Audi R8 Sport Performance Parts 2019: Ultra-hardcore version of V10 Plus announced

There are low-volume special editions, and then there’s the Audi Sport Performance Parts. There will be just 44 examples of the new hardcore version of the brand’s R8 V10 Plus supercar offered globally.

The Sport Performance Parts edition forgoes extra power from the R8’s V10 engine (good for 449kW and 560Nm) in favour of better handling and more downforce, with Audi declaring it “proof that performance isn’t purely a function of power output”.

The Sport Performance Parts’ new carbon-fibre aero kit was designed in Audi’s wind tunnel, and includes a new and massive rear wing and a new diffuser. The front splitter and air inlets help push the nose into the tarmac, too. Audi says the changes will produce 250kg of downforce at 330km/h. But don’t worry if you feel that’s a little unachievable, at a far more manageable 150km/h, the special-edition Audi produces 52kg of downforce - double that of the regular R8 V10 Plus.

Track credentials are beefed up, too, with a new coilover suspension setup, while ceramic brakes join the standard features list. Elsewhere, the new alloy wheels are eight kilograms lighter, while the cabin is still trimmed in leather and luxury, only now with an Alcantara wheel. The Sport Performance Parts R8 is hardtop only, and offered exclusively in Misano red.

There’s no word on arrival timing or pricing in Australia, but the UK sticker pricing does provide some hints. Buyers there will have access to just five examples, priced from 176,560 pounds - about 35,000 pounds above the R8 V10 Plus. That would suggest pricing in Australia will land somewhere between $450k and $500k.

We have contacted Audi in Australia for an update.

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