New car news

03 May 2010 - 00:00

Light, Fantastic

This is officially our new favourite toy. Audi has taken its already-awesome R8 V10 stocker, ripped 100kg out of it in ways you can't fathom, slotted a new (cough, don't mention it's a Lambo, cough) motor in it and stood well back as a stampede starts for the 333 examples that will be built for the entire world. We're supposed to be getting 10, and Audi Australia will expect a cheque for at least $450,000.

How do you shed 100kg from a state-of-the-art supercar? It's still got air-con and sat nav! Well, the battery is 9.4kg lighter, for starters. There's 2.6kg less insulation under the bonnet. It's got a thinner windscreen. Then there's the carbon-reinforced bumpers, rear hatch and sideblades... there's another 40-odd. You get the idea; the R8 GT is Audi's answer to the Porsche 911 GT3 and the Lambo Gallardo Superleggera.

Power gets a hefty boost (up 26kW to 412 flaming-hell kW), and is delivered through a specially modified flappy-paddle gearbox to all four wheels. Drive is biased towards the rear, too (15:85 front/ rear, in fact), so this thing should be a hoot. A pant-soiling, white-knuckle hoot, but a hoot nonetheless...