Photo: SB-Medien
It seems that Audi doesn't want to let go of the R8 just yet, as before pulling the plug, the automaker is making significant mid-life updates.
This R8 prototype has been spied for the first time wearing camouflage over some significantly redesigned body bits.
In short, we love it. The R8 looks like a car capable of doing terrible things, not a dorkier version of the Lamborghini Huracan. The slight downside is that it's even more similar to the NSX than before.
At the front, the whole bumper has been revised around a new hexagonal grille design shared with the A6, A7, and A8. However, it's the side intakes that we're most pleased with. Gone are those silly vertical bars, replaced by conventional mesh.
Slight changes to the side skirts and chin spoiler will only be noticeable by doing a side-by-side comparison. But at least they didn't mess anything up.
The back of the 2019 or 2020 R8 features a new grille design that goes across the car instead of being cut in the middle, where the license plate is. The air diffuser seems more understated, and that leads us to believe this is the 400+ HP base model that's been rumored for many years.
Instead of square mufflers, this R8 now has two oval mufflers with those little perforations that help it sound better. This could be connected to either a 2.5-liter 5-cylinder with over 400 HP or, most likely, the 450 HP 2.9-liter V6 from the RS5.
If sales are the main problem of the R8, then this engine will do a lot to help. Not only will it make buying the mid-engined supercar cheaper to buy, but it will also lower your taxes based on emissions (like in Britain) or displacement (like in China).
Performance should go down a little, but it should still reach 100 km/h in around 4 seconds with launch control. A new infotainment system and Virtual Cockpit could be what the R8 to compete with the Porsche 911.
In short, we love it. The R8 looks like a car capable of doing terrible things, not a dorkier version of the Lamborghini Huracan. The slight downside is that it's even more similar to the NSX than before.
At the front, the whole bumper has been revised around a new hexagonal grille design shared with the A6, A7, and A8. However, it's the side intakes that we're most pleased with. Gone are those silly vertical bars, replaced by conventional mesh.
Slight changes to the side skirts and chin spoiler will only be noticeable by doing a side-by-side comparison. But at least they didn't mess anything up.
The back of the 2019 or 2020 R8 features a new grille design that goes across the car instead of being cut in the middle, where the license plate is. The air diffuser seems more understated, and that leads us to believe this is the 400+ HP base model that's been rumored for many years.
Instead of square mufflers, this R8 now has two oval mufflers with those little perforations that help it sound better. This could be connected to either a 2.5-liter 5-cylinder with over 400 HP or, most likely, the 450 HP 2.9-liter V6 from the RS5.
If sales are the main problem of the R8, then this engine will do a lot to help. Not only will it make buying the mid-engined supercar cheaper to buy, but it will also lower your taxes based on emissions (like in Britain) or displacement (like in China).
Performance should go down a little, but it should still reach 100 km/h in around 4 seconds with launch control. A new infotainment system and Virtual Cockpit could be what the R8 to compete with the Porsche 911.
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