Goes on sale this summer

The all-new second generation Audi R8 has been snapped on a gas station in the city of Angelhome, Sweden.

Shared by a GT Board fan on Facebook, the photos reveal the supercar definitely looks prettier in the flesh than under the lights of Geneva Motor Show. The photographed vehicle is finished in black and wears German license plates.

Interestingly, an Audi test prototype appears on one of the photos. Judging by the size of the car, this could be the next generation A4 in sedan guise.
Sales of the new R8 are scheduled to start from summer of 2015, priced at 165,000 EUR for the standard variant and at 187,400 EUR for the Plus model.

The two 5 cylinders engines of the R8 come with extra power, light weight providing abundant thrust to the R8. The configuration offers rich history with Audi brand and the 5 cylinder motor in RS 3 gives its unique Audi sound.

Audi R8 to go turbo

The paint isn't dry on the V10 R8 yet and Ingolstadt is already talking about turbos
Senior Audi officials have confirmed that turbocharged power is inevitable for its fastest sports car.

Audi's board member for development, Ulrich Hackenberg, and quattro boss Heinz Peter Hollerweger both admitted last week that turbo power would find its way into the R8 during its current life cycle.

Though insisting that it was right to stick with naturally-aspirated power and the throttle response its 5.2-litre V10 gave it, both men said the car would need turbos at some point to counteract the car's torque deficit to key rivals.

While the R8's sister car, the Lamborghini Huracan, remains naturally aspirated, the Mercedes-AMG GT and GT S, the McLaren 570 S and 650 S, the Porsche 911 Turbo and Ferrari's 488 GTB are all twin-turbo propositions.

Not only do they out-punch the strongest R8, the V10 Plus, on torque, they do it far earlier in the rev range.

However, both executives made it clear that a turbocharged R8 engine would be to give it an entry-level player, rather than to chase top-end rivals.

"It is inevitable that we will go to a turbocharged motor for it at some point. It would be in this model cycle, to give us a fuller range," Dr Hackenberg said during the R8 launch in Portugal last week.

"It's quite unique to build naturally aspirated engines today and our customers love it. It doesn't mean we are not going to do a turbo, but naturally aspirated is here to stay as well."

Hollerweger agreed, but insisted any turbo motor would just replace the old V8 as the entry-level model in the lineup.

The new R8 was never designed to take the outgoing V8 engine, nor the current 4.0-litre bi-turbo motor from the RS 6 and RS 7.

Audi has an upgraded development of its in-line five-cylinder motor on the way, along with an all-new, biturbo V6 engine that will replace the RS4's V8. Though neither Hackenberg nor Hollerweger would confirm which of the two engines was favoured by Audi's engineering arms, a senior sales and marketing source at Audi expressed a strong preference for the five pot.

"As a configuration, it's got such a rich history with the Audi brand and there is no sound more 'Audi' than the five-cylinder motor in the RS3," he said.

"It would have more than enough power and torque for the R8, and it's lighter, too, so it would package well, but we will see..."

Meet the world's first twin turbo 2017 Audi R8, capable of putting down between 800 WHP and over 2,200 WHP through six total tuning stages.

According to Underground Racing, driving the twin turbo R8 Plus is "something that should only be experienced, not explained," which is understandable seen as how they tend to create some of the quickest cars in the world.

Topping the second-gen R8 range is the V10 Plus with its 610 PS (601 HP) and 560 Nm (413 lb-ft) of torque. While it's more than capable of hitting 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds and max out at 330 km/h (205 mph), it pales in comparison to what it can do once UR is done with it.

For $49,000, you can get the Base Twin Turbo System that delivers 800 Wheel Horse Power on 93 octane pump gas. The Stage 1 upgrade comes next for $59,000, offering 900 WHP on race fuel, while Stage 2 ($69,000) will guarantee 850 WHP on 93 octane or 1,000 WHP on race fuel. Next up, you're putting down 1,000 WHP on pump gas with the $99,000 Stage 3 tune, or a massive 1,250 WHP on race fuel, though at this point the engine has to be modified, unlike any of the previous stages.

