The Audi R8 – the German marque's halo supercar. Built initially on the same chassis and engine with the Lamborghini Gallardo, the R8 was regarded to be a unique supercar despite the fact that it shared the parts with the Italian nameplate.
More than 12 years have passed and now we're blessed with its second-generation model, with the latest facelift coming out last year. But how does the huge generation gap affect the progress of the German supercar from the first example up to the latest one?
CarWow pits the original Audi R8 against newer versions of it in a drag race, specifically the GT Spyder and LMX trims of the Mark 1 and the V10 Performance of the latest iteration. To give you a more substantial comparison, let's lay down the numbers for each car.
The original R8 came with an all-aluminum V8 engine that produces 414 horsepower (309 kiloWatts) and 317 pound-feet (430 Newton-meters) of torque. Pushing the power to all four wheels is a six-speed manual gearbox.
The R8 GT Spyder, on the other hand, is a limited version of the GT with only 333 units worldwide. It came with a 5.2-Liter V10 power plant that crunches out 552 hp (412 kW) and 398 lb-ft (540 Nm) torque. The transmission's a six-speed single-clutch automatic.
Next is another limited edition variant of the first-generation R8 – the R8 LMX. Revealed at the 24 Hour of Le Mans, this special edition R8 came with 5.2L V10 that churns out a bit more power at 562 hp (419 kW) with the same torque. The transmission, however, is a seven-speed dual clutch transmission.
Of course, the latest of the bunch would be the facelifted R8 Mark II. Aside from the redesigned body, the new R8 has a 5.2L V10 behind the seats which has a maximum output of 602 hp (449 kW) and 413 lb-ft (560 Nm) torque, making it the most powerful R8 yet.
So, which one ruled the drag race? We're pretty much sure you have an idea by now, but you can watch the video to find out for yourself.
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