Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
If you open the R8 Coupe V10 page on Audi.de, the first paragraph is a note that reads says the mid-engine supercar “is already sold out and therefore no longer available for individual configuration.” In other words, the four-ringed automaker prepares to roll out the mid-cycle refresh for the 2019 model year.
The carparazzi caught the R8 Spyder with minimal camouflage strolling around in Germany, looking like a million bucks in Ara Blue Crystal. The exterior finish is listed in the configurator for the R8 at $1,075, but options can get even pricier than that if you go with the Audi exclusive special matte paint color palette ($6,000).
Even though it’s made and registered in Germany, the pictured prototype is right-hand drive. This might mean that Audi is putting the final touches on the UK- and Australia-spec models, the most important RHD markets for the R8.
Even though it’s hard to put one’s fingers on what has changed from the pre-facelift, focus your sight on the front fascia and full-LED headlights. Audi managed to make the R8 look even more aggressive than before, and that’s exactly what the mid-engine supercar needed to keep it just as appealing as the Lamborghini Huracan.
In a similar fashion to the Raging Bull of Sant’Agata, the R8 relies on a naturally aspirated V10 displacing 5.2 liters. Output for both the standard and plus models will improve for the 2019 model year, but that’s not all. Lamborghini plans to introduce hybridization for the replacement of the Huracan, which means there’s a probability for the R8 to use the same setup.
On the other hand, opinions are still split between the R8 getting the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 from the RS4 Avant as an entry-level engine. Last time we’ve heard anything on the subject, an unnamed Audi official denied the scenario. But a few years back, technical lead Roland Schala told Top Gear that the EA839 is “a perfect engine for this kind of car.”
Even though Audi is keeping its lips shut on the date of reveal, the 2018 Paris Motor Show is just around the corner. And if the R8 won’t show up at the French venue, you’d better bet the facelift will be revealed by year’s end.
Even though it’s made and registered in Germany, the pictured prototype is right-hand drive. This might mean that Audi is putting the final touches on the UK- and Australia-spec models, the most important RHD markets for the R8.
Even though it’s hard to put one’s fingers on what has changed from the pre-facelift, focus your sight on the front fascia and full-LED headlights. Audi managed to make the R8 look even more aggressive than before, and that’s exactly what the mid-engine supercar needed to keep it just as appealing as the Lamborghini Huracan.
In a similar fashion to the Raging Bull of Sant’Agata, the R8 relies on a naturally aspirated V10 displacing 5.2 liters. Output for both the standard and plus models will improve for the 2019 model year, but that’s not all. Lamborghini plans to introduce hybridization for the replacement of the Huracan, which means there’s a probability for the R8 to use the same setup.
On the other hand, opinions are still split between the R8 getting the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 from the RS4 Avant as an entry-level engine. Last time we’ve heard anything on the subject, an unnamed Audi official denied the scenario. But a few years back, technical lead Roland Schala told Top Gear that the EA839 is “a perfect engine for this kind of car.”
Even though Audi is keeping its lips shut on the date of reveal, the 2018 Paris Motor Show is just around the corner. And if the R8 won’t show up at the French venue, you’d better bet the facelift will be revealed by year’s end.
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