2017 Audi R8 V10 vs. Mercedes-AMG GT S Drag Race Ends With "He's Gone"

This is an interesting one because the R8 V10 is the base model, meaning it only gets 540 PS instead of the full 610 PS (reserved for the V10 Plus). Meanwhile, the AMG GT S used to be the most powerful version until the R came out.

510 PS should be enough to keep the Audi at bay, particularly when the 4.0-liter at the front of the GT is a twin-turbo. So the result is obvious, meaning that you are in for a shock.

In the hands of Auto Express, the R8 V10 is like a giant killer. We'll remind you that the Spyder version just won a drag race with the RS6 performance.

Obviously, the R8's quattro system gives it a huge traction advantage off the line. By the time both cars reach 30 miles per hour, the R8 is already 0.3 of a second ahead, stretching that lead to 0.5 of a second by the time they hit 60 and 0.8s by 100 mph.

This puts things into a new kind of perspective. Ever since its launch, the AMG GT has been sitting on this untouchable pedestal, a lightweight machine from the best carmaker in the world. But now, I keep getting these crazy ideas about it not being that special.

Mercedes aren't helping much, what with the new E63 S packing over 600 horsepower from the same 4-liter, plus AWD.

Besides the speed, nobody is going to say a nice thing about the R8. But Audi sure loves its supercar killer that started out as a 911 alternative. Speaking of which, the R8 will do some Carrera-style downsizing in the future. The successor of the old 4.2 TFSI V8 will get a 2.9-liter twin-turbo like the one in the Panamera 4S. I wonder what kind of Mercs you can roast with that.