The name R8 belonged to a race car first. Audi's R8 prototype won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times, in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005. At the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi showed a road-going concept, the Le Mans quattro, built to celebrate the racer's three straight wins. When the production version was unveiled at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, it took the racer's name, though it shared nothing with the race car beyond that name and a mid-engine layout. It was the first mid-engine sports car Audi built in series for the road, and it stayed in production until March 2024.
- The R8 name came from Audi's prototype race car, which won Le Mans five times between 2000 and 2005. The 2003 Le Mans quattro concept previewed the road car.
- The 2006 production R8 was Audi's first series-built mid-engine road car, launched with a 4.2-liter V8 shared with the RS 4 and a choice of a gated six-speed manual or the R tronic automated manual.
- A 5.2-liter V10 derived from the Lamborghini Gallardo's engine arrived at the end of 2008. The second generation, from 2015, shared its platform with the Lamborghini Huracán and dropped the V8.
- Production ended in March 2024. The last special edition, the 333-car R8 GT, was rear-wheel drive only and billed as the most powerful rear-wheel-drive Audi ever built.
Two generations, one name earned on a racetrack
The racer earned the name. Audi's R8 prototype ran in sports car racing from 2000 to 2006 and won Le Mans five times in six years. The one year it did not, 2003, the winner was the Bentley Speed 8, another Volkswagen Group car. When Audi turned its Le Mans quattro concept into a production car, it did not invent a new name. It reused the one that had already won.
- 2000 to 2006
The name wins Le Mans first
Audi's R8 prototype race car wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005.
- 2003
The Le Mans quattro concept
At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi shows a road-going concept with a twin-turbo V10, named to celebrate the racer's three straight Le Mans wins from 2000 to 2002.
- 2006 to 2007
The production R8 arrives
Unveiled at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, built from that autumn and on sale in Europe from April 2007, the R8 launches with a 4.2-liter V8 FSI (420 PS), essentially the RS 4's engine converted to dry-sump lubrication. Buyers choose a six-speed manual with a metal shift gate or the R tronic automated manual.
- 2008
America meets the R8
The R8 reaches the US as a 2008 model, rated at 420 hp and priced from $109,000 with the manual. The same year, an R8 V8 appears in the first Iron Man film, the start of a run across all three Iron Man movies: a V10 Spyder in the second, an R8 e-tron prototype in the third.
- 2008 to 2009
The V10 arrives
Audi unveils the R8 V10 on December 8, 2008, and it goes on sale in April 2009. Its 5.2-liter V10 FSI, derived from the Lamborghini Gallardo's engine, makes 525 PS (about 518 hp).
- 2015 to 2024
A second generation, V10 only
The second-generation R8 (Type 4S) debuts at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, sharing its platform and V10 with the Lamborghini Huracán. The V8 and the manual gearbox are gone: every combustion R8 from here on is a V10 with a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission.
What the last V10 R8s were like
The photos on this page show a second-generation R8 V10 coupe. Every R8 V10 was naturally aspirated, with no turbocharger or supercharger, and late second-generation cars were sold with either rear-wheel drive or Audi's quattro all-wheel drive.
Cockpit
InstrumentsFor the 2023 model year in the US, the V10 Performance quattro was rated at 602 hp and 413 lb-ft, and the rear-drive V10 Performance at 562 hp and 406 lb-ft. Audi's own figures for the quattro Performance in European trim give 0 to 62 mph in 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 205 mph. Both used the same 5.2-liter V10; the extra power and the quattro system are what separated them.
- Engine
- 5.2-liter V10, naturally aspirated
- Output, RWD
- 562 hp, 406 lb-ft
- Output, quattro
- 602 hp, 413 lb-ft
- Starting price
- $158,600 (RWD) to $209,700 (quattro)
US base MSRP for the coupe, before options. Audi rates the European-market quattro Performance at 620 PS.
How Audi ended the R8
In October 2022 Audi announced the R8 GT, a send-off for the V10 limited to 333 cars, the same number as the first-generation R8 GT. It was rear-wheel drive only, lighter than the standard car, and billed as the most powerful rear-wheel-drive Audi ever built. In US trim it made 602 hp and 413 lb-ft, the same as the quattro Performance. The US got 150 of the 333, priced from $249,900 before destination.
The racing link never fully broke. Audi says the road car's V10 is virtually identical to the one in its R8 LMS GT3 race car, which shares just under half its parts with the production R8 and was built at the same Audi Böllinger Höfe site in Heilbronn.
Production ended in March 2024, after 45,949 cars across both generations, by Audi's count. A short-lived electric version, the R8 e-tron, sold fewer than 100 cars, in Europe only, between 2015 and 2016. It made about 456 hp and was rated for 280 miles of range on the European test cycle.
Whichever generation you own, an R8 parked between drives is worth keeping under a cover matched to your exact car.
