Audi Sport have extended their R8 series with the addition of the new R8 RWS (Rear Wheel Series), which is the first production Audi R8 ever made to be offered with rear-wheel drive.
Audi have previously made a rear-wheel-drive R8, the R8 LMS racecar which competed in GT3 racing and had to ditch the trademark ‘quattro’ four-wheel drive system to comply with the regulations. The R8 LMS was never offered as a road-going production variant. Audi have now created the R8 RWS which is limited to just 999 units in both Coupé and Spyder forms. The R8 RWS maintains its 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 FSI motor which produces 540 PS and 540 Nm of torque, the car also weighs 50 kg less than the standard R8 Coupé. The power is sent to the rear-wheels through a seven-speed S tronic automatic gearbox, which enables the R8 RWS to accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds and keep going to a top speed over 320 km/h.
The R8 V10 RWS claims to be made for purists and has some unique touches such as the new matte black grille of the Singleframe and the matte black air apertures at the front and rear of the car. The upper sideblade (of the Coupé) is finished in gloss black, the lower blade in the body colour. The RWS has similar characteristics to the R8 LMS GT 4, with the Coupé available with an optional red stripe running over the car. Inside the car the seats are covered in leather and Alcantara, with bucket seats as an option. The dashboard bears an emblem ‘1 of 999’ which indicate the number of units.
The new Audi R8 V10 RWS will be available for order in Germany and parts of Europe by late 2017 and deliveries are scheduled at the beginning of 2018. Prices for the R8 RWS Coupé starts at €140,000 (Rs 1.05 crore) and the R8 RWS Spyder at €153,000 (Rs 1.17 crore).
Story: Sahej Patheja
