PREPARE TO BE AMAZED BY THIS INLINE-FOUR AUDI R8

This 650bhp, 950kg hill climb-spec Audi R8 is powered not by a V8 or V10, but by a heavily-boosted inline-four, which we like a lot!

The defining feature of any Audi R8, whether be it a V8 or a V10 version, is surely the engine, aside from its gorgeous looks. So, the idea of whipping out one of those many-cylindered works of art and slapping in a heavily turbocharged inline-four is just a bit wrong, isn’t it? Just the thought of ripping out a perfectly engineered V8 or even a V10 for that matter, for an inline-four sounds like someone surely got the message wrong.

In the world of motorsport, not really. This fascinating hill climb car from a company called Dialynx Performance has been given a 2.0-litre engine transplant for class reasons, a move which has also helped the mid-engined Audi shed a load of weight, this one tips the scales at just 950kg, which, in a matter of fact, is well over 100kg lighter than a Chevrolet Spark!

It’s no ordinary four-banger sitting behind the cabin, either. It’s a hybrid of two VW Group engines of the past: an ALT 20-valve aluminium block married to a 16-valve ABF Mk3 Golf GTI cylinder head. The whole shebang is fed by a Garrett turbocharger running at 30PSI, or just over 2 Bar of solid boost.

When brimmed with racing fuel, the engine, which sits on a custom rear subframe, develops 650bhp. The inline-four may not sound quite as nice as it did originally, but it is around 700kg lighter than out of the factory. Damn, does it make for one fast R8.