Keep it coveredCovers for the R8, matched to your exact car
Questions owners ask
Was the Audi R8 Audi's first mid-engine car?
It was the first mid-engine sports car Audi built in series for the road. Audi's R8 prototype race car, also mid-engined, came first: it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times between 2000 and 2005, and the road car took its name.
Does the Audi R8 share parts with a Lamborghini?
Yes. The first-generation R8 was based on the Lamborghini Gallardo, and its 5.2-liter V10, added at the end of 2008, was derived from the Gallardo's engine. The second generation, from 2015, shared its platform and V10 with the Lamborghini Huracán.
Is the Audi R8 still in production?
No. Audi ended R8 production in March 2024, after two generations and 45,949 cars. Its last special edition was the 333-car, rear-wheel-drive R8 GT.
Which R8s appeared in the Iron Man movies?
An R8 appeared in all three Iron Man films: a V8 coupe in the first, a V10 Spyder in the second and an R8 e-tron prototype in the third.
Sources (20)
- Audi's R8 prototype race car competed from 2000 to 2006, was mid-engined, and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005; the Bentley Speed 8, another Volkswagen Group car, won in 2003. en.wikipedia.org
- The Le Mans quattro concept was presented at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show with a twin-turbocharged V10, created to celebrate Audi's three successive Le Mans wins in 2000, 2001 and 2002; it was then put into production as the R8. en.wikipedia.org
- The R8 is the first mid-engine sports car Audi built in series for the road; production began in autumn 2006, sales in April 2007, and the V10 was available from April 2009. de.wikipedia.org
- The production R8 shares nothing with the R8 racing prototypes beyond the name and the mid-engine layout. de.wikipedia.org
- The R8 was unveiled at the 2006 Paris Motor Show with a 4.2-liter FSI V8 of 420 PS, basically the B7 RS 4 engine modified for dry-sump lubrication, a six-speed manual with a metal gate for the shift lever or the R tronic automated manual; Audi unveiled the 525 PS (518 hp) R8 V10 on December 8, 2008; the first generation was based on the Lamborghini Gallardo and shared its chassis and engine. en.wikipedia.org
- R8s appeared in all three Iron Man films: a V8 in Iron Man, a V10 Spyder in Iron Man 2 and an e-tron prototype in Iron Man 3. en.wikipedia.org
- The 2008 Audi R8 went on sale in the US rated at 420 hp, priced from $109,000 with the manual transmission ($118,000 with R tronic). audiworld.com
- The second-generation R8 (Type 4S) was introduced at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, based on the Lamborghini Huracán and sharing its platform and engine; the V8 was dropped and the 7-speed S tronic is standard, with no manual available. The road-going R8 has been used as a safety car in the FIA World Endurance Championship and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the R8 LMS won the 2018 Bathurst 12 Hour. en.wikipedia.org
- The R8 e-tron made 456 hp and was rated for 280 miles of range on the European test cycle; fewer than 100 were built, sold only in Europe, and production ended in 2016. greencarreports.com
- For 2023 in the US, the R8 V10 Performance RWD was rated at 562 hp and 406 lb-ft, and the V10 Performance quattro and the R8 GT at 602 hp and 413 lb-ft. kbb.com
- 2023 Audi R8 US base MSRP: $158,600 for the V10 Performance RWD coupe, $209,700 for the V10 Performance quattro coupe and $249,900 for the R8 GT. cars.com
- Audi's figures for the R8 V10 Performance quattro coupe: 620 PS, 580 Nm, 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 331 km/h (205.7 mph). audi.com
- The Audi R8 has not been produced since March 2024. audi.com
- The R8 LMS GT3 race car shares just under 50 percent of its parts with the production R8, and its V10 is virtually identical to the road car's; by October 2018 R8 LMS drivers had won 59 overall driver rankings and eleven 24-hour races outright. audi.com
- The R8 was built by Audi Sport at the Audi Böllinger Höfe site in Heilbronn, where the R8 LMS race cars were also built. audi.com
- The 2023 R8 GT in US trim made 602 hp and 413 lb-ft, was lighter than the standard car, started at $249,900 before destination, and 150 of the 333 built were allocated to the US. carscoops.com
- The R8 GT, announced in October 2022 as Audi's goodbye to the V10, was limited to 333 units, matching the original R8 GT's run, and described as the most powerful rear-wheel-drive car in Audi's history. carscoops.com
- Audi: 45,949 R8s built; the final car was built at Böllinger Höfe on March 22, 2024. audi.com
- Audi: the R8 was the first mid-engine super sports car Audi offered; its final special model was the R8 V10 GT RWD. audi.com
- Audi of America rated the 2017 R8 V10 plus at 610 hp @ 8,250-8,700 rpm and 413 lb-ft @ 6,500 rpm, calling the 2017 R8 the fastest and most powerful Audi production model ever. audiworld.com
Photos: Denis Sh - stock.adobe.com
