Audi R8 GT Spyder storms in

By Michael Taylor

03rd June 2011

It’s the Audi that’s taking direct aim at Lamborghini. These are the first official images of the new R8 GT Spyder - a limited run drop-top that might just have kicked off an in-house supercar war. Audi claims it can do 0-62mph faster than fellow VW Group-owned Lamborghini’s stripped-out Gallardo Performante.

Built off the same architecture and sharing the same basic engine and gearbox, the two supercars have both had excess weight hacked from their frames in an effort to find more speed.

The limited edition, left hand-drive-only 552bhp 5.2-litre V10-engined machine can do 0-62mph in just 3.8 seconds and will cost around £176,000 with first deliveries beginning later this year.

Audi has stripped some 85kg from the kerbweight by using carbon-fibre reinforced polymer body panels and seats that save a full 31.5kg. so it tips the scales at 1640kg. This allows it to hit a top speed of 199mph. Yet Lamborghini only claims a 3.9 second sprint for the 201mph Performante, despite the Italian supercar weighing just 1485kg and delivering an extra 9bhp of power at the V10’s top end.

It’s an argument that could run and run, with Audi being Lamborghini’s parent company, yet Audi chairman, Rupert Stadler, could not explain the speed discrepancy between his two supercars when quizzed.

There will be just 333 R8 GT Spyders built (the same build run as the R8 GT coupe), and each will have their build number stamped into the top of the aluminium gear lever.

The dry-sump V10 produces 540Nm of torque at 6500rpm, with Audi claiming each horsepower now moves just 2.93kg of mass. It still drives through the electronically controlled six-speed paddle-shift gearbox, mated to an all-wheel drive system, though the body has been dropped 10mm compared to the standard car.

It also rides on standard 19-inch, high-performance rubber, while the wheels are all filled with carbon-ceramic brake discs and the ESP system has also been tweaked to allow it to be switched off completely.