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This Photo Finish 2,000HP Drag Race Sees the Audi R8 Take On Its TT RS Baby Brother

When it comes to drag racing, modified cars have a special appeal. It brings into question not only the cars but also the job done by the tuners. And today, we have a cool showdown between a twin-turbo Audi R8 and a TTRS with a built engine.
Tuned Audi R8 vs TTRS 21 photos
Photo: Officially Gassed / YouTube
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The two contenders in this video are both special for different reasons and perfectly matched against each other, despite the huge gap in the original price tags. The R8 is a halo car, the one that really put Audi on the performance map.

When the first generation dropped, it was an instant hit, not only due to its gorgeous styling (which aged really well) but also thanks to its performance. Famous petrolhead Jeramy Clarkson even went as far as saying it was better than the Porsche 911. The fact that Robert Downey Junior drove an R8 in the first Iron Man movie was just the cherry on top.

The Audi TT has an entirely different story, as you won’t really see it being praised by enthusiasts. However, the first generation had a big impact on car design. This spanned from the rounded wheel arches to the ultra-clean body that integrated the bumpers into the overall design, which the car industry still does to this day.

Performance-wise, the first-generation TT is forgettable, but this has improved substantially with the later models. The third-generation TTRS version sports a 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine with 395 hp (400 ps) and 354 lb-ft (480 Nm) of torque. However, the one in the video has a bunch of goodies that push those numbers a lot higher.

Thanks to a large turbo, built engine, 3.5-inch (89mm) exhaust, water/methanol injection, and an engine tune (among other modifications), it now produces around 1,000 hp. With a weight of only 3,042 pounds (1,380 kg), this TT manages an outstanding power-to-weight ratio of 724hp (734ps) per ton.

On the other hand, its V10-powered R8 opponent still has the stock internals. Albeit, two Garret GTX35 turbos are slapped on top, along with an upgraded low-pressure fuel pump, titanium exhaust, and engine tune.

This brings the output to a staggering 1,100 hp (1,115 ps), which is unsurprising, considering that every petrolhead knows what that V10 can do with some boost. Even so, the 3,560 pounds (1,615 kg) that must be moved mean the power-to-weight ratio is inferior to the TTRS, at 681hp (690ps) per ton.

With the performance figures out of the way, it’s time to see how this sibling rivalry ended. Starting with the rolling race, the R8 took the first win but lost the overall match to the TTRS. Giving some context to this race, the TTRS, or baby R8 as it’s often called, managed to go from 62 to 124 mph (100 to 200 kph) in a mind-blowing 3.54 seconds, while the R8 took 3.68 seconds.

The drag race was a different story, with the R8 managing to edge the TTRS two consecutive times. However, the telemetry data tells a different story, one of reaction time. According to the instruments, the TTRS took just 9.79 seconds to complete the drag race, while the R8 took 9.86 seconds.

So, the competition technically ended in a draw, as the winner was the first to cross the finish line. However, this is not as important as the entertainment factor of seeing these two Audi legends battle it out with such a close outcome.

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About the author: Bogdan Bebeselea
Bogdan Bebeselea profile photo

As a kid, Bogdan grew up handing his dad the tools needed to work on his old Citroen and asking one too many questions about everything happening inside the engine bay. Naturally, this upbringing led Bogdan to become an engineer, but thanks to Top Gear, The Fast and the Furious series, and racing video games, a passion for automotive entertainment was ignited.
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