Say Hello To The 640bhp Audi R8 GT2

Audi Sport is going through something of a purple patch right now. Following in the wheel tracks of the R8 LMS GT3 and LMS GT4 is this: the barnstorming 5.2-litre, V10-powered GT2.

Based on the German company’s halo road-going sportscar, this track-focussed creation has been built to secure race wins and ultimately drivers’ and manufacturer’ titles in the newly established GT2 class.

It goes into service next year and going by the spec sheet should be a shoe-in for silverware; that naturally aspirated engine has been tweaked and fettled to churn out a healthy 640bhp.

A dry weight of just 1,350kg – 100kg less than the podgier GT4 – has been achieved by paring back the cockpit and relying on carbon fibre to construct key elements of that beautiful shape.

Engineers have left nothing to the imagination going by these first pictures. The body is awash with scoops and fins to aid cooling and improve stability through corners, and along straights.

The front is dominated by a huge central air duct that aids downforce by channelling air up through the bonnet and over the windscreen before meeting that huge, high-mounted rear wing, while dams on the side of the GT2 suck in air to keep the V10 at optimum temperature.

To ensure the car handles sweetly around the world’s most demanding circuits, there is a full race-spec suspension. Driver safety is also taken care of by way of a FIA-approved roll cage.

Order books for Audi’s new LMS GT2 will open before the end of the year, with prices kicking off at just over £300,000. It isn’t cheap but to race at the top level tends to require deep pockets.