Photo: Audi AG
Everyone knows that crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks are all the rage this day and age across the automotive industry. Still, automakers are stubborn enough to continue producing niche vehicles that have a low sales count. That’s fine by us, because some of those vehicles are named the Audi TT and R8, and they’re proper sports car by any account. And the Ingolstadt-based automaker manages to make them even more enticing by churning out special editions one after the other.
We’re not sure if we’re reading the fine print correctly, but there must be a secret to Audi’s persistence in offering both the TT and R8 in a world craving for high riders in just about every form. Perhaps they make good profits out of these sports cars, which could explain their propensity for wrapping them up with limited series ribbons.
Never mind our rhetorical line of thought because we can at least tell you about one certain fact. If you thought the Germany-exclusive TT RS “40 years of quattro” was absurdly expensive, then how about an R8 with rear-wheel drive that’s selling for almost R8 quattro money?!
This time around, the 2021 Audi R8 RWD Panther edition has been specifically crafted for the U.S. market, and it will become available later this month at dealerships for a starting MSRP of $183,300. Of course, you’ll also have to add up the “$1,495 destination charge, $1,700 gas guzzler tax, sales taxes, title, options, and dealer charges” afterwards.
That means the Panther is more than $40 k above the MSRP for the base 2021 R8 RWD sold in the United States, and it’s also not far away from the quotation for a 2021 R8 quattro, which goes for at least $196,700 in coupe form.
For the money, Audi is promising the R8 RWD Panther will one day turn into a collectible, with production limited to just 30 units, all of them delivered with the coupe body style. There are lots of “Audi exclusive” perks included with the deal, such as 20-inch milled wheels in matte black with red trim, a Panther Black crystal effect shade for the exterior, and a full Audi exclusive interior treatment.
Still, the R8 Panther edition doesn’t come with major technical upgrades, so customers are getting a stock application of the naturally aspirated 5.2-liter FSI V10 engine sending all 532 horsepower to the rear wheels. Instead, the automaker promises the special series will arrive with a special chassis adaptation for the rear-wheel-drive setup.
Never mind our rhetorical line of thought because we can at least tell you about one certain fact. If you thought the Germany-exclusive TT RS “40 years of quattro” was absurdly expensive, then how about an R8 with rear-wheel drive that’s selling for almost R8 quattro money?!
This time around, the 2021 Audi R8 RWD Panther edition has been specifically crafted for the U.S. market, and it will become available later this month at dealerships for a starting MSRP of $183,300. Of course, you’ll also have to add up the “$1,495 destination charge, $1,700 gas guzzler tax, sales taxes, title, options, and dealer charges” afterwards.
That means the Panther is more than $40 k above the MSRP for the base 2021 R8 RWD sold in the United States, and it’s also not far away from the quotation for a 2021 R8 quattro, which goes for at least $196,700 in coupe form.
For the money, Audi is promising the R8 RWD Panther will one day turn into a collectible, with production limited to just 30 units, all of them delivered with the coupe body style. There are lots of “Audi exclusive” perks included with the deal, such as 20-inch milled wheels in matte black with red trim, a Panther Black crystal effect shade for the exterior, and a full Audi exclusive interior treatment.
Still, the R8 Panther edition doesn’t come with major technical upgrades, so customers are getting a stock application of the naturally aspirated 5.2-liter FSI V10 engine sending all 532 horsepower to the rear wheels. Instead, the automaker promises the special series will arrive with a special chassis adaptation for the rear-wheel-drive setup.
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