Audi R8

Audi R8 (road car)

This article is about the road-going sports car. For the race car used in sportscar prototype racing,

Audi R8 (road car)

Manufacturer	quattro GmbH[1] (a private subsidiary of Audi AG)
Production	2006–present, 9,945 built in the end of 2008[2][3]
Assembly	Neckarsulm, Germany
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-door coupé (2007) 2-door spyder (2009)
Layout	Longitudinal mid-engine,[4] quattro permanent all-wheel drive[4]
Engine	4.2 L FSI V8, 2×DOHC; 5.2 L FSI V10, 2×DOHC[5]
Transmission	6-speed manual 6-speed R Tronic
Wheelbase	2,650 mm (104.3 in)[4]
Length	V8 Coupé: 4,431 mm (174.4 in),[4] V10 Coupé: 4,435 mm (174.6 in),[4] V10 Spyder: 4,434 mm (174.6 in)[4]
Width	V8 Coupé & V10 Spyder: 1,904 mm (75.0 in),[4] V10 Coupé: 1,930 mm (76.0 in)[4]
Height	V8 Coupé: 1,249 mm (49.2 in),[4] V10 Coupé: 1,252 mm (49.3 in),[4] V10 Spyder: 1,244 mm (49.0 in)[4]
Kerb weight	V8 Coupé: 1,560–1,565 kg (3,439–3,450 lb),[4] V10 Coupé: 1,620–1,625 kg (3,571–3,583 lb),[4] V10 Spyder: 1,720–1,725 kg (3,792–3,803 lb)[4]
Related	Audi RSQ Audi Le Mans quattro(Concept) Audi R8 TDI Le Mans(Concept) Lamborghini Gallardo
Designer(s)	Walter de'Silva

The Audi R8^[4] (Typ 42)^[6] is a mid-engine, 2-seater sports car,^[4][7] which uses Audi's trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system.^[4][8] It was introduced by the German automaker Audi AG in 2006.
The car was exclusively designed, developed, and manufactured by Audi AG's high performance private subsidiary company, quattro GmbH, and is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform.^[9] The fundamental construction of the R8 is based on the Audi Space Frame,^[4] and uses an aluminium monocoque which is built around space frame principles. The car is built by quattro GmbH in a newly renovated factory at Audi's 'aluminium site' at Neckarsulm in Germany.^[4]
In 2005, Audi announced that the name of the successful Audi R8 race car would be used for a new road car in 2007, the Audi R8, based on the Audi Le Mans quattro concept car, appearing at the 2003 International Geneva Motor Show, and 2003 Frankfurt International Motor Show. The R8 road car was officially launched at the Paris Auto Show on 30 September 2006. There was some confusion with the name, which the car shares with the 24 Hours of Le Mans winning R8 Le Mans Prototype (LMP). 6-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx described the R8 as "the best handling road car today".^[10] The Audi R8 is used as a safety car in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and British Superbike Championship racing series.

Other technical details

As Volkswagen Group owns both Audi and Lamborghini (Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.), some of the R8 is shared with the Lamborghini Gallardo, including some of the chassis and floorpan, door handle mechanisms, transmissions, and the revised V10 engine. The R8 is made distinct by its Germanic exterior styling, cabin, smaller V8 engine, magnetic dampers, and pricing.

The V10 engine in the R8

The V8 engine in the R8

The R8 (with the V8 engine) has a curb weight of 1,560 kilograms (3,439 lb).^[4] Its suspension uses BWI Group's^[37] magneto rheological dampers.^[38]
Safety features include Bosch ESP 8.0 Electronic Stability Programme,^[4] which includes anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) and Electronic Differential Lock (EDL),^[4] front dual-stage airbags, and 'sideguard' curtain airbags.^[39] The R8 also features a distinctive curved bar of LED daytime running lamps (DRLs) mounted inside the xenon HID headlamp casings.
The R8, like most mid- or rear-engine designed sports cars, utilises wider roadwheels and tyres on its rear axle. For the 18-inch alloy wheels (on standard summer tyres), there is just one range of sizes—the fronts are sized at 8.5J×18H2 ET42, whilst the rears are two inches wider at 10.5Jx18H2 ET50. With the 19-inch wheels (standard fit in most markets), the theme continues—the fronts are all 8.5J×19H2 ET42, and the rears are 11.0Jx19H2 ET50.^[4] 19-inch wheels for the winter tyre package have a ½" narrower rear compared to the summer tyre wheel package. There is also a corresponding difference in tyre sizes—18's are 235/40 ZR18 95Y XL (eXtra Load) in front and 285/35 ZR18 101Y XL at the rear. For the 19-inch tyres, two different options are available—all fronts are 235/35 ZR19 91Y, and the rears are either 295/30 ZR19 100Y XL or 305/30 ZR19 102Y XL.^[4] Standard factory supplied tyre makes offered are either Continental SportContact3 or Pirelli P-Zero Rosso.