Audi R8 V10 Plus Competition Sharpens Up In Limited Numbers

Ingolstadt will only send ten of these to America – with a hefty premium.

With ten cylinders in a mid-engined chassis, the Audi R8 hardly lacks for appeal. But Ingolstadt has made its flagship supercar that much more tempting with the introduction of a new Competition package. The catch is that it'll only be available in strictly limited quantities.

Available for the R8 V10 Plus coupe, the new Competition package adds an array of racier equipment inside, out, and under the skin to turn the German supercar into an even more focused driving tool. That starts with the carbon-fiber aero kit, with its big rear wing, rear diffuser, front splitter, side skirts, and aero flicks.

That's not all, though. The special edition also benefits from a three-way adjustable coilover suspension, fitted to 20-inch matte-black wheels styled like the GT4 racing version's and packing upgraded brake pads. It also benefits from a dynamic steering rack, and only comes in Suzuka Gray, with blacked-out trim for the grilles and air vents. Inside it comes with full leather, racing shells in black with red contrast stitching, an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel with red center mark at 12 o'clock, and a 13-speaker/550-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system.

Like what you see? Better act fast, because Audi will only bring ten examples to the United States.

Each of them will sell (if they haven't already) for $237,350 – plus a $1,250 destination charge and $1,300 gas guzzler charge for an all-in sticker of $239,900. That's a good hundred grand more than the base rear-drive R8 V10 RWS, over seventy grand more than the all-wheel-drive R8 V10, and forty grand more than the R8 V10 Plus on which it's based.

But for what it's worth, a limited edition like this one is bound to hold its value better than more readily available versions of the same – not to mention the added enjoyment of a more focused supercar.

2019 Audi R8 Sharpens Up With More Power And Fresh Design

Ingolstadt's not about to let McLaren outshine its halo supercar.

Audi carved out a good little niche for itself when it released the first R8 in 2006, and again when it rolled out the second in 2015 – positioning it just below more expensive and exotic machinery, but with that same mid-engined shape and the performance you'd expect from it. But in the years since, it's been beset by competition like the McLaren 570S, Mercedes-AMG GT, and Acura NSX. So to keep its halo model at the top of its game, Audi's updated the R8 with a series of enhancements – starting with revised sheetmetal.

Previewed by the latest R8 LMS GT3 racer revealed in Paris, the road-going R8 now wears a wider, flatter single-frame grille, flanked by reshaped air intakes, capped by slits in between the grille and the hood, and underlined by a new front splitter. The rear diffuser and engine lid have been reshaped as well, and there's three new exterior styling packages to choose from, too.

But there's more going on underneath the revised bodywork. Full specifications have yet to be released, but Audi promises more power from both versions of the 5.2-liter V10 engine, as well as a gasoline particulate filter to make them run cleaner.

The suspension's also been recalibrated for “even more stability and precision,” as have both the standard electromechanical and optional dynamic steering racks. And the brakes have been upgraded for more stopping power: one of the few metrics Audi's disclosed for the refreshed R8 is the braking performance. With enhanced electronics, the top model takes nearly 5 fewer feet to come to a standstill from 62 miles per hour, and 16.4 feet less from 124 mph.

That, we take it, is with the ceramic brakes that are optional over the standard steel discs, fitted inside a new set of 19-inch (or optional 20-inch milled) alloys.

There'll be a slew of new paint and trim options as well when the new R8 goes on sale in both coupe and convertible Spyder forms early in the new year. It'll reach German dealers first before hitting other European markets, and eventually (we hope) the US market as well. By then we should have more details, including how much Audi will charge for the machine. As it stands, the current R8 starts at $138,700, but we'd expect a slight price bump when the revised model goes on sale.

2019 Audi R8 Sharpens Up With More Power And Fresh Design

Ingolstadt's not about to let McLaren outshine its halo supercar.

Audi carved out a good little niche for itself when it released the first R8 in 2006, and again when it rolled out the second in 2015 – positioning it just below more expensive and exotic machinery, but with that same mid-engined shape and the performance you'd expect from it. But in the years since, it's been beset by competition like the McLaren 570S, Mercedes-AMG GT, and Acura NSX. So to keep its halo model at the top of its game, Audi's updated the R8 with a series of enhancements – starting with revised sheetmetal.

Previewed by the latest R8 LMS GT3 racer revealed in Paris, the road-going R8 now wears a wider, flatter single-frame grille, flanked by reshaped air intakes, capped by slits in between the grille and the hood, and underlined by a new front splitter. The rear diffuser and engine lid have been reshaped as well, and there's three new exterior styling packages to choose from, too.

But there's more going on underneath the revised bodywork. Full specifications have yet to be released, but Audi promises more power from both versions of the 5.2-liter V10 engine, as well as a gasoline particulate filter to make them run cleaner.

The suspension's also been recalibrated for “even more stability and precision,” as have both the standard electromechanical and optional dynamic steering racks. And the brakes have been upgraded for more stopping power: one of the few metrics Audi's disclosed for the refreshed R8 is the braking performance. With enhanced electronics, the top model takes nearly 5 fewer feet to come to a standstill from 62 miles per hour, and 16.4 feet less from 124 mph.

That, we take it, is with the ceramic brakes that are optional over the standard steel discs, fitted inside a new set of 19-inch (or optional 20-inch milled) alloys.

There'll be a slew of new paint and trim options as well when the new R8 goes on sale in both coupe and convertible Spyder forms early in the new year. It'll reach German dealers first before hitting other European markets, and eventually (we hope) the US market as well. By then we should have more details, including how much Audi will charge for the machine. As it stands, the current R8 starts at $138,700, but we'd expect a slight price bump when the revised model goes on sale.