There’s a new Audi model coming to town. We’re talking about the 2012 R8 GT Spyder that will make its global premiere at the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and which we caught testing in and around the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany. Even though Audi recently teased us with a set of renderings, these are some of the first real life photos of the R8 GT Spyder, which is seen here in prototype guise.
Audi’s hottest drop top model will go on the same strict diet as its tin top counterpart, the R8 GT Coupe, while also gaining a more powerful version of the Lamborghini-derived 5.2-liter V10 churning out an output of 560-horsepower.
In the coupe, Ingolstadt’s engineers were able to shave 100 kilograms (220.46 lb) dropping the car’s curb weight of to,525 kilograms (3,362.05 lb), and improving the power-to-weight ratio to 2.72 kilograms (6.00 lb) per hp. Expect to see a similar weight reduction (and by that we mean close, not more) in the convertible model. For the record, the coupe flavored R8 GT accelerates from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph).
Though absent from the prototype model seen here, the actual R8 GT Spyder will get the same aero package as it’s coupe sibling comprising of new front and rear bumpers with additional air vents.
From what we understand, Audi will follow the example of the coupe and keep production of the R8 GT Spyder limited to 333 units worldwide.
PHOTO GALLERY
