Ingolstadt, Germany – 11/16/2005 New 2007 R8 will be based on the '03 Le Mans Quattro concept car. (Audi photo)
Audi R8 Sports Car Green-Lighted for Production
Written by: Cassio Cortes
It’s official: Audi will build the much-anticipated R8 sports car, bearing the namesake of its all-conquering Le Mans-winning roadster and based on the architecture of the Le Mans Quattro concept unveiled two years ago at the Frankfurt auto show.
R8 production is expected to begin in Neckarsulm, Germany late next year, with the car’s official marker launch scheduled for the second quarter of 2007. Over $30m will be invested in the new car’s production line.
“Through the R8 we are looking to build on our successes in motorsport and carry them over to series production. This model represents Audi’s very own interpretation of sportiness,” stated Audi chairman Martin Winterkorn.
It remains too early to speculate on pricing, but the aluminum-intensive R8 has been tipped to be Audi’s answer to the Porsche 911, meaning entry prices should start in the $60-$70k range. The German brand already competes in the above-$100k sports car stratum with its Lamborghini subsidiary, which battles Ferrari and Aston Martin in that segment.
And while the Le Mans concept used a Lamborghini-sourced V10 engine mounted amidships, Audi’s corporate 4.2-liter V8 is the new machine’s likeliest power plant, putting its power to the ground through Audi’s de rigueur Quattro all-wheel-drive system.
It’s a pretty hot car, saw it in Detroit 2 years ago. Too bad it’s not getting the Lambo motor though. Anyway, :tup: to Audi producing something that doesn’t look like a rounded box on top of another, larger rounded box…
That’s every Audi as far as I’ve noticed. I mean, yeah they’re nice cars, but you’re paynig a lot extra for something…something I still haven’t noticed in them still…
It’d be hot if they used a different engine choice (preferably with two angry snails), and the damn white stripe just kills the design for me. Give me one in all black and make it NOT overpriced and ill be interested. Oh yeah, this is supposed to be called the R9, the R8 is their LMP car.
people were calling it the R9 unofficially earlier this year. It’s been officially changed to R8 since the LMP car has been retired. The bottom of this article has a note explaining this http://paultan.org/archives/2005/08/05/audi-r9-supercar/
Target price is still $60-70K as above
R9 is the name still being tossed about as the LMP car. Damn journalists are getting everyone confused with their speculation.
The link you posted though, while it has a current date still has it listed with the TT V10, which isnt happening. I dunno, I’ll wait for the official word from Audi, I have Car magazine next to me which is calling it the R9. So we’ll have to see.
Really, when it comes to Audi though… Let me know when they go back to Rally.
You can get the stripe in body color as well as cf and the brushed aluminum. It is getting good reviews so far and apparently on a track it is a blast to throw around.
