ABT SPORTSLINE'S XGT IS THE FAREWELL THE AUDI R8 DESERVES - AND THEN SOME!
When it was announced that the Audi R8 would be retired in 2023, the world’s Audi fans were a little upset. The German sportscar started off with a V8 powerplant and progressed to a V10, and it was known as an affordable (sort of) option for those wanting a Lamborghini. The R8 shared heaps of components with Lamborghini, the R8 was built on the Gallardo platform and there’s also a lot shared with the Huracán. Personally, I would have an R8 in my garage before a Lamborghini, but that will only happen when I find the right combination of lotto numbers. As a farewell to the nameplate, Audi revealed the last of the R8s in the form of the R8 GT Final Edition and it was limited to a total of 333 units for worldwide consumption, which is a drop in the ocean considering how many people around the world would want one. Now ABT Sportsline has also decided to give the R8 a farewell, and these chaps have done a much better job than Audi. Their farewell version is the Audi XGT, and it's just freaking brilliant. The company has drawn on its extensive racing experience to put the car together. ABT Sportsline has contested more than 300 races in the DTM since 2000, achieved dozens of individual victories and over 250 podium finishes and is currently the most successful active DTM team. "It was the challenge itself that spurred us on to develop this unique complete vehicle. The XGT is the quintessence of our heritage," explains Hans-Jürgen Abt. The team essentially tweaked a full GT2 racecar with all the right bits and pieces to make it legal for road use, a huge task.
The XGT combines the two worlds of track and road into a work of art, it manages to retain the over-the-top looks of the iconic Audi R8 LMS GT2, making it a head-turning streetcar that will be a carspotter’s dream. For everyday usability, the fuelling system from the series was integrated, the instrument cluster was modified for civilian use, and the handbrake, central locking and even a reversing camera and immobiliser were added. The control panel was adapted to road use and controls the electrically adjustable exterior mirrors, air conditioning and indicators, while the special exhaust system including aftertreatment components had to fulfil the KBA's emission specifications. A complete XGT was used for side and front crash tests to make sure it was safe on public roads. The 5.2-litre Audi V10 in the XGT is tuned to produce 470 kW, and with a weight of just 1,400 kg, it promises to be quite rapid. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 7-speed S-tronic transmission and it tops out at 310 km/h - depending on the setting of the rear wing. "Two highly intensive years have passed from the idea to completion," says ABT Sportsline Managing Director Thomas Biermaier, who came up with the idea for the XGT together with Ernst Christian Scherer, Managing Director of Scherer Sport. "Our engineers and mechanics had some tough challenges to overcome." The end product is amazing, we can only hope that a local motorsport fanatic brings one in so we can see it in the metal. It costs what you expect though - a lot. Pricing for the ABT Sportsline Audi XGT starts at €598,000, which is just about R12,300,000.
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off ABT Sportsline's bonkers new limited-number XGT, a racecar for the road that's a more fitting farewell to the Audi R8 than anything Audi has ever done - we love it and you should too: Introducing the ABT XGT | ABT Sportsline
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