R8 Limited Edition

When the cars line up at the famed Nürburgring next week, as well as the impressive complement of Audi R8 LMS cars ready to do battle, there will be another very special Audi R8 in attendance.

Although not actually racing, this R8 nevertheless has its roots in Audi’s proud racing heritage and the race around the track that has earned the nickname ‘the Green Hell’. Its 20.8km of undulating, twisting track weaving through spectacularly beautiful green countryside, but promising a driving experience that is anything but a drive in the country.

This particular R8, the ‘Selection 24h’ is a limited edition version of the Audi new Audi R8 plus which pays homage to its namesake, the Audi R8 that claimed five Le Mans titles for the brand as well as the new R8 LMS which won at the Nürburgring on debut last year. Indeed since the R8 LMS first exploded onto the international GT3 racing scene in 2009, it has recorded no less than 323 wins around the world.

The Audi R8 selection 24h is offered as a limited run of just 24 cars, powered by the mid-mounted 5.2-litre V10 engine which develops 449 kW demolishes the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds. Top speed is 330km/h while the new quattro system is fully variable between front and rear wheels for optimum power to the road surface at all speeds.

Like the new Audi Audi R8 V10 plus which will officially debut in Australia in a matter of weeks, this limited edition car was built in conjunction with the new R8 LMS race car and as a result is tremendously close to the race version in terms of its specification and performance.

Light weight construction of just 1,454kg has been achieved through the use of multimaterial construction principle, with a combination of aluminium and carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRP) in the Audi Space Frame. 

The ‘selection 24h’ will come complete with dynamic steering, the adaptive damper control system Audi magnetic ride and Audi laser lighting, but it is the external appearance that will immediately identify it as a special edition. Its tricolour paint, made up of Suzuka grey with mythos black and Misano red highlights is subtle but distinctive. The front spoiler, the exterior mirror housings, the engine compartment cover, the rear wing and the diffuser are all made from gloss-finish carbon fibre. The same applies to the sideblades with matt-finish ‘R8 24h’ logo. The exhaust has black tips while the 20-inch forged aluminium wheels run a 10-spoke Y design and are painted gloss anthracite black. 

Inside, the limited-edition model offers full-leather upholstery and trim in rotor grey, with Alcantara headlining. The air vents and the extended inlays for the surround of the Audi virtual cockpit are made of gloss-finish CFRP. The latter also bear the matt-finish ‘R8 24h’ logo. The illuminated door sill trims are also made of gloss-finish carbon and display the serial numbers 1 to 24 for each of the limited edition cars.

What’s more, the entry lights on the doors project the Audi R8 logo onto the road surface – a feature that every R8 customer will be able to personalise on their car in the future with a near-unlimited range of lettering and logos from the Audi exclusive offering.

Given the very limited nature of the R8 selection 24, this is a car destined to become an instant collector’s item, but given that it will only be produced in left-hand-drive it will not be offered for sale in Australia.