Audi R8 V10 GT
Many of us have fallen in love w the Audi R8….beautiful looks, great handling, tremendous balance, exhilarating in so many ways. Then, to make it even more exciting, Audi upped the ante by bringing the R8 V10. Now horsepower, raw grunt, came into the picture. But, Audi wasn’t done there …..they added another version, the Audi R8 GT…..but, the US didn’t get that amazing version.
So, what are we to do….just sit here and wonder “what if”? Nope, one of our customers said, “the heck w that, let’s build our own version”. The list of upgrades is straight forward….and we weren’t going down the path of a track car (the customer has another car to play at the track), this would be a normal daily driver.
Engine, exhaust, wheels, tires, suspension, interior, brakes, exterior….did we leave anything out? Nope, all the right enhancements to make this a one of a kind car for North America.
Here is a look at the end result…we will work this backwards in the details that follow. You can see what we started with and how we progressed (but we didn’t do this over a long period of time, the owner said “make it happen”) ….so, we did.
The wheels (HRE P40SC) were color coordinated w the Audi side panels to complete the integrated look.
Close attention to detail here….if you look later in this project write up, you’ll notice the exhaust tips are not the same. They are the same units, but no longer chrome. To match the look, we had the exhaust tips ceramic coated satin black to match the rest of the car.
Attention to details. The Audi R8 GT is the same, but the little trim pieces are replicated. Here the interior vent grill gets replaced w the Audi GT red version, along w the CF intake, and engine bay surround pieces.
New steering wheel, w the matching Audi GT color trim. New Carbon Fiber shift knob as well to complete the full CF interior look.
PROJECT SUMMARY
WHEELS / TIRES
- HRE P40 Wheels (F 9″ x 20″, R 12″ x 20″), Satin charcoal color
- Michelin SuperSport 245/30/20
- Michelin SuperSport 325/25/20
SUSPENSION
- GMG Front and Rear Adjustable Toe Links
- GMG Sport Spring Kit
EXHAUST
- GMG R8 V10 Race Exhaust
- Custom Ceramic Coated Exhaust Tips (black)
BRAKES
- Stasis Brake Upgrade Kit (F 390 x 34mm 2 piece rotors, R 365 x 32mm 2 piece rotors, slotted)
- Stasus Stainless Steel Brake Line Kit
- Custom Painted OEM Calipers (Audi R8 V10 GT Red color)
- Endless RF650 Brake Fluid
BODY
- MAcarbon Audi R8 GT Flat Bottom Steering Wheel w Red Center Stripe
- MAcarbon CF Shift Knob
- Audi Euro Front Grill Kit
- Audi R8 GT Valve Cover Vent Screen (Red)
- Audi R8 CF Engine Trim Kit
PROJECT BUILD DETAILS
BRAKES
This was an interesting step. We wanted to mimic the Audi GT…and part of that solution from Audi is the custom paint color Audi selected for the GT brake calipers. Not a color that you can call up your local body shop and just order….no one even knew the color. It helps when you have racing connections, as we were able to chat w the guys at Audi Motorsports to get the color definition.
The calipers didn’t need upgrading, as Audi didn’t do that on the GT, just made them unique, and enlarged the rotors.
Our other good buds at STASIS had the rotor solution. These are larger, multi-piece rotors, and work w the OEM calipers with the extension mount for the calipers. Bigger, better cooling, stronger, last longer, less heat transfer…all good.
SUSPENSION
As mentioned in original definition of the project, this is a daily driver, not a track weapon (see our other projects for making the Audi R8 into a great track weapon). So, no overly harsh suspension for this car. We wanted to tighten up the feel (you don’t have to replace all the suspension pickup points, just the ones w slop that make the driving feel a little numb). Even though this is a daily driver, the car had just a little too much ride height for our liking. We want this car to look like the GT.
New toe links, front and rear, to tighten up the feel.
GMG Sport spring kit.
OEM strut before replacing the springs. We wanted to keep the dynamic shocks.
EXHAUST
While the current sound of the Audi R8 V10 is nice, it’s not intoxicating. We wanted exotic, we wanted head turning, oh my gosh what is that kind of sound. So, we turned to our friends at GMG, who certainly know a thing or two about the Audi R8 (GMG is racing more of the Audi R8’s in 2013 than anyone…and have been doing a lot of testing and development…believe us, when we say this exhaust is the deal).
With the new exhaust, not only did we improve the sound, we shaved off lots of weight, and gained room in the rear of the car. The fit and finish of this exhaust is perfect.
One of the items that drives us, as shop owners crazy, on exhausts, are those who design their exhausts with no adjustment. While their jigs may have started out OK, over time, the jigs change, and slowly, future iterations of the exhaust don’t fit so well. GMG took care of that in their design. The fit is perfect to begin with, but the type of clamps, clearances, and adjust-ability ensure this exhaust will fit properly on everyone’s car.
The GMG exhaust…just want you would want. Great fitment, balanced flow, and intoxicating sound. You have to hear this car, and you want to hear this car ….such a beautiful sound track. Wish we could add to our playlist.
The OEM exhaust….big, heavy….did we say heavy, and overly muffled.
The rear of the car now fully exposed so that you can get the exhaust off.
As several customer have asked….”hey, doing an exhaust on the Audi R8 isn’t a big deal is it?”…..he he….yeah, just try it. You have to remove the whole rear of the car to play with the exhaust. Here is the pics of the car in early stages of being dismantled.
The stock Audi R8 wheels…they’re nice, but they’re not NICE….those will have to go too.
The patient entering the surgery room ready to go under the knife – notice the current stock little details that will change, the grey rear bumper grey vent screens, the chrome exhaust tips. These just won’t do.
BRracing – building custom solutions for FUN, PASSION…..what can we build for YOU?
See the full gallery of pics also in our photo gallery here in our website under PROJECT CARS / Audi / R8 V10 GT
