Audi R8 RWS - Frankfurt 2017

That's 'RWS' for 'rear-wheel series' - yep, the rear-driven Audi R8 is finally here!

Ever since its launch in 2007, every Audi R8 has been praised for the balance of its Quattro four-wheel drive system; here was a car, and an Audi no less, that delivered the security of four driven wheels but genuine driver involvement too. Now Audi has gone one step further...

Er, where's the tyre smoke?

Yes, this white R8 with the odd graphics has a 540hp V10 and rear-wheel drive. 540hp, and rear-wheel drive... Not the full-house 610hp Plus, granted, or the 580hp of the equivalent Huracan, but you won't hear us grumble. The Audi R8 V10 RWS is described by Stephan Winkelmann as "made for purists", said to bring "the driving concept of our R8 LMS racing car to the streets." And that's quite a successful car...

50kg lighter than the four-wheel drive car at 1,590kg (without a driver), this R8 reaches 62mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 199mph. A rear-wheel drive Spyder is available too, adding 90kg to the weight, a tenth to the benchmark sprint and reducing the top speed by a single mph. The weight distribution is 41:59 front to rear for the Coupe, or 40:60 for the Spyder.

There are dynamic tweaks implemented to make the most of this R8's layout, Audi even speaking of "controlled drifts" thanks to the revised chassis set-up and driver aids. Apparently the ESC intervenes "reliably" at the limit too...

Stickers fortunately optional

Marking the RWS out over the regular R8 V10 are a matt black grille, matching air intakes and the lower sideblade in a body colour. Fortunately the red film you see here - it's like a GT4 car, you see - is optional, as are bucket seats.

All this, hopefully you will agree, sounds like very good news for the Audi R8 range. However, there is a catch: the RWS is a limited edition. Yes, just 999 will be made between Coupe and Spyder, which isn't very many. Hopefully demand will be so great that Audi considers adding a rear-driven R8 to the range permanently but, for now, you'll need 140,000 euros for the coupe or 153,000 euros for the Spyder. Expect UK prices and availability soon!