Skip to main content

Report: Mystery R8 Might Have Packed a 500 HP V6

Spy pictures of an Audi R8 testing the other day, as they often do, raised more questions than they answered. Now, a report claims to have answers to many of the burning questions raised by those shots.

Autocar reports that the mystery R8 was actually the long-rumored R8 V6 and that all of the car’s rear-end differences were as a result of the mill’s smaller proportions.

The exact V6 in question is the Porsche/Audi 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 that is currently housed in everything from the RS4 Avant to the Porsche Cayenne. Apparently, Audi hasn’t landed on a final power figure for the R8—and like its V10 sister, the R8 V6 is expected to come with more than one output number—but the report claims the unit could make more than 500 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque.

Although the idea of a small-displacement, forced induction R8 might seem antithetical to the whole exercise, the n/a V10 being such an important part of the current R8’s charm and uniqueness, but a smaller, lighter engine would lower overall weight of the car, which isn’t exactly a featherweight.

And although 500 hp is a full 40 less than the standard R8, it’s still a more than ample number.

If the report is right, it could prove to be an important one indeed, since recent comments by the head of R&D at Audi suggest that the V10 might be on its way out, so we’ll have to get used to smaller displacement. On the other hand, he did suggest that the V8 will be safe for a while, so the V6 might not be our lot.

[source: Autocar]

The post Report: Mystery R8 Might Have Packed a 500 HP V6 appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2xmI5Z9
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Watch: The Stig Drives (nearly) Seven Generations of Golf GTI

With Volkswagen announcing “major” updates to the Golf, it seems an appropriate time to look back on what we’ve had so far. And who better to guide us through the rich history of the most popular European car ever made than Ben Collins, the former Stig? Some say he’s never met a GTI he doesn’t love, and that he can’t grow any of his own facial hair. All we know is … Ben Collins is actually a pretty solid presenter. Working his way through seven generations of the GTI (skipping over the Mk6) Collins tells us a little bit about each one and matches each mark to its corresponding facial hair craze. The Mk1 GTI for instance, is light and quick, but can lose traction under hard acceleration (in heavy rain). Despite that, Collins calls the Mk1 a “pure gem.” The Mk4, meanwhile, is a powerful return to form after the perhaps too sensible Mk3. Collins ends in the only way he could, with the Mk7, which accelerates faster than a Lamborghini Countach and is all kinds of wonderful. Watch, ...

Watch: The Story of the Ads that Made VW Big in America

The ads for the original Beetle are almost as famous and well-loved as the Beetle itself. Looking back now it’s easy to forget, though, just how easily things could have wrong. A new short from Dial M Films tracks the history of those early Volkswagen ads that sold America on the people’s car. The story, of course, begins with the visionary agency that made the ads: Doyle Dane Bernach (DDB). As a popular agency for Jewish products, no agency was more aware of the implications of Volkswagen, and no one, it seems, was more skeptical of the brand than DDB. “Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?” from Dial M Films on Vimeo . William Bernbach, though, was adament that the firm take the client, probably as a way of attracting other lucrative automotive clients. Saddled with a client that he didn’t want, art director Helmut Krone says in the film that he originally came up with ads that were all wrong. Krone tried to do what other manufacturers did and was intent on selling the Beetle ...

Watch: The Zerouno Cruis’n USA

ItalDesign is drumming up excitement for its new supercar based around the same 5.2-liter Audi V10 that powers the R8. Naturally, it hit the road for a cruise around California last week to celebrate Monterey Car Week. There isn’t much in the way of V10 noise—which is a real shame given the sound it makes—but you do at least get a good look at the car inside and out in this video. With a body made entirely of carbon fiber and designed to be as aerodynamic and light as possible, ItalDesign figures that it will be good for a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds. “We put it our best skills into the production of the first car,” said Massimo Bovi, head of pre-series production, when the Zerouno was first unveiled in Geneva earlier this year. “Using some of the finest productions methods and engaging our high-skilled workers.” The car features clever aero tricks gleaned from single-seat racing, like a y-duct up front to improve downforce and turn-in. Available in a number of trim levels, the...