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Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Audi R8 LMS

The Essen Motor Show is now underway, and one of the bigger manufacturer unveilings was Audi's official presentation of the R8 LMS, the new GT3-spec racing car aimed at privateer teams. It's seen as one of Audi's so-called "three pillars" of motorsport. The automaker will not field a factory effort in the car, but it's expected that next year, several teams will be running the R8 LMS in various European series, as well as in the Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race. The €260,000 (plus VAT) asking price gets you the track-ready R8, which makes 500 horsepower from its mid-mounted V10. That power goes to the rear wheels (in GT3, AWD is a no-no) via a six-speed sequential gearbox. As you can see, the LMS certainly looks the part , with a subtly meaner nose, a big carbon-fiber front splitter, new mirrors, a giant rear wing, and a pretty wicked rear diffuser join the ten-cylinder engine among the changes made from road car to racer. Customer deliveries begin in Fall '09. Oh, to have a deep-pocketed benefactor... Audi PR follows the jump.

UPDATE: Video added after the jump!

Gallery: Audi R8 LMS


[Source: Audi]

Continue reading GT3-spec Audi R8 LMS formally unveiled at Essen (w/ Video)

GT3-spec Audi R8 LMS formally unveiled at Essen (w/ Video) originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>500 hp500Hpaudi r8audi r8 lmsAudiR8AudiR8Lmsessen motor showEssenMotorShowgt3gt3-classlmsr8 race carr8 racerR8RaceCarR8Racerv10 audi r8V10AudiR8Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:55:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1385718/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/11/28/gt3-spec-audi-r8-lms-formally-unveiled-at-essen/1385718/article-detail.xml 1385718 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/11/audir8_lms_low011_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/11/audir8_lms_low011.jpg <![CDATA[Audi develops R8 GT3 racer]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/27/audi-developes-r8-gt3-racer/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/27/audi-developes-r8-gt3-racer/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/27/audi-developes-r8-gt3-racer/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Audi R8 GT3 car

The courtship between Audi and GT3-class racing teams has officially begun with the automaker's announcement that it has developed a GT3 version of the R8 sports car dubbed "R16" internally by its project overlords at Audi Sport . The rear-drive racer (GT3 regulations prohibit AWD) features a six-speed sequential gearbox, mostly production-spec suspension components, plus an updated front end and a large rear wing designed to keep it planted to the tarmac. No additional tech specs have been revealed at this time. Factory driver Frank Biela was at the wheel for the prototype's roll-out, and customer deliveries are expected to take place next fall. Look for the car to see wheel-to-wheel action against the likes of the Aston Martin DBRS9 and Jaguar XKR GT3 during the 2009 European racing season. We patiently await its inclusion in a future Gran Turismo update so that we can try it out, too.

Gallery: Audi R8 LMS


[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi develops R8 GT3 racer

Audi develops R8 GT3 racer originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audiaudi sportAudiSportbreakinggt3r16r8r8 gt3r8 racerR8Gt3R8RacerWed, 27 Aug 2008 10:28:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1296604/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/08/27/audi-developes-r8-gt3-racer/1296604/article-detail.xml 1296604 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/08/r8gt3_450_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/08/r8gt3_450.jpg <![CDATA[Audi R8 race car to tackle Nürburgring 24 hrs]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/17/audi-r8-race-car-to-tackle-nurburgring-24-hrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/17/audi-r8-race-car-to-tackle-nurburgring-24-hrs/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/17/audi-r8-race-car-to-tackle-nurburgring-24-hrs/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click above for photo gallery

This year's Nürburgring 24-hour endurance race will feature perhaps the most wicked Audi R8 yet: a lightweight, custom-built racer that makes the road car look tame by comparison. To comply with the requirements for participation in the race, the stock 4.2L V8 donates its block and is rebuilt from there. The race-spec motor's displacement drops to 4.0 liters but it delivers a hefty 530 horsepower and 353 lb-ft of torque. The R8's stock front and rear bodywork is replaced by new, widebody carbon kevlar panels. Those outboard intakes in the nose are replaced by blanks, and out back, the custom exhaust's dual outlets poke through the spot where the license plate would reside on the production car. Other obvious additions are the front splitter, large rear wing, rear diffuser, and multiple cutouts in the aft bodywork to help with engine cooling. The entire package weighs in at just 2,755 pounds -- this thing should absolutely haul. German magazine Sport-Auto has been covering the car's development. We'll see how the car fares in competition next week.

Gallery: Audi R8 Nurburgring 24 Racer


[Sources: Sport-Auto, German Car Scene]

Audi R8 race car to tackle Nürburgring 24 hrs originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 May 2008 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audi r8AudiR8nurburgringnurburgring 24Nurburgring24r8r8 racerr8 racing cacarR8RacerR8RacingCacarSat, 17 May 2008 09:03:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1198257/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/05/17/audi-r8-race-car-to-tackle-nurburgring-24-hrs/1198257/article-detail.xml 1198257 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/05/audir8racecar_450_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/05/audir8racecar_450.jpg -1 2