Of all the brands you might expect to be launching a motorsport-inspired product range of aftermarket goodies, Audi probably isn't one of them. It should be, what with the R8's success in GT3 and the Le Mans domination, but it still doesn't seem to quite have that motorsport aura.
Perhaps this new range of 'Performance Parts' from Audi Sport can change that. Initially offered for the TT and R8 - but to be extended to other models - Stephen Winkelmann says Audi is "tapping into a new business segment," using "expertise from motor racing" in everything that's offered.
So what is there? Well park your judgement about the looks, because there's some really interesting stuff here. Things like upgraded brake lines, which nobody will see but that the driver will appreciate because they reduce fade. Things like the wheels, which some will view as a purely aesthetic addition but which you will know save between seven and eight kilos of unsprung mass. And things like, well, the incredible aero kits.
Before you mock however, they have genuine benefit too. On the R8 the tweaks to the front intakes, side sills, rear diffuser and rear wing increase downforce by more than 100kg at top speed, to 250kg. Don't forget the aero flics, too; not an aero kit without some flics now, is it?
Neither would this be an Audi update without some interior tweaks, so a fully Alcantara wheel and gearshift paddles of carbon-reinforced plastic are available. For the TT you can even ditch the rear seats and add a rather purposeful strut brace, saving 20kg. In a TT! Still, losing the seats means the Akrapovic exhaust should be rather more audible...
Audi's press material says that these upgrades will be launched later this summer "in Germany and other markets". We'll keep you posted as to UK availability so, if you do have an Audi that you feel is lacking some edge, there could well be a solution on the way. From Audi!