The 2015 R8 Competition is Audi’s fastest supercar ever, and its rarest

By Stephen Edelstein Published October 29, 2014

An all-new Audi R8 is on the way, but before it arrives the German carmaker will give the first generation of its first supercar a proper sendoff.

The 2015 Audi R8 Competition will debut next month at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. Inspired by the R8 LMS racecar, this limited-edition promises to be as rare as it is fast.

Sitting behind the driver is the familiar 5.2-liter V10, but it’s been tuned to produce 570 horsepower, 20 more than you get in the next-most-powerful V10 Plus model. It’s paired with a seven-speed S tronic automatic transmission and, naturally, Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive.

With that extra power, the R8 Competition will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, and reach a top speed of 199 mph. That makes it the tastes production R8 ever, but only just: the V10 Plus will reach 198 mph, and do 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.

Related: 2014 Audi R8 V10 S tronic review

Visually, the R8 Competition is distinguished by matte carbon fiber exterior trim, including front dive planes and spoiler, a rear diffuser, mirror caps, and the trademark “side blades” behind the doors.

Audi says the aerodynamic bits are functional, providing a bit of extra downforce. They’re paired with model-specific gloss-black wheels and carbon-ceramic brakes with red calipers.

On the inside, the R8 Competition features more matter carbon fiber trim, including door sills with the car’s name, should the owner forget exactly where his or her kids’ college fund went.

You’ll need luck as well as money to put an R8 Competition in your garage, because Audi will only import 60 units to the U.S.

The company isn’t discussing price, but the order books will open around the time of the Competition’s L.A. Auto Show debut next month, with deliveries set to begin in early 2015.

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Mini’s infotainment system is very charming, but still needs work

Main screen of the Mini infotainment system

When you think Mini, you probably don’t think of infotainment. Personally, I think of the British flag taillights, the distinct exterior, and the surprising room on the inside. But after driving the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman over the past week, infotainment might well be something I think of more often when it comes to Mini. It’s charming.

It also, however, suffers from all the traps that other legacy automakers fall into when it comes to software design. Mini has something on its hands here — but it still needs some work.
Bringing the charm
The first thing that stood out to me about the system when I got in the car was how fun it was. That all starts with the display. It’s round! No, it’s not curved — the screen is a big, round display sits in at 9.4 inches, and I found it plenty large enough for day-to-day use.

Cars

Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?

Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Cars

EV drivers are not going back to gas cars, global survey says

ev drivers are not going back to gas cars global survey says screenshot

Nearly all current owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, and 92% of them plan to buy another EV, according to a survey by the Global EV Drivers Alliance.

The survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car.