The two most impressive tunes are the Race Version TT and the X Version TT. The first is good for 1,150 WHP on pump gas & 1,500 WHP on race fuel, and the second delivers 1,200 WHP on pump gas and over 2,200 WHP on race fuel.

"Preliminary testing has been a great success. Pulling away on launch control with the 7 Speed LDF dual-clutch transmission and the help of some boost which is controlled via our proprietary JRR MoTeC M1 electronics and firmware with the additional horsepower is just that, an experience," stated the North Carolina-based tuner.

If you like your Audis looking to be unique, a visit to the Audi Forum in Neckarsulm might be time well spent.

This Arablau Matt R8 Spyder is more than just the wearer of an exclusive color scheme. It's also got 10-spoke Y-design alloys, carbon fiber mirrors and side blades, Performance leather steering wheel, plus full leather trim interior with Alabaster White seats, carbon fiber inserts and other body-colored elements.

Even though Audi will let you get really creative in terms of what your very own model can look like both inside and out, the R8 V10 Spyder is not just about looks.

It might not be the top Plus version, but the 540 PS churned out by the 5.2-liter V10 is still a mighty number. Add the quick 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox and, in a straight line, it'll do 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.6 seconds, with a top speed of 317 km/h (197 mph), just 3 km/h (2 mph) lower than that of the Coupe version.

As for specs, if you want to get the most out of your R8, odds are you'll be highly appreciative of its newly designed quattro system with an electro-hydraulically activated multi-plate clutch, its fully digital virtual cockpit, the premium Bang & Olufsen sound system and of course its excellent iOS & Android connectivity features.

Most often than not, when you take the roof off a car, you end up with a compromised version of the original, but not with the Audi R8.

We can all thank modern technical advancements for allowing us the option of open-top supercars that are just as good to drive as their fixed-roof counterparts, even if we don’t have the necessary cash to buy one.

The latest member of the Audi R8 family is just that; the new R8 Spyder takes everything that’s great with the Coupe version and simply adds the experience and the pleasure only the absence of the roof can give you.

After all, this is one of the last naturally aspirated junior supercars one can buy these days, having a screaming V10 right behind the driver playing wonderful melodies and offering 533hp to get you hooked. 0-62mph (0-100km/h) takes just 3.6 seconds with the top speed being 3 miles shy of the 200mph mark, at 197mph (317km/h).

The transformation from Coupe to Spyder only added 50kg (110 lbs) to weight of it, with Audi claiming that when compared to its predecessor, the new R8 Spyder is a massive 55 percent stiffer. The company even says that this is the stiffest convertible car you can buy, at any price point.

So how does the new Audi R8 Spyder feel behind the wheel? Auto Express delivers their first driving impressions in the video below.

As it turns out, Ford Mustangs aren't the only cars prone to crashing after Cars and Coffee events following a recent accident in Italy involving an AudiR8 V10 Plus.

While leaving a local Cars and Coffee gathering, the mid-engined supercar somehow found itself stuck in a ditch to the side of the road.

Exactly how it got there isn't known but the results are obvious; a damaged Audi and a driver with a massively bruised ego.

The damage sustained to the R8 doesn't seem terrible, although the lack of images of the undercarriage make it impossible to accurately determine just what parts will need fixing or replacing. Nevertheless, it certainly won't be a write off.

Probably the saddest thing about this story is that the car appears to be brand new. So new in fact that it has still been fitted with dealership license plates denoting the model's full name and has a couple of blue foam elements at the rear to protect the badge from the swinging license plate.

In all likelihood, the car was on a test drive when it crashed or was displayed by a local Audi dealership at the Cars and Coffee event. Whatever the case may be, this R8 certainly won't be changing hands any time soon.