The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Audi is its acclaimed Quattro system; after all, Audi is rightly credited as one of the brands responsible for driving the popularity of all-wheel-drive in mainstream cars. And frankly speaking, Audi’s Quattro system is absolutely brilliant, especially in the R8 supercar. However, Audi has done the unthinkable by introducing a rear-wheel drive R8 for the very first time. Announcing the R8 V10 RWS (Rear Wheel Series) at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi confirmed that just 999 Coupe and Spyder RWS models will be offered worldwide. There was no word on the pricing, but a third of the production lot is expected to make its way to North America.
According to Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Audi Sport, “The R8 V10 RWS is made for purists.” Although, the naturally aspirated 5.2-liter 10-cylinder engine is unchanged and continues to produce 540 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, but the RWS weighs 110lbs in the Coupe and 88lbs in the Spyder versions as compared to the AWD V10. In terms of visual cues, the distinguishable features on the R8 V10 RWS model include matte-black grilles in the front and rear, and a gloss-black upper side blade with the lower blade finished in body color.