If you were following us on Twitter @InsideLine_com, you'll know our Audi R8 Road Trip was a blast, culminating with track impressions and acceleration numbers of the exceedingly rare and potent 2012 Audi R8 GT at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. Only 333 will be built worldwide, with 90 for the U.S.
For those of you who aren't twitterers, a wrapup of the adventure along with R8 GT test numbers can be found after the jump.
Audi thought we'd prefer to drive a "regular" R8 to Napa Valley rather than fly (they were right), so the first part of the trip involved getting intimate with an R8 V10 coupe with the R tronic paddle-shift gearbox (we would've preferred the true manual, but we're not whiners) first on California's mind-numbingly boring Interstate 5 North, then later on some of the best back roads in the world. There may have been a couple of sprints to 150 mph on deserted stretches along the way, but there's no proof this ever happened.
To sum up: The Audi R8 is The Everyday Exotic. Perfectly happy to cruise along the highway, but an absolute demon of a sports car when the road gets twisty.
Check out our Mega Photo Gallery of the road trip and the 2012 Audi R8 GT.
As for the R8 GT, it's everything the R8 V10 coupe is, except even more capable due to the shedding of 177 pounds (largely through lightweight seats and carbon-fiber body panels), 35 extra horses (Audi says simply through "calibration"), stiffer suspension and sticky tires. Our test car's carbon-ceramic brakes are a $9,900 option even on the R8 GT, but we experienced no fade throughout any of the track lapping. The all-wheel-drive R8 GT, which will come only with the R tronic paddle-shift gearbox, is one of those rare cars that's amazingly capable on track, yet still leaves enough driver involvement to be fun. And it's street legal.
Regarding acceleration testing, first some fine print: Oddly, Audi didn't allow us enough room to run the R8 GT through the full quarter mile. Which is silly on Audi's part. It also wasn't our usual test surface (it was on Infineon's front straight), and wasn't even one of our own test drivers. So lots of asterisks.
Vehicle: 2012 Audi R8 GT
Date: 6/16/2011
Base Price: $196,800
Specifications:
Drive Type: All-wheel drive
Transmission Type: Six-speed auto-clutch manual with paddles
Engine Type: 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10
Displacement (cc/cu-in): 5,204/318
Redline (rpm): 8,700
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 560 @ 8,000
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 398 @ 6,500
Brake Type (front): 15.0-inch ventilated carbon-ceramic discs with six-piston fixed calipers
Brake Type (rear): 14.0-inch ventilated carbon-ceramic discs with four-piston fixed calipers
Steering System: Hydraulic-assist rack-and-pinion power steering
Suspension Type (front): Independent double-wishbones, coilovers, stabilizer bar
Suspension Type (rear): Independent double-wishbones, coilovers, stabilizer bar
Tire Size (front): 235/35ZR19 91Y
Tire Size (rear): 305/30ZR19 102Y
Tire Brand: Pirelli
Tire Model: P Zero Corsa Asimmetrico
Tire Type: Summer performance
Wheel Size: 19-by-8.5 inches front; 19-by-11 inches rear
Wheel Material (front/rear): Forged aluminum
Claimed Curb Weight (lb): 3,538
Only two acceleration runs were allowed, both with the R8 GT's Launch Control engaged and ESC switched off. Looking at the two R8 GT runs in the graph below, the second run (red) was slightly quicker overall, except for 0-100 mph (which we don't normally report). The second run took 8.2 seconds instead of the previous run's 8.0, because the test driver inexplicably short-shifted before 100. Had he shifted at the same point as on the first run, it very likely would've taken just 7.9 sec.
Also, the paddle-actuated shifts of the single-clutch automated manual took more than 250 milliseconds, slow by modern twin-clutch standards.
Here's a comparison of the R8 GT versus an R8 V10 with a six-speed manual and a Porsche 911 Turbo with the seven-speed PDK. While the R8 GT did achieve the 0-60 number of 3.6 seconds (with a 1-foot rollout) that Audi claims, the comparisons below are interesting because the lighter, more powerful R8 GT proved slower to 60 mph than the heavier, less powerful standard R8 V10. Again, we didn't have control of all the variables in this equation, and this is a case of different cars on different tracks on different days.
