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ABT Sportsline Audi R8 GTR Gets Updated for the 2013 Geneva Motor Show

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Ever since genius, billionaire, philanthropist, playboy Tony Stark emerged from behind the wheel of the Audi R8 (and sequentially the R8 Spyder), the world has been enthralled by the German “everyday” supercar. Actually, ever since Audi released the R8 in 2006, the car has captivated enthusiasts the world over with its midship-mounted engine’s performance and laser-wannabe headlights.

Of course, thanks to the R8’s supercar engineering and performance, there are any number of tuners across the world that will modify your autobahn runner to be shoutier and pull more G’s in corners. DTM and Audi/VW specialist tuning company ABT for example, is no stranger to the game, having taken a few cracks at the R8 before. However, in wake of the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, they’ve released their new R8 GT-R following the R8’s light facelift.

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It takes a little while to spot the differences as the new R8 GT-R kit is really not that different from the pre-facelift R8 GT-R. Perhaps the most defining features of the update are the revised Audi headlamps (which we like a lot) and new wheels being offered as a part of the ABT R8 program. Just take a look at ABT’s previous R8 GT-R below:

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It’s a little bit of a “Where’s Waldo” game of differences isn’t it? ABT must have taken the “if it ain’t broke. don’t fix it route” as the new GT-R program will still retain the upgraded air intake, exhaust and ECU re-mapping that push the 5.2L V10 to roughly 620HP and 405lb-ft of torque. And a lot more noise. While the stock R8’s exhaust is fairly muted in order to maintain more daily driveability, ABT has made sure that the next county over will know that you’ve purchased a GT-R.

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If looks are to be believed, ABT R8 GT-R customers will still be able to expect a weight loss of around 220lbs through an extensive diet of carbon fiber exterior pieces, interior stripping, and even polycarbonate window pieces to replace the glass. All necessary to offset the weight of additional structural rigidity through a roll-cage. With its lightweight diet, the R8 GT-R can expect to pass the 0-60 mark in roughly 3.2 seconds and just clip a top speed of 202MPH.

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Of course, all this race-ready trim doesn’t come cheap and while pricing details for the face-lifted model haven’t been released, the olde GT-R cost nearly $400K so we can most likely expect a price tag somewhere around that ballpark. We’re also curious to see if the red and grey color scheme will be the only combination offered. Much like Henry Ford’s alleged statement that “you could have a Model T in any color as long as it was black”, the first generation ABT GT-R was only offered in the titanium grey and black. If you really wanted a different color, you’d have to do it on your own. But then again that probably wouldn’t be an issue for you if you were considering the GT-R in the first place.

Source: ABT Sportsline