ABT Audi R8 GTR

ABT Audi R8 GT R

ABT is a well-known German tuner that does impressive things with Volkswagens and Audis. So what happens when they turn themselves loose on Audi’s top-of-the-line R8? They officially call it the ABT R8 GT R, and they made some noticeable and impressive improvements.

First up is what ABT did under the hood. They took the stock Audi 5.2l FSI plant that puts out 386 kW (525 hp) and 530 Nm of torque and boosted that to 447 kW (620 hp) and 550 Nm of grunt. That counts as a substantial increase in my book. The increase pays dividends in both all-out velocity and acceleration. The top speed was raised from 316 km/h to 325 km/h, and 0-100 km/h acceleration dropped from 3.9 seconds down to 3.2 seconds.

They also went all out on the exterior of the R8. And by all out, I mean lots and lots of carbon fiber bits and pieces. Using carbon fiber dropped approximately 110 kg of weight from the car. Which, again, is a substantial amount. The carbon fiber goodies include ABT front and rear skirt, ABT side skirts, ABT front hood, ABT rear wing, which is adjustable, and an adjustable ABT front splitter.

abt 06 r8 gtr interieur

ABT also added lots of race parts as well. The rear hatch, including the rear window, is made from polycarbonate, and the side windows are made from polycarbonate as well. The mirrors are right off a racing model, and they even did a special paint job, too: ABT Titanium Exterieur.

The suspension mods include a full ABT sport suspension with dampers that are adjustable for bump and rebound. They’ve also mounted a set of ABT sport wheels. CR 19“, forged aluminum/Superlight at the front axle weighing only 8.2 kg, and mounted at the rear axle, they tip the scales at only 10.2 kg. The wheels come mounted with Michelin Sportcup tires, front axle: 235/35 ZR, rear axle: 305/30 ZR

On the inside, the door interior trims are real carbon fiber, and there is lots of the lightweight material liberally distributed throughout. There are also Recaro sport seats in carbon fiber, a polished stainless steel roll cage, 4-point seat belts, a Chasecamsystem (video system) fixed inside the cockpit, an integral lap timer, and a handheld fire extinguisher.

You also get a custom fit set of ABT race overalls, an ABT race helmet

Price? A paltry 289.000,00 € excl. 19% VAT

Photos: ABT