Ok guys i went to the motor show a couple of weeks back and i took random images of many different cars... to my misfortune i cannot upload any that i've taken on my fone onto the pc.. which is annoying the crap out of me at this very moment..
but ever since i saw this one particular car, i cannot get it out of my mind.. i fell in love with it when i first laid eyes on it and i have several images of this car on my fone.. but since then i've been surfing the net, gathering photos and general information on this particular type of car and here ladies and gentlemen i have what i need to create a topic about it..
so i'd like your input on this particular car/model.. if you're a fan of the european models of course...
THE... AUDI R8
General Information
Produced in : 2001 - 2003
Curb weight : 911 kg average for 2001 model, 908 kg for 2002 model
Length : 4650 mm / 183.07 in
Width : 2000 mm / 78.74 in
Wheelbase : 2730 mm / 107.48 in
Layout : Mid Engine / RWD
Drivetrain
Engine : 90º V8, turbo-charged, 2 Garrett turbo-chargers
Displacement : 3600 cc
Valvetrain : 4 valves/cylinder, DOHC
Fuel feed : Bosch Motronic MS 2.9 Fuel injection
Aspiration : Twin Turbo
Gearbox : Ricardo 6 speed Sequential
Performance
Horsepower : 659 HP 2001 & 2002, 593 HP 2003
BHP/Liter : 169.4
Torque : 516 + lb/ft
Redline : 8050 rpm
Power to weight ratio : 0.68 BHP/kg
Top Speed : 205 mph
0-60 mph acceleration 3.3 sec
an absolute BEAST!!!
The R8 was recently caught undergoing prototype testing at the world-famous Nurburgring race track in Germany and in the sub-zero climes of northern Sweden. It is believed the R8 will compete head on with the Porsche 911 Turbo and Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
Early speculation that Audi would keep engine performance down to protect the Lamborghini Gallardo – Audi owns Lamborghini and supplies the V10 engine block for the Gallardo - have been blown to smithereens.
Now we're hearing the R8 will be powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V10 producing 450kW of power and more than 750Nm of torque.
There's also the possibility of a second, slightly less powerful model using a turbocharged version of the high-revving 4.2-litre V8 which unleashes 309kW in the RS4.
One thing's for sure: Performance from the aluminium-bodied all-wheel drive super coupe promises to be scintillating. Expect 0-100km/h acceleration in four seconds or less and a potential top speed beyond 300km/h.
Audi and its subsidiary quattro GmbH will build the stunning Le Mans quattro supercar to be sold and badged as the 'R8' in 2007.
Few details - other than that it will be built - have filtered through, but if the new R8 matches the concept car's specifications it will capable of reaching de-restricted speeds close to 350km/h, making it one of the world's quickest sports cars.
Two years ago Audi unveiled the bold Le Mans quattro concept study at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show and the German company says already plans for its production - in the form of the R8 - are well underway.
Audi explains that the series production of the R8 at Audi's plant in Neckarsulm will commence in the fourth quarter of 2006, with a market launch in the U.S. scheduled for mid-2007, where a large majority of the as-yet un-priced vehicles are expected to be sold.
The Le Mans quattro concept, on which the R8 is based, featured a 5.0-litre V10 engine (borrowed from Lamborghini) with twin turbochargers to create a whopping 449kW @ 6800rpm, which works out to about 610 horsepower.
Audi has divulged that it will invest ¤28,000,000 in the R8 production line, whose manufacture will be undertaken by Audi subsidiary quattro GmbH.
It also let slip that both development and test construction at quattro GmbH and the technical development at Audi AG are currently in full swing, with some 250 employees working on the production of the R8.
"Through the R8 we are looking to build on our successes in motorsport and carry them over to series production. This model represents Audi's very own interpretation of sportiness," said Dr. Martin Winterkorn, of AUDI AG, on the subject of the newest and most powerful member of the Audi model range.
Performance models from Mercedes, BMW, Aston Martin and others will all be rivals for the new R8, which will sit above Audi's famed 'S' and 'RS' models as the company's new flagship performance car.
The R8's styling is expected to change slightly from the 2003 concept car on which it is based (see photos above), which was equipped with a twin clutch DSG gearbox to provide for rapid gearshifts, powerful LED headlights, and sat on 20-inch wheels with front tyres sized at 255/30 with the rears rated at 295/30.
Audi says that it will rely on intelligent lightweight design for its R8 to achieve a high power-to-weight ratio, with aluminium space frame technology a core area of expertise in Neckarsulm. The Audi A2, A6 and A8 were all developed at the Aluminium Centre there using lightweight design technology.
