Audi R8 Coupe Drag Races and Rolls R8 Spyder, Weight Makes a World of Difference

Gaps? Well, think 11.11 seconds compared to 11.53 and 11.20 seconds compared to 11.35 in the quarter mile. From 50 kilometers per hour, which means 31 miles per hour in the US and the UK, the coupe accelerates from 100 to 200 kph (make that 62 to 124 mph) in 7.01 seconds compared to 8.04.

For the second of two rolling start races, the coupe asserted dominance once again, clocking 7.11 versus 7.97 seconds for the soft-topped R8 Spyder Plus. Of course, on every single occasion, the coupe carried a bit more speed over the finish line.

Equipped with the very same 5.2-liter V10 and 7-speed transmission as the Lamborghini Huracan, the second-generation R8 rolled out in 2015 at the Geneva Motor Show on the so-called Modular Sports System platform. Said architecture will go the way of the dodo in the second half of 2024 with the introduction of the Huracan’s long-awaited successor. The second-generation R8 will be leaving us after the 2023 model year with no direct successor in sight.

There is hearsay in regard to an electric supercar adopting the R8 moniker, but only time will tell if Audi wants to water down the R8 nameplate this much. By comparison, the Raging Bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese will use a twin-turbo V8 for the yet-unnamed replacement for the Huracan.

Said V8 is assisted by a plug-in hybrid system, a setup most likely inspired by the Revuelto. Expected to rev to an ear-piercing 10,000 revolutions per minute, said powerplant is probably related to the Audi-Porsche V8 that powers the Urus Performante and Urus S sport utility vehicles.

What is most surprising about the Huracan’s next-in-line is that Lamborghini confirmed a bespoke platform for said application. However, chances are the Italian automaker has reworked the Revuelto’s platform for this particular application. After all, the Baby Lambo looks extremely similar to the V12-powered supercar. The fact that it’s a plug-in hybrid also indicates Revuelto-based underpinnings.

Already sold out for the remainder of its production life cycle, the Huracan sold in excess of 20,000 examples. The 20,000th unit rolled off the assembly line in Sant’Agata Bolognese in April 2022. Over at Audi, the R8’s last hurrah is dubbed R8 GT. And it's rear-wheel drive to boot!

Limited to 333 units worldwide, of which 150 units are going to the United States market, the R8 GT carries a sticker price of $249,900. Excluding the destination charge. And exterior paint color’s price. And the gas-guzzler tax. A track-oriented special edition, the R8 GT makes the very same 602 horsepower and 413 pound-feet (610 ps and 560 Nm) as the R8 Plus twins in the clip below.