It’s a strictly limited edition of one of Audi sport’s most celebrated high-performance models that pays tribute to the brand’s successes at one of the world’s most revered race tracks. The Audi Green Hell R8 will be limited to just 50 units worldwide, celebrating the brand’s five overall victories at the 24 Hours on the Nürburgring – a track that has gained the affectionate nickname of the Green Hell.

The limited edition supercar will be presented at this year’s running of the famous 24 hour race, which will take place this weekend. Audi Sport boasts quite a reputation at this demanding track and in this particularly gruelling race, with the Audi R8 LMS taking GT3 class victories in the race in 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019 it won the overall standings, making Audi the most successful GT3 manufacturer in the Green Hell in this era. 

Of course the R8 LMS has enjoyed success in numerous other high-profile race series around the globe, winning 75 overall driver titles and 96 other championship placings internationally.

As is the case with all of the R8 road cars and race cars, the Audi Green Hell R8 is produced in the ‘Böllinger Höfe’ manufacturing facility near the Audi Neckarsulm plant, and features dark Tioman green paint work, although customers will also be able choose ibis white, Daytona grey or mythos black. 

The bonnet, A-pillars, roof and the rear end are covered partially in matt black foil, while the doors feature the edition number in large transparent matt figures reminiscent of race numbers. The ‘GREEN HELL R8’ logo adorns the side blade and the windscreen in gloss black. The matt black styling package adds highlights to the front end, sills and diffuser, supplemented by side blades, mirror housings and rear wing in the same tone. The surfaces of the 20-inch wheels are also painted matt black with red highlights. 

Inside are lightweight bucket seats with centre panels upholstered in Alcantara, which is also used on the steering wheel rim, the hood over the digital instrument display, door and centre armrests, and knee pads. A blue-green contrasting stitching is used throughout and the floor mats feature a ‘GREEN HELL R8’ logo. 

But cosmetics aside, the Green Hell R8 is all performance, with its Audi Space Frame design (ASF) body made of aluminium and carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and its 456kW, naturally aspirated V10, seven- speed S tronic transmission and of course Audi quattro all-wheel drive. It dispatches the 0 to 100km/h sprint in a mere 3.1 seconds, and boasts a top speed of 331km/h.

Twin wishbones all-round locate the wheels, and the brake disks are made of CFRP (carbon fiber- reinforced polymer) ceramic, and the Audi drive select system incorporates a Performance mode that allows the key dynamic handling parameters to be adjusted in three stages to the road’s coefficient of friction. 

The close connection between road car and racing car will also be on show at this year’s 24 Hours on the Nürburgring race, with the GT3 racing car with number 1 visually adapted to the R8 green hell with its foil wrap in dark green. 

This year Nico Müller, Dries Vanthoor, Frédéric Vervisch and Frank Stippler will share the driving duties in the race car, each driving having won the race at least once before. Stippler has twice won the 24 Hours on the Nürburgring, most recently last year, as well as being instrumental in the testing of the first generation of the Audi R8 LMS, which debuted in 2009.