The Audi R8 is a sportscar with its roots firmly set in the world of motorsport. First revealed in 2006, it will soon be replaced by a brand new model, poised to hit our streets next year. Not surprisingly though, the new two-seater is also being made into a race car.
This R8 GT3 race-spec model was just spotted for the very first time at the Monza track in Italy. It's wearing heavy camouflaged, but is believed to be based around a new design language that we've already sampled with the TTS Mk3.
The current R8's racing career started early in the model's life. In 2009, just two yeas after production started, the R8 LMS racing car was designed to compete in the FIA's GT3 European Championship. This new race car will continue that tradition, we suspect, we the same sort of 500 PS 5.2-liter V10 powering it.
Since 2012, the R8 has also been competing in the American Grand-Am Rolex Series. Compared to the Audi R8 LMS ultra, the R8 Grand AM has lower down force and due to an air restricter produces less power.
Racing is not only in the R8's blood, it's also implied in its name. In 2003, Audi revealed a concept that previewed the quattro sportscar's design. It was called the Le Mans quattro and it celebrated 3 years of consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans victories in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
The R8 is thus actually named after the R8 LMP race car. Who knows what the future of quatto GmbH holds: maybe GT3, maybe Grand-Am, maybe both and more. All we know is the prototype sounds absolutely bonkers.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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