This is Audi's first rear-wheel drive road car and the only one in the high-performance range. This may sound strange at first, but Audi Sport points out that the GT-Spec R8s are rear-wheel drive race cars. Audi said the goal with the RWS was to bring that race car feel to the streets. What's more, we learned before the summer that high-performance Audi's no longer have to always be quattro.
Only 999 units of the Audi R8 V10 RWS will be built, both coupe and Spyder.
Apart from the change when it comes to delivering power to the tarmac, it's not much different from any other R8. It uses the same 5.2 V10 engine with 540 hp and 540 Nm located in the center-rear position. The V10 is mated to the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. In this configuration, it accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds, while the Spyder takes a tenth longer due to its greater mass. The top speed is 320 km / h in the case of the coupe and 318 km / h the cabrio. Average fuel consumption is 12.4 l/100km, rising to 12.6 in the open-top.
To differentiate it from the rest of the range, it gets some matte black elements around the exterior, including the grille and air intake. Red stripes similar to that of the R8 LMS GT4 are available as an option. Inside, a plaque on the dashboard indicates the serial number of each R8 RWS. Bucket seats are optional, with Alcantara and leather-covered sports seats as standard.
The new model weighs around 50 kg less than the standard coupe - 40 kg in the case of the Spyder - thanks to the loss of parts such as the driveshaft, multi-plate clutch and centre differential. Weight has therefore been shifted to the rear. The R8 V10 RWS has a weight split of 40.6% over the front axle and 59.4% over the rear. The car comes with 19-inch aluminium wheels with a black finish and five-spoke V-design, with 245/35 section tyres at the front and 295/35 at the rear.
The car will go on sale later this year. Available this fall, the price of the Audi R8 V10 RWS Coupe in Spain will be 165,500 euros while the Spyder will be on sale from 180,250 euros. In my personal opinion, it's just a Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2 with the stamp of Audi. Both cars share the same chassis and use variants of the same V10, but the price is very different.
