New Audi R8 Audi Sport celebrates firm's racing heritage

Audi has revealed another high-performance version of its R8 supercar, unveiling a tribute to the illustrious Audi Sport racing team at the New York Motor Show.

The limited-run R8 Audi Sport Edition is painted in the squad's silver, red and black colours, with black wheels featuring silver pin striping on the outer edge of the rims.

Inside, the racing-inspired styling is mirrored throughout the R8's cabin, says AutoExpress, with red and black Nappa leather sport seats and "R8" embroidered headrests. There's also a red centre mark on the steering wheel, which helps drivers gauge the position on the car's wheels during performance driving.

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Mechanically, the Audi Sport Edition is identical to the standard R8 supercar. Power comes from a 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine, paired to a seven-speed automatic gearbox which channels its 533bhp to all four wheels.

Earlier this week, the German car giant took the wraps off another GT4 racing-spec R8, which, Top Gear says, will be available for racers to enter in amateur series such as the British GT championship.

The Audi Sport racing team have won multiple races and championships over the last 30 years, including seven victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours and the 2012 Nurburgring 24 Hours.

Only 200 examples of the R8 Audi Sport will be produced, with orders opening worldwide in May. Prices start at €181,900 (£154,336), while the more powerful V10 Plus models begin at €205,800 (£174,614).