Audi R8 V10 Quattro signs off with 30 special supercars
The special edition bids farewell to the V10 Quattro, but the V10 Performance lives on.
So long, R8 V10 Quattro.
Friends, it's time to bid farewell to the entry-level Audi R8. On Thursday, the German brand announced the R8 V10 Quattro will depart us, but before it goes, the company will build 30 special edition cars to show its appreciation.
The special R8 doesn't have a name to go with it, just "limited edition." And limited it is. The 30 cars will feature Audi's "alu-optic" trim on the side mirrors and carbon-fiber-dipped lower exterior trim, engine compartment and side blades. Audi plans to build 15 of them in blue, 5 in silver and 5 in green. Another 5 R8 V10 Quattro Spyder models make up the 30 cars, and they'll each be blue. Each exterior color gets a different interior color palette as well. To cap off the special treatment, the 20-inch milled wheels feature a silver finish -- the first time Audi's ever offered the wheels with such a finish in the US.
There's a touch of mechanical love to the R8 V10 Quattro as well. Each car gets a carbon-fiber front sway bar, which is typically reserved for the R8 V10 Performance. It shaves 4.4 pounds from the supercar. The Performance's model's sport exhaust system is also standard to amplify the engine's roar.
And of course, the 5.2-liter V10 engine sans turbocharging is present with 562 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. Power flows through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to all four wheels, hence the Quattro naming.
While the R8 V10 Quattro will die, the mentioned V10 Performance model will stick around still. It makes even more power from the same engine -- 610 hp. We could also still see Audi bring the R8 RWD to the US. Last year, it revealed a rear-wheel drive model for Europe but never solidified plans for the US. Perhaps with the Quattro leaving, it opens the door for the purer supercar to come. Prices for the limited edition cars start at $186,000 for the coupe and $195,900 for the Spyder before a destination charge.
