Audi has reportedly filed a trademark for
the R8 Green Hell name earlier this month, a move which suggests that the
automaker is planning on introducing a special run-out edition of the
mid-engined sports car.
According to a report by Autocar, the name
may also point to an attempt for Audi Sport to set a new Nürburgring lap
record, potentially beating record holder (and fellow VW Group member)
Aventador SVJ, which set a blistering lap time of 6 minutes 44:97 seconds.
Company insiders have previously said they
were fighting to keep the R8’s naturally-aspirated V10 engine around for as
long as they could, with the possibility of introducing a more extreme version
before a successor comes along. Reports suggest that the next-generation R8 will
be a full electric model, potentially co-developed with Rimac.
Currently, the most powerful version of
the second-generation R8 is the LMS GT2 customer race car, which packs a 5.2
litre naturally-aspirated V10 that makes 640 PS and over 550 Nm of torque. A
seven-speed S tronic double-clutch transmission is standard, which sends power
to the rear wheels. The race car shares roughly 55% of its internals with the
road car.
Now, Audi is no stranger to the
Nürburgring, having extensively developed the R8 around the Green Hell. In
fact, the automaker once held the electric car record with the R8 e-tron before
it was discontinued in 2016. Interestingly, the trademark wasn’t applied in the
US, meaning the R8 Green Hell could only be sold in Europe, if it ever makes it
to production.