No doubt the Audi R8 is a true sports car and during its life time has won lots of prestigious awards. But even for Audi what we might call a "best car" can be better. Thus the R8 V10 5.2 FSI, an even faster R8. The V10 version will be offered with two distinct gearboxes, both manual and R tronic, with prices starting at $146,000. The R8 V10 is powered by the same 5.2 liter V10 as the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 and is rated at 525 HP, which is 105 ponies more than the V8 version but about 27 HP less than the Gallardo.
What also distinguishes the V10 version is a new rear diffuser, twin oval tailpipes and new LED headlights while the super car keeps the same road hugging magnetic ride dampers. The R8 V10 can accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in under 3.9 seconds and the R tronic semi automatic equipped V10 will reach 125 MPH from a standstill in another 8.1 seconds with a top speed around 197 MPH.
Audi is launching the next variant of its top-of-the-line model. With the R8, the brand has established itself at the forefront of high-end sports cars from the very start – and now comes the R8 V10. Its 5.2-liter, ten-cylinder engine churns out 386 kW (525 hp) and 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) of torque, which makes for breathtaking performance. With superior Audi technologies such as quattro all-wheel drive, the lightweight aluminum body, the innovative all-LED headlights, and its striking design, the R8 V10 takes pole position against the competition.
The R8 V10 is the result of cumulative know-how from Audi’s string of Le Mans victories. Its naturally aspirated engine combines racing technology such as dry sump lubrication with FSI gasoline direct injection. The ten-cylinder design is the perfect synthesis for impressive top performance, mighty pulling power, and low weight. Starting in 2009, this engine will also prove its potential on the world’s racetracks – in the new R8 racing car Audi is developing for customer teams in conformance with the GT3 rules.
The V10 engine in the production sports car will be almost identical in construction to the one in the racing version. Its displacement is 5,204 cc, at 6,500 rpm it delivers 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) of torque, at 8,000 rpm its power tops out at 386 kW (525 hp).
The specific power output is 100.9 hp per liter of displacement – and each hp has to propel only 3.09 kilograms (6.91 lb) of weight, because the Audi R8
V10 in the version with the six-speed manual gearshift weighs only 1,620 kilograms (3571 lb). The engine accounts for 258 of these kilograms (569 lb) – that’s only 31 kilos (68 lb) more than the V8.
5.2 liter V10 engine; 525 hp @ 8000 rpm; 391 lbs.ft. @ 6500 rpm
The Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro rockets from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 3.9 seconds. In the version with the sequentially shifting R tronic it reaches 200 km/h (124.27 mph) in another 8.1 seconds. Even then its propulsive power hardly lessens: it’s sufficient to reach a top speed of 316 km/h (196.35 mph). The immense force, the spontaneity and the thrust of the acceleration, plus the sound of the engine – all these impressions coalesce into a breathtaking sports car experience. The V10 plays a concert with growling bass tones and powerful high notes, which grows into a grandiose fortissimo as the engine revs up. This sonorous acceleration doesn’t reach its limit until 8,700 rpm.
