By IOL Motoring Staff
Ingolstadt - Almost exactly a year ago the all-new Audi R8 LMS GT3 racing car won the Nurburgring 24 Hours in its racing debut, and it is still the car to beat in this ultra-competitive class of racing.
Now Audi has honoured that success with a very special, very limited road-going edition, the selection 24h, based on the flagship R8 V10 plus, with the same 448kW output and 325km/h top speed - as well as magnetic ride adaptive damping, dynamic power-assisted steering, laser lighting and an authoritative sports exhaust system.
The connection is very real: the second-generation R8 and its LMS GT3 racing sibling were developed side by side by the same engineers, and they share about 50 percent of their components. In fact their engines are almost identical, except for their fuel-injection systems.
Also read: Driven: Audi's monstrous new R8
Just 24 will be made for the global market, apparently all in left-hand drive, and none will be coming to South Africa.
The commemorative special is finished in Audi's distinctive factory racing livery of very pale grey with black detailing and red accents. Carbon-fibre front spoiler, mirror housings, engine cover, rear wing and diffuser are finished in glossy clear lacquer, as are the sideblades, with a special R8 24h logo in a matt finish.
The final touch is a set of very professional-looking 20 inch forged-aluminium rims in a 10-spoke Y design, finished in gloss black.
Race-car feel
The cabin is trimmed in grey leather, with matching alcantara headlining, and the flight deck is built around the driver to accentuate the 'monoposto' race car feel, with extended carbon-fibre inlays around the virtual cockpit display and air vents, each with a matt-finish R8 24h logo in matt finish.
The illuminated door sill trims - also made of the light stuff - display the car's serial number, from 1 to 24, and the entry lights on the doors project the R8 logo on to the ground, a feature exclusive to the selection 24h.