The 2016 Audi R8 LMS has made its world premiere at the 85th Geneva Motor Show ahead of next year’s racing debut. It was developed to fully comply with the upcoming regulations and it’s actually the first GT3 car to come equipped with a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) crash element at the rear which helps the racecar pass the crash test requirements of a LMP1 car. It has also received an Audi Protection Series PS1 seat mounted directly onto the chassis to improve stiffness. It benefits from a roof-mounted rescue opening, a height & length adjustable safety steering column and a quick-adjustable foot lever system.
The 2016 Audi R8 LMS is actually 55 lbs (25 kg) lighter than the model it replaces, even though it has gained the aforementioned safety-related hardware. Tipping the scales at 2,700 lbs (1,225 kg), the racecar has a 39% increased torsional stiffness and the chassis is now 66 lbs (30 kg) lighter at 555 lbs (252 kg).
It’s motivated by a 5.2-liter V10 naturally aspirated engine which depending on tuning can develop up to 585 HP (430 kW). It works with a six-speed gearbox equipped with paddle shifters which has been thoroughly upgraded for this new LMS version.
The car is going to be assembled by quattro and will be available on order in the second half of 2015 while deliveries are scheduled to kick off towards the end of the year.
Source: Audi
