Audi R8 5.2 FSI Just in Time for NAIAS Concert

As we previously reported, Audi officially introduced the latest version of the R8 sports car at the 2009 North American International Auto Show, also known as NAIAS.

You are probably well aware that this is the first flavor of the R8 that comes with a beasty 5.2L V10 powerplant that puts out 386 kW (525 hp) and 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) of torque.

The engine propels the Audi R8 5.2 FSI from naught to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.9 seconds and with the sequentially shifting R tronic, the sports car reaches 200 km/h (124 mph) in another 8.1 seconds. Top speed goes up to a whopping 316 km/h (196 mph) and, as Audi's press release mentions, you are guaranteed to enjoy a “concert with growling bass tones and powerful high notes, which grows into a grandiose fortissimo as the engine revs up. This sonorous acceleration doesn’t reach its limit until 8,700 rpm.”

If you are not a stranger to races and you have some basic knowledge of the mechanics behind motorized sports, you should know that the same engine will be used in the custom R8s Audi is developing for customer teams in conformance with the GT3 rules.

Apart from the obvious quattro all-wheel drive, the new V10 R8 also benefits from a lightweight aluminum body and all-LED headlights.

Still thirsty for tech specs? Well, let's quench the thirst. Its mid-engine design provides an ideal axle load distribution of 44 to 56 percent. The wheel suspensions on dual aluminum wishbones front and rear which are optimized for neutral self-steering characteristics, while the 19-inch wheels are shoed with 235/35 front and 295/30 rear rubbers.

We remain in this field and we add that the Audi magnetic ride adapts the characteristics of the suspension in milliseconds to the nature of the road surface and to the driving. This is achieved with the help of tiny magnetic particles suspended in the shock absorber oil. When a voltage is applied they rearrange themselves so as to slow down the flow of oil through the valves.

The braking system relies on eight brake pistons at the front and four at the rear that press on ventilated and perforated discs.

And now for something completely... painful. The Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro will be rolled out in Germany in the second quarter of 2009 at a basic price of EUR 142,400. Did you think for a moment that the V10 concert comes cheap?