Audi Celebrates Racing Victories with Limited-Run R8 V10 Plus

The racing version of Audi’s new R8 supercar had a good year, making an amazing debut at the 2015 24 Hours Nürburgring by taking home the trophy in its first race. Now Audi has cooked up a special version of the R8 road car, called the R8 V10 Plus Selection 24h, to celebrate the success of the R8 LMS in GT3-class competition.

If you’re a die-hard Audi racing fan, you’d better get to Germany ASAP. Audi is only selling 24 copies of this tricked-out R8 in its home country. Orders began today, and the Selection 24h costs 229,000 euros (roughly $260,000), or around $45,000 more than a standard R8 V10 Plus costs in Deutschland. For that sum, you do get a supremely cool-looking R8. The exterior is painted in the same Suzuka Gray hue as the R8 LMS, with black and red highlights on the rockers, front spoiler, rear diffuser, and the R8’s signature side blades. There’s also an “R8 24h” logo, along with black tailpipes, and black-painted 10-spoke wheels, while the interior is trimmed in Rotor Gray leather and features a microsuede headliner and carbon-fiber trim throughout.

One unique touch is that each of the 24 cars has its serial number displayed on the illuminated door sill. Special entry lights exclusive to the special-edition car project the R8 logo onto the ground when the door is opened. Audi’s laser lighting system—not offered on the U.S.-market R8—also is standard. Beyond these frills, the R8 Selection 24h comes with performance-enhancing options including adaptive dampers and dynamic steering, although its 5.2-liter V-10 engine is unchanged and makes the same 610 horsepower as the standard R8 V10 Plus. In our testing, that combination was good for a blistering 0-to-60-mph time of just 2.7 seconds.

While this limited-run R8 doesn’t get our blood boiling quite as much as the brutal R8 LMS, it’s still a nice homage to the racing car. Look for the Selection 24h to be on display at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring later this month, where its GT3 counterpart will be tearing up the track in an attempt to repeat its winning performance.