Road-legal Audi R8 GT3 swan song breaks cover
Maybe the GT isn't the final R8 after all…
By Matt Bird / Thursday, 26 October 2023 / Loading comments
Track-focused road cars have become very, very serious of late – you only need to look at the most recent PH twin test for proof of that. Some might call it just a logical evolution of the genre, some might suggest it’s making the most of epic engines to shove along as much downforce as possible before it’s too late. We know Audi is calling time on the R8 and its V10; we’d assumed the GT would be that car’s valedictory salute. But maybe, just maybe, that wasn’t quite the end.
The wild Audi you see here is believed to be the work of German firm Scherer Sport. The successful sportscar racing outfit has a long-standing relationship with Audi Sport, having campaigned R8 GT3s. There’s a lot of Audi on its website, actually, from RS3 LMS to R8 GT2 Evo, as well as a Porsche Carrera Cup entry. So far, so race team. What makes Scherer more interesting is that it also offers cars for sale, predominantly super duper Audis like the Abt special editions but also R8s and 911s. So there’s a company with strong links to Audi, plus experience in setting up race cars and selling them as well. So you can see how the concept of a limited edition road-going GT3 car might have cropped up.
The car itself is fascinating, combining elements of both the GT3 racer and the more powerful GT2-spec machine. The incredible central scoop seems borrowed directly from the latter, and looks more outrageous than ever; same goes for that fixed real spoiler. There’s motorsport-inspired technology, then there’s just bolting race car bits onto a showroom model. We’re very much fans of this approach.
Note as well the centrelock wheels, monster brakes, shin-slicing front canards and the kind of aero treatment never before seen on an R8. The front end, with the dramatically slatted bonnet and wheelarch vents to make a GT3 RS blush, is as much pure downforce device as it is everyday bodywork. The cage looks very serious indeed. To call this thing an R8 almost seems a disservice, even with the little V10 badge on the wing like every other and what seem to be production-spec exhausts.
Adding further intrigue is the suggestion from our spy snapper that Frank Stippler was driving the R8. He races a GT3 car with Scherer (winning an NLS race at the ‘ring earlier this month) and has a strong association with Audi, such as driving the RS3 for the Nurburgring lap record. It’s another nice link to add some credence to the mad idea that Audi and Scherer are collaborating on something truly spectacular.
Lamborghini, after all, has demonstrated that the 5.2-litre engine has more to give than the GT’s 620hp, and it’s hard to imagine too much grumbling about a Huracan-equalling power output if as few as the rumoured 100 are going to be made. That would make it almost a third as rare as the GT. And, by the looks of things, at least twice as awesome. More news as and when we have it.
- 2022 Audi R8 V10 GT RWD | PH Review
- Abt uses ethanol to create 1,000hp RS7
Source: Read Full Article
