A 10-unit special edition, with a ‘special’ price.
Audi Australia will be bringing in a limited run of special edition R8s to our shores. Hoorah! But it’s slightly more confusing than that, though in a surprisingly positive way. Meet the Neuburg Edition, so named for the town the company’s high performance division calls its headquarters which, if you were to drive from Audi’s corporate home of Ingolstadt, would take roughly 4 hours (legally).
Back to the R8. The Neuburg Edition, with only 10 units bound here, comes with many of the typical accoutrements that define a limited edition. In this case we have some distinct exterior flourishes such as gloss black 20-inch wheels, gloss black side mirrors, and a gloss carbon black treatment given to the engine cover surround.
Apart from this, Audi has also outfitted it with their advanced laser headlights and black Nappa leather/Alcantara upholstery. There are more extras, but here’s where the Neuburg Edition differs because they’re also throwing in some gadgets to sweeten the deal, such as a pair of Audi-branded Bang & Olufsen H6 headphones and a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 that’s preloaded with images and video of the R8 Neuburg Edition.
Now, that’s all well and good, if a little unconventional. But the kicker is that instead of costing more than the R8 V10 Plus that it’s based on, the Neuburg is being sold for $402,500, representing a $500 price cut over the standard car.
It’s available to buyers in a choice of four exterior colours: Tango Red (pictured), Daytona Grey, Mythos Black, and Suzuka Grey. Unfortunately, the contrast stitching that adorns the cabin doesn’t change to match the exterior shade, remaining a default red.
Mechanically, the R8 Neuburg is identical to the R8 V10 Plus, using a mid-mounted 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 developing 449kW and 560Nm to plant power into the road using its quattro all-wheel drive system.
We’re unsure about how much sway a Samsung tablet and a pair of headphones will have on a the typical buyer that has enough coin (and probably a lot of stuff) to drop on an Audi supercar, but at least there’s a good amount of cosmetic touches to elevate it as more individual. Oh, and the $500 discount is a nice little bonus too.
Here’s some consumer advice: Why would you bother with a ‘normal’ R8 V10 Plus if you can put your name down for this. The Neuburg Edition packs in more for your money, but you’d better hurry before all 10 units bound for Australia are scooped up.
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