The second-generation Audi R8 has reached its endgame and this facelifted version is the sign of the time that Audi's first and only rear-wheel-drive machine will head to the great junkyard in the sky.
Players of the new Forza Motorsport game have until November 16th to fully clear the Open Class Tour from C Class Series to S Class Series to obtain the 2020 Audi R8 V10 performance and then take it for a spin in its own Reward Showcase event. If you haven't done it, now's the time to do so.
The second-generation Audi R8 was facelifted for the 2020 Model Year featuring a revised design and improved performance.
In addition to its revamped front face and rear bumpers, the Lamborghini-derived 5.2L V10 engine that powers it has been improved to produce 30hp and 10Nm more than the previous model, giving it 562hp of power and 550Nm of torque, delivering a 0-100kph time of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 324kph. In the performance variant, the same V10 engine gets 612hp of power and 580Nm of torque, slightly more powerful than the old R8 V10 plus variant it replaces.
The facelifted second-generation R8 features improved suspension setup as well as adding three new settings to the R8's Audi drive select system; dry, wet, and snow. It even comes with optional dynamic steering and electromechanical power steering as well.
It's wise for the new Forza Motorsport game to feature the facelifted second-generation Audi R8, in V10 performance trim, because while this is truly the last R8 Audi will ever make, the producers want its soon-to-be-bereaved Audi fanatics to savor the final moments of this car by driving the R8 harder and louder for longer before Audi pulls the plug on their first-and-only rear-wheel-drive V10-powered supercar that uses most of the learnings from Lamborghini, which Audi has control of it.
As the world bids farewell to the Audi R8, I decided to have one last push by driving it around the Nurburgring Grand Prix Circuit, the official venue of Formula 1's German Grand Prix. While this is basically the ultimate resting place for the V10-powered R8, it looks like it's not the only one that's about to get Rest In Pieces...
There's also the third-generation Audi TT, in RS trim, that's about to head to the great junkyard in the sky.
As the high-performance version of the third-generation Audi TT, the TT RS is the ultimate all-around sports car capable of taking through uncharted heights no sports car in its class dared to go beyond.
Powered by the five-cylinder 2.5L turbocharged engine, the Audi TT RS produces 400PS of power and 480Nm of torque. Mated to a 7-speed DSG, the Audi TT RS sprints from 0-100kph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 280kph thanks to an optional extra.
With the two Audi sports cars stepping out for one last Schuhplattler, it's time to find out which one has the last laugh. TT, R8, give us your last dance before your imminent deaths. Roll the tapes.
The R8 V10 performance did it in 2m18.655s while the TT RS did it in 2m29.656s. Yes, the R8 defeated the TT RS by a long margin but what they did is a fitting end of themselves.
When the R8 dies, Audi will bid Auf Wiedersehen to its GT-class racing programs as it focuses on its return to top-class endurance racing and also its Formula 1 entry.
Such sacrifices have to be made for the greater good and although tearful to watch both of these Audi sports cars experience euthanasia, their legacies will never die. The R8 and the TT may be completely different but together, they've accomplished their mission like a brave German soldier in his dying moments.
Auf Wiedersehen, R8 and TT. You made us proud until the very end.
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