Audi will perhaps take a similar approach to performance as it did with the 2005 TT Quattro Sport to the R8 Sport , built in limited numbers during the last several months of the previous generation’s production run, although it never made it Stateside. That car featured a slight increase in horsepower for its turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a tauter suspension calibration, Recaro seats and a slight reduction in weight, primarily due to the removal of the rear seats/parcel shelf and the spare tire.
Audi has already shown us its hopped-up TTS, and Reil’s comments all but confirm a TT-RS model, which is rumored to have a turbocharged five-pot with nearly 350 horsepower. But the R8 reference is news, and tantalizing news at that.
The R8 certainly an increase in horsepower. The number close to 500 hp. Once some creature comforts are reduced and a few parts made from exotic lightweight materials, overall weight could be eliminated. we’d expect to see Audi shave a few pounds from the seat frames (which probably means fewer adjustments), while the climate control and audio system components could be surplus to requirements. Less insulation would also lighten the load, while lightweight carbon fiber could be used for the hood, engine cover, dash/door panels and possibly the roof.
Mechanical upgrades would no doubt also include carbon ceramic brakes, while a few cleverly optimized enhancements could reduce the aerodynamic drag and thus coax some more top speed from the thrust of the R8’s 4.2-liter V8, which currently produces 420 hp and 317 pound-feet of torque.