2012 Audi R8 GT 2010 Audi R8 V10 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo PDK
0-30 mph (sec) 1.7 1.5 1.4
0-45 mph (sec) 2.5 2.4 2.2
0-60 mph (sec) 3.8 3.7 3.2
0-75 mph (sec) 5.3 5.3 4.4
0-60 mph w/ rollout (sec) 3.6 3.5 2.9
Curb weight, mfr. claim (lbs.) 3,538 3,715 3,461
greenpony says:
12:41 PM, 06/20/11
Any video to go along with this?
blackdynamite0 says:
01:55 PM, 06/20/11
The R8 has struggled in recent comparisons to LFA (Speed), and the competition as a while (C&D Comparison). It has gotten long in the tooth.
It needed to get in the gym and train, lose some weight, gain some more strength.....
But is it enough?
BD
billt9 says:
03:18 PM, 06/20/11
So this car is worse than the 5.2L V10 which costs $149,000.
That "GT" emblem better be huge.
cjasis says:
04:05 PM, 06/20/11
Not everything boils down to magazine racing... what was it like to drive. Was the handling any better? You mention the carbon brakes were excellent but how did th GT drive on the track compared to the "normal" R8's.. that's what I want to know.
BTW - as a Porsche guy... 911 FTW.
new22003 says:
05:30 PM, 06/20/11
I might be in the minority here but I have never really liked the styling of the r8.
church123 says:
07:22 PM, 06/20/11
Nah, even Audi knew the R8 was a bit awkwardly styled. Hence the sideblade to break up that huge slab of sheet metal. I can appreciate that due to the drivetrain location, a lot of mid engined cars look alike and they were trying to break that mold, but I'd rather have a little sameness than go backwards on styling just to be different.
bestjinjo says:
08:04 PM, 06/20/11
BD: "The R8 has struggled in recent comparisons to LFA (Speed), and the competition"
In other news the LFA barely beat a $90,000 Nissan GTR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5R-oi91bd4
^ Do we need to go there.....?
LFA: $375,000 USD
vs.
Audi R8 V8: $114,200
Audi R8 V10: $149,000
The R8 is NOT a competitor to the LFA. The R8 is an every day exotic. Its closest competitors would be the Maserati GranTurismo S, Aston Martin Virage, Mercedes SLS, Porsche 911 Turbo.
If you want to compare cars the LFA, that would include supercars such as the Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari F458 Italia, McLaren MP4-12C -- all of which smoke the LFA in performance.
R8 has carved a nice niche in the marketplace since its more exotic than the Porsche 911 and has more stunning looks.
zr1man says:
08:51 PM, 06/20/11
Almost twice the price of a ZR1 and not as fast. Who would want one? Not much here.
ZR1 Rules!
truecarfan says:
05:16 PM, 06/27/11
blackdynomite - you sound ridiculous. You are comparing a $375k vehicle to a $125k??? And I'm sure this limited edition R8GT is more than competitive with the LFA.
Also - please see the racing results of both cars. You can look no further than the 24 Nurburgring race. THe R8 took positions 3 to 5.... while Lexus LFA was WAY behind. Go figure.
swabian5 says:
07:24 AM, 07/ 1/11
This is one of those classic scenarios where the numbers don't tell the true story of this car's capabilities. I was one of the lucky few that attended the event and Infineon. Many a car company can learn from what Audi's been up to of late...
Quick background, I'm a Porsche nut having tracked various iterations and have also tracked both the Audi R8 V8 and V10 versions. So how does the GT fare? The simplest explanation is that is much like the Porsche GT3 only much easier to modulate and friendlier on the streets. The GT is a significant improvement over the R8 V10, though not because of power. The difference lies in the significant suspension, downforce, and braking changes. Is it worth purchasing over the R8 V10 for street use? No. However, for those that occasionally hit the track and want a streetable car there are few better. Can't wait for delivery now, my GT3RS is jealous... :) BTW, comparisons to the LFA etc. miss the point as to the niche market for the GT.
jackxu12 says:
08:17 AM, 02/19/12
If I had a budget of
$100,000---2012 Nissan GTR
$150,000---2012 Audi R8 5.2 coupe
$200,000---2012 Mercedes SLS AMG coupe
$250,000---2010 Ferrari 430 Scuderia 16M
$300,000---2012 Ferrari 458 Italia coupe
$500,000---2012 Lamborgini Aventador
$Millions --- 2012 Aston Martin One-77