► New 2018 Audi R8 supercar

► Facelifted coupe and Spyder

► More power + new Performance

Audi may have recently facelifted its R8 supercar, but ahead of the 2019 Geneva motor show, Ingolstadt has given its V10-brute another remix. Named the R8 V10 Decennium, this special addition marks ten years of the V10 engine behind the driver – decennium is Latin for decade, you see.

Audi says the Decennium will be limited to just 222 coupes, will arrive in Spring and will retail for €222,000 on the continent – or £190,141.01. There’s no word if it’ll be on sale in the UK, though.





So what’s actually different?

Underneath, very little; the Decennium is essentially an R8 Performance coupe, so expect 612bhp from its V10, and a 0-62mph dash in 3.1 seconds. However, it’s the outside that marks it apart from the rest.

Aero furniture like the front spoiler, side sills and diffuser get gloss black paint, while black Audi badges also make it stand out a little more. Side blades, and wing mirrors also get the carbonfibre treatment, which should help shed a few grams, too.

There’s a range of colours available, though the line-up is essentially a muted range of matte and gloss silvers, greys and blacks – as well as Ascari Blue. The car pictured here uses matte Daytona Grey with copper highlights.





Inside is a mixture of black leather, Alcantara, and glossy carbonfibre. Audi says copper-coloured stitching and a Decennium logo will make it thess R8s a little more special.





And why celebrate ten years of the V10? Perhaps it’s because this is could be the last R8 we’ll see with a ten-cylinder symphony. It's one of the few supercars around – along with the Porsche 911 GT3 - without forced-induction or hybrid assistance. Its days are surely numbered...

Keep reading for everything you need to know about the standard R8.

New Audi R8: everything you need to know

Meet the facelifted, new Audi R8. Gone is the V10 Plus model, as it’s been renamed R8 V10 Performance, much like the outgoing RS6 and RS7 Performance models.

Biggest news is a jump in power for both the standard and new Performance variants. The standard R8 now comes with 562bhp (the same as a McLaren 570S) and the Performance has 612bhp – that’s 29bhp and 10bhp more respectively than the pre-facelift R8 and R8 Plus.

Audi says that the 0-62mph sprint is rated at 3.4sec and 3.5sec for the normal R8 coupe and Spyder, while the Performance coupe and Spyder does it in 3.1sec and 3.2sec. Audi also claims that it’s the first time a production R8 has broken the 200mph barrier, with the Performance Spyder hitting the double ton and the Performance coupe nudging 201mph.

The facelift is inspired by the R8 GT3 car – that you can read about below – that was unveiled at the 2018 Paris motor show, with technical managing director Oliver Hoffmann adding ‘no other automobile is close to motor racing as the R8.’

Under the skin, the stability and drive mode systems has been tweaked and options include carbon ceramic brakes and an anti-roll bar made out of carbonfibre.

UK orders will start from early 2019 for all versions of the updated R8, and we’ll get to tell you how it drives towards the end of 2018.

And finally... The R8 GT3 LMS Evo Racer

Audi says the new, racing version of the R8 features improved drivability for amateur, gentleman drivers and will use a new front splitter to increase downforce and rear-brake cooling. At the same time, a revised gearbox and clutch should stretch out the time between rebuilds by 50%.





As for the engine? Audi says the new car keeps the same 5.2-litre V10 as before, which will require servicing every 10,000km and a rebuild in double that distance. Deliveries of the car will start in November at a cost of 398,000 Euros, with an Evo kit available for existing cars landing at almost affordable 28,000 Euros.

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