IS THE AUDI R8 ABOUT TO GO REAR-WHEEL DRIVE?

Audi teases a drifting R8 before its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show – and we can see from the teaser that a rear-wheel-drive version might just be in the works. 

The source of these rumours comes from Audi itself, who posted a video on its Instagram page showing a red-striped Audi R8 painting the pavement in a way that only a rear-wheel-drive car would be able to do!

At first, it seems quite unbelievable for Audi to be offering the R8 without its signature Quattro all-wheel drive. However, this move has been done before with the Lamborghini Huracun now offering a rear-wheel-drive option. 

The second-generation R8 made its debut in 2015 after a number of Coupe and Spyder versions of the first-generation model, and it appears that this will be the only version that Audi has not yet fielded is one with just the rear wheels doing the work.

In fact, the then-Audi Sports boss Stephan Winkleman said in June that he could see RWD-only models in Audi's future. Some rumours even suggest that part of the name change from Audi Quattro to Audi Sport was a sign for this new direction.

A rear-wheel-drive version of the Audi R8 would actually offer quite a bit of entertainment, as the current R8 churns out 540hp and 398 lb-ft of torque thanks to its 5.2-liter V10. The R8 V10 Plus could offer an even more frightening experience with its 610hp and 413 lb-ft of torque, even though it's probable that an RWD version would aim to be an entry-level model and only offer the base version of the 5.2-liter engine – or even a smaller engine altogether.

What we should really be asking about a possible RWD version of an R8, however, is how much weight can be saved by ditching Quattro and how much money buyers may be able to save off the starting price by choosing this model. 

After all, less hardware means less weight and less money – or so we think. 

However, we've been surprised by pricing logic of German automakers out there before, so we can't really make any predictions!