The R8 has been Audi’s most successful sports car and probably the only rival to the Porsche 911 when it comes to combining racetrack performance with mundane commuting. Audi has built the R8 GT4, a LeMans-spec race machine, to cater to the budding new low-cost GT4 class in world racing. The GT4 sits below the R8 GT3 LMS, a full-fledged race car based on the R8.
Being a GT4 car, the horsepower is capped at 500bhp, even lower than the stock Audi R8. The 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 is a gem of an engine and with restriction on power. The engine maps too have been altered to extract the best of the torque-power curve when mated to a seven-speed transmission that drives the rear wheels only. Yes, the GT4 does not allow all-wheel drive and instead prescribes mechanical limited-slip differentials.
It goes from 0-100kmph in less than 4 seconds to a top speed of over 250kmph. The suspension is fully adjustable for rebound as well as compression allowing you to setup the almost 1.5 tonne race-machine in the way you want. The GT4 shares almost 60 per cent of its components with the road car. The body panels, though, have been altered for better aerodynamics with a new bonnet, front splitter, rear splitter and the large wing in the back.
The exhausts have been moved to a single unit at the centre of the rear bumper and the interior has been stripped of all the unnecessary trims to achieve maximum weight reduction. The car is not street legal but ideal for motorsport enthusiasts for whom it would be easier to pick up a factory-built race car.
