and that the problem was specifically due to the turbos of its V10 powerplant getting too hot in the mid-engined layout. Based on the best translation we can find of the Dutch article, Frowein says (or at least we think he says) that putting the twin-turbo V10 in the R8 is out of the question, and that they are instead working on a normally-aspirated V10 with a little more than 500 HP.

[Source: Paul Tan]

Mysteriously burnt Audi revealed to be V10 RS8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Audi RS8 burns on the Ring

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 13:28:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Performance, Etc., Audi

Awww. This is just too sad for words. You'll have to click through to see the pics for yourself. A new Audi RS8 undergoing some high-performance testing at the 'Ring burned to the ground before firefighters could douse the flames. The driver apparently escaped unharmed, but this beautiful sports car was lost. We suppose this is one of the reasons that manufacturers do extensive testing before releasing products to the public,.

We don't have a lot of details besides the photos by Hans Lehmann, but we know the images can be painful for fans of the R8 and this even more advanced version. The RS8 is the higher performance version of the already quick R8. Rumor has it we'll see a V10 in the engine bay when it finally gets all the bugs worked out and reaches showrooms. Some even say it will be packing as much as 600 hp, although with Lamborghini's Superleggera Gallardo only sporting 530, it would be an interesting corporate conflict if Audi is allowed to go large on the G.

[Source: Winding Road]

Spy Shots: Audi RS8 burns on the Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Apr 2007 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi R8 ragtop coming, two new powerplants possible

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 14:29:00 EST

Filed under: Supercars, Audi

Audi dropped a considerable amount of energy and cash when developing the R8, and, according to the reviews thus far, it's likely to be a hit. If Audi decided not to broaden the R8's offerings, it would be a huge mistake from a financial, marketing and enthusiast point of view. It's practically a given that a drop top variant of the mid-ship coupe will eventually be produced, and according to Autovisie, it will carry the name R8 Spyder and should be released sometime in 2008.

Naturally, some power upgrades are in the not-so-distant future, with the Dutch mag reporting that the 4.2-liter V8 currently employed will be dispatched in favor of the 5.2-liter V10, pulled from the S6 and S8 sedans. The possibility of a 600-horsepower RS8 version, sporting a twin-turbocharged version of the V10, was also mentioned, but we're chalking that up to rampant speculation for the time being.

However, one mill that we would certainly like to see through the glass hatch of the R8 is the six-liter V12 TDI, the same engine found in the Q7 SUV abroad. Whether we would see a high performance oil burner on this side of the Atlantic though, is an open question.

[Source: Autovisie via MotorAuthority]

Audi R8 ragtop coming, two new powerplants possible originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Feb 2007 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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