Road Test: MTM R8 R

Over the year Audi has gained a position between the big players in motorsport (including rallying and saloon car racing). Victories in Le Mans with its R8 and more recently with the R10 TDI have positioned the German brand at a solid position. The R-series production cars have been direct envolvement from the racing experience. Cars like the RS6 and R8 bring the legacy from the racing track onto the road giving you the option to enjoy the refinement and quality every day of the year.

Players like MTM (Motoren Technik Mayer) are around the corner to give the ultimate kick and to enhance the performance of your personal Audi R-series. The company established a special roll in the development of upgrade kits, new body kits and rims. All just to enhance and personalise your feeling about the car you will or perhaps are already driving.

MTM is specialized in brands from the VAG Group. Each model is tested at their own MTM test centre and MTM vehicles are frequently pushed to extremes. GTspirit got the opportunity to road test the MTM R8 R.

It’s mid-engine layout and four-wheel drive round up the R8 while power comes courtesy of a wonderful 4.2 FSI V8 engine. An engine that is being enhanced by adding a new twin-screw supercharger system. This addition brings the total output from 420 to 560 bhp, matching the output of the R8’s brother in law, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. That is not all! MTM offers a complete range of extra’s from brake upgrades, new 20″ forged rims, high-flow exhaust system to several exterior upgrades like a new front splitter, side skirts and rear screen giving you a clear view on the supercharger system.

We took the car for a spin and were amazed by the new driving experience of this R8. The ‘normal’ R8 is known for it is decent drive and sophisticated sound. The R8 R got all the right injections which remind us clearly of his Italian ‘VAG family members’. The superb sound explosion around 3500 rpm was something that fills your body with adrenalin and will keep you hitting the throttle. A decent way to drive this little crawling monster was a decent down shift and a iron foot on the throttle.

The sound of the exhaust was added up by the new supercharger conversion. The amount of increase in torque and the influences to the handling of the car where better than we expected. Not only the sound amazed us, but also the kick in our back. The extra 150 Nm is shown in the sprint figures. The R8 R does 0-100 km/h in 3,9 seconds. As comparison the normal R8 is 0,7 seconds slower.

The four-wheel drive that Audi produced for this car shows his strength while taking corners. Its added weight is all made up by adding more power to the car. The overall driving experience is decent and superb. At speeds around 200-220 km/h the new body kit shows a bit of its weakness. The new front splitter needs improvement. MTM comment on our findings: “We are working on a better aerodynamics package for the R8 R. We do see the need for adjusting the down force on the front around those speeds”.

The overall experience of the car was excellent. Easy to drive when needed, an ultimate sport cars when you want one. The extras MTM can add up to your R8 are more than welcome. The R8 drops out of the shade and adds itself next to his Italian family member. The only final comment we can make is that Audi should build a proper DSG gearbox for the R8 enhancing the handling of all the extra power you can get.

For those who seek more information on the MTM R8 R check out this site or call +49 (0) 841 – 98 18 80! Your personal dealership or importer can be found here.

The specific car we drove is even for sale!