Audi has revealed the new member of the R8 family,
the limited edition RWS which stands for Rear Wheel Series. The new R8 V10 RWS
will be available in both the Coupe and Spyder versions and is exclusively rear-driven, ditching the all-wheel drive the
standard model uses.
Power comes from the naturally aspirated 5.2-liter
FSI V10 of the “normal” R8, meaning 540 PS and 540 Nm of peak
torque. Audi claims a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.7 seconds (Spyder: 3.8 seconds),
0.3 seconds slower than the R8 V10 Quattro, and a top speed of 198 mph (Spyder:
197 mph), 1 mph off what the all-wheel drive model can achieve.
The new Audi R8 RWS is also 50 kg lighter
than the standard Quattro model, as it does away with things like a propshaft,
multi-plate clutch and centre differential, tipping the scales at 1,590 kg without the driver.
Audi plans to offer just 999 examples of the new R8
RWS worldwide, with prices starting at £ 110,000 (US$ 144k) for customers in the UK.
