Audi’s new 2021 R8 Coupe brings racetrack performance to the road

PHOTO: The R8 LMS racecar (left) and the R8 Coupe are identical, sharing a majority of components, and both developed and built by Audi Sport.

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Motor sport version of the supercar boasts of 75 drivers’ and 96 championship titles

Audi Sport’s R8 LMS opened the 2021 endurance racing series season by scoring podium finishes in the classes they competed in at the Dubai 24 Hours, held in mid-January. The latest successes follow the numerous victories clinched in the previous years by Audi Sport customer teams competing with the R8 LMS. Since 2009, the two generations of the R8 LMS have won 75 overall driver titles and secured 96 other championship placings around the globe.

The R8 LMS is the motor sport version of the road-going R8 Coupe. The R8 supercar and the R8 LMS were designed and developed jointly by Audi Sport, and thus nearly identical. Audi Sport is the high-performance division of Audi AG.

The new, 2021 R8 Coupe V10 performance quattro, now available in Audi Philippines’ showrooms, headlines the Audi Sport range in the country that is presently composed of the phenomenal five-cylinder-powered RS 3 Sedan, the Nurburgring lap record-holder RS Q8 SUV, and the RS 6 Avant that fuses supercar performance with station wagon utility. In contrast to the lineup of other luxury car brands in the country which contains carryover vehicles from 2020, the Audi Sport range is entirely made up of new, 2021 models.

The R8 LMS has proven to be a particularly effective weapon at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring—regarded as one of the world’s toughest and most popular endurance races. It won the GT3 class of the race in 2009, 2010 and 2011, then took the overall title in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019. The tally makes Audi Sport the most successful GT3 manufacturer in this legendary motor sport event. Audi Sport pays tribute to this achievement with the limited edition version called the R8 Green Hell, referencing the Nurburgring’s moniker.

At the heart of the road-going R8 Coupe V10 performance quattro is a naturally aspirated, 5.2 FSI V10 engine that produces 620 hp and 580 Nm, allowing the supercar to accelerate from a standstill to 100 km/h in 3.1 seconds before hitting a maximum speed of 331 km/h. Matched to the engine is the seven-speed s-tronic dual-clutch transmission. It sends power to the quattro all-wheel drive system, which in this case can deliver up to 100% of the drive torque to the front or the rear axle. Putting power to the tarmac are high-performance tires that wrap over 20-inch, five-V-spoke alloy wheels that can come in bronze, titan gray, or glossy black finish.

The suspension of the new R8 also derives from motor sport technologies. Fitted to the supercar is the Audi magnetic ride, a regulated damping system that continuously adapts the shock absorbers for each wheel according to the road profile and the driver’s style. 

The new R8 is identified by a Singleframe grille that is wider and framed by partially dimmed headlights, winglets at the side, large air inlets, flat slits above the grille, a front splitter, redesigned air inlet grille spanning the rear end, and a new diffuser framing the new oval tailpipes. The Audi Sport Glossy Carbon Styling Package further updates the supercar’s look.

In the cabin, the new R8 is lined with premium items like Fine Nappa leather trim with contrast stitching for the sport seats; Bang&Olufsen audio with speakers integrated into the seats; Alcantara molded headliner; leather-wrapped, flat-bottom sport steering wheel with aluminum shift paddles; matte carbon twill inserts; and the Audi smartphone interface, among others.