Meet Audi’s 602bhp tribute to the R8 LMS GT3

Last year, Audi won the Nürburgring 24hrs at the very first attempt with the all-new R8 LMS. And with the 2016 Nürburgring 24 just around the corner, Audi has decided the time is right to celebrate those triumphs. How exactly? By taking 50 per cent of the LMS’s components and shoving them into an exclusive version of their most powerful road car. Yikes.

Say ‘How do you do?’ to the R8 V10 plus ‘selection 24’, which will be available to customers around the globe in a limited edition run spanning just two dozen units.

Housing a virtually identical engine to the, um, standard V10 plus, this race car tribute produces 602bhp and will do 0-62mph in a sprightly 3.2 seconds on its way to a top speed of 205mph.

So performance remains the same, but naturally Audi has gone to town on the aesthetic side of things.

Combining “competition-inspired styling enhancements with an exceptional specification”, the front spoiler, wing mirrors, bonnet lid, rear wing and diffuser are all made from gloss-finish carbon fibre.

The sideblades get the same treatment as well, and feature a unique ‘R8 24’ logo to ensure passers-by know they haven’t just been overtaken by any ordinary Audi.

While the tricolour exterior will also help perform the same task, the interior is much more focused on satisfying its occupants. Audi says the driver will benefit from a “monoposto arc” designed to make the R8 feel like a race car, and other touches like the illuminated door sills will bear the serial numbers from 1 to 24 to mark each car from the rest.

They’ll also give you futuristic-sounding ‘laser lighting’, although don’t expect to find weaponised turrets behind the headlights. There’ll be no four-wheeled Star Wars re-enactments just yet.

Set to make its public debit at the Nordschleife at the end of the month, there’s no word yet on how much a ‘selection 24’ will cost. Our guess is a lot.