Spied 2009 Audi R8-RS

Audi’s R8 is already being celebrated as one of the most savory, slippery, sexalicious supercars ever to roam our roads. And, to our delight, the luxury automaker is acting more like such sports-car makers as Ferrari or Porsche by continuing to evolve the flagship sports model.

In addition to the simplified grillwork front and back and that military-grade flat gray paint job, modifications to this particular R8 mule include widened sail panels—implying the need for more air into the mid-mounted engine than satisfies the standard 4.2-liter V-8 in the regular R8—and a high-performance parts-bin braking system, complete with what appear to be Gallardo-sourced carbon-ceramic rotors coupled with large S-line calipers.

Our spy’s guess is that this is the rumored V-10 model, which makes sense, given how much the R8 shares structurally with the V-10–powered Lamborghini Gallardo.

We think there’s an equal chance, however, that this car might be powered by a high-performance diesel V-8 like that found in the Q7 4.2 TDI, where it makes 321 horsepower and an impressive 561 pound-feet of torque.

When Audi first showed us its concept for a supercar, the Le Mans Quattro, at the 2003 Frankfurt auto show, it was powered by a twin-turbo, direct-injection, gasoline V-10 developing in excess of 600 horsepower—making it more powerful than the Gallardo.

© Source: caranddriver