911 GT3 money when new, now available for the price of a well-specced Cayman...
/ Tuesday, 27 February 2024 / Loading commentshad everything going for it when it launched back in 2007: supercar looks, a naturally aspirated V8 with 420hp on tap and, best of all, a six-speed manual with a gated shifter. For a company that had never built a high-end sports car before, Audi came out of the blocks with a car capable of taking on the mightyright from the get-go. And it got better as the years went by.
However, for all the track variants and special editions, the R8 remained all-wheel drive for well over a decade. All versions were good to drive and could hold their own against more senior options, but some wondered if the R8 could be even better if power were sent to the back axle exclusively, thereby removing a load of weight from the front in the process.
Thankfully, Audi also chucked out the R8’s awkward dynamic steering and settled for passive dampers, while power was channelled rearwards through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and a no-frills limited-slip differential. This was the most basic R8 Audi had ever produced, even more so than the original V8, and yet it was widely praised for being the best of the lot to drive.
Perhaps anticipating that the RWS would be received more favourably than the Quattro, production was strictly limited to 999 units worldwide. Visual changes included an optional red stripe, a smattering of Audi Sport badges, a plaque reading ‘1 of 999’, and not much else. But the genius of the RWS is simplicity; leave the carbon splitter, skirts and wings to the track specials.
So what we have here is one of the best handling R8s there’s ever been, released to critical acclaim and built in relatively tiny numbers. Strangely, values haven’t exploded in the same way that lightweight, limited-run supercars from Germany so often do. These were £112,000 when new, yet this 12,000-mile example can be had for just £76,990 - not to mention the £10,000 of optional extras the original owner splashed out on, so says the seller.
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