Audