Audi R8 GT3

For the first time in its history, Audi is offering customers the chance to buy a racing sports car in the form of the GT3 version of the R8 coupe. "The R8 is the first production Audi bearing the name and genes of a successful racing sportscar and is therefore an excellent base from which to build up our first big customer sport program,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. "Ever since the R8 was unveiled we’ve been inundated with enquiries about a race version.” Available for order from autumn 2009, the R8 GT3 will be able to participate in numerous national and international race series.

 Audi R8 GT3

Audi R8 GT3

Like most performance car manufacturers these days, losing those extra kilos in their flagship coupe showcases their abilities to build a more serious out and out coupe than the base model, which has to cater to a wider audience and is still built to a certain budgeted cost. Manufacturers like Porsche have long known this and you can see in their 911 series of cars. You have the basic Carerra which becomes the Carerra S, which then morphs into the GT3, which then becomes the GT3 RS. Each model slightly more performance oriented than the one before up to a point where it goes pretty extreme and lots of weight loss is the key to increased performance.