New Audi Sport Performance Parts R8 Edition locked in

Audi’s venerable R8 supercar will be pushed to new heights in Australia following confirmation that a Audi Sport Performance Parts R8 Edition will arrive in local showrooms.

Set to be limited to just five examples locally, the Audi Sport Performance Parts R8 Edition will comprise a special run of only 44 vehicles globally.

Each will feature the full complement of Audi Sport ‘Performance Parts’ to increase the vehicle’s standard aerodynamic performance and downforce, as well as whittling down weight.

Essentially, this will be the R8 with every performance box ticked.

The R8’s naturally-aspirated V10 Plus drivetrain will be untouched under the fillip, making do with existing 449kW and 560Nm outputs.

That said, Audi Sport reckons its enhancements will make the R8 markedly quicker on a circuit.

“Proof that performance isn’t purely a function of power output will be delivered to dramatic effect through motorsport-proven enhancements that significantly increase downforce and further pare back weight,” the German car-maker says.

For starters, the Audi Sport Performance Parts R8 Edition gets an aero kit that features carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic in the rear wing, side skirts and elements behind the rear wheel-arches. The car’s splitters are deeper than before, and the canards have also been revisited under the overhaul.

The changes allow the R8 to generate 250kg of downforce at 330km/h – which is 100kg more than the donor car.

The car’s suspension has been altered, with Audi fitting bespoke double-wishbone suspension which allows manual configuration.

Elsewhere, the limited-edition R8 is fitted with 20-inch multi-spoke wheels that save 8kg in unsprung mass and are shod with quality Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, shrouding powerful ceramic disc brakes. And each vehicle is finished in Audi’s striking Misano Red hue.

There are changes inside, too, comprising perforated Nappa leather-clad buckets and a Sport contour steering wheel.

Pricing and exact timing of the Audi Sport Performance Parts R8 Edition is yet to be confirmed. In the UK, it will be priced from £176,560 – suggesting an Australian figure of around $450,000.

The Audi R8 V10 plus coupe on which the Performance Parts package is based retails for $402,340 (plus on-road costs).