Photo: Guido ten Brink/SB-Medien
Have you ever imagined Audi turning to rear-wheel-drive in order to breathe new life into its Sport division? Best known for making tremendously fast machines with quattro all-wheel-drive, the Ingolstadt-based automaker surprised everyone at the IAA 2017 by launching the rather underwhelming R8 RWS.
“The what?” R8 Rear Wheel Series. I wish I was joking, but no, that’s what RWS stands for. Despite the monumentally bad naming convention, Audi’s decision to manufacture the R8 RWS in limited numbers is also controversial. Lamborghini didn’t cap the production of the Huracan LP580-2, so why did the four-ringed automaker? Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer.
Going rear-wheel-drive made the R8 V10 look somewhat cleaner, with very few aerodynamic trickery going on at the front and rear. The interior differs from the R8 V10 with quattro through an emblem, which thrones on the dashboard and reads “1 of 999.” Yup, less than 1,000 examples will be made.
Care to guess how many ponies the 5.2-liter FSI develops? I’m afraid it’s not a Huracan LP580-2-rivaling output, but 540 PS (533 hp) and 540 Nm (398 lb-ft). The question remains: how cheeky can Audi be for limiting production of the R8 RWS while the Lamborghini equivalent is more powerful and readily available? To the mid-engine supercar’s defense, deleting quattro translates to a weight saving of 50 kilograms (110 pounds) for the fixed-head coupe, translating to 3.7 seconds to 100 km/h (62 mph), on to 320 km/h (199 mph).
Priced at 140,000 euros for the coupe, the 2018 Audi R8 RWS with a soft-top roof commands a starting price of 153,000 euros including VAT. The order books will open in Germany this fall, and first deliveries are scheduled for early 2018. U.S. availability is a mystery at this point in time, but knowing how Audi works, the R8 RWS won’t cross the pond to RWD-loving America.
The bottom line is, Audi has proven with the R8 RWS that it will always be in the shadow of Lamborghini and the sexy-looking Huracan LP580-2.
Going rear-wheel-drive made the R8 V10 look somewhat cleaner, with very few aerodynamic trickery going on at the front and rear. The interior differs from the R8 V10 with quattro through an emblem, which thrones on the dashboard and reads “1 of 999.” Yup, less than 1,000 examples will be made.
Care to guess how many ponies the 5.2-liter FSI develops? I’m afraid it’s not a Huracan LP580-2-rivaling output, but 540 PS (533 hp) and 540 Nm (398 lb-ft). The question remains: how cheeky can Audi be for limiting production of the R8 RWS while the Lamborghini equivalent is more powerful and readily available? To the mid-engine supercar’s defense, deleting quattro translates to a weight saving of 50 kilograms (110 pounds) for the fixed-head coupe, translating to 3.7 seconds to 100 km/h (62 mph), on to 320 km/h (199 mph).
Priced at 140,000 euros for the coupe, the 2018 Audi R8 RWS with a soft-top roof commands a starting price of 153,000 euros including VAT. The order books will open in Germany this fall, and first deliveries are scheduled for early 2018. U.S. availability is a mystery at this point in time, but knowing how Audi works, the R8 RWS won’t cross the pond to RWD-loving America.
The bottom line is, Audi has proven with the R8 RWS that it will always be in the shadow of Lamborghini and the sexy-looking Huracan LP580-2.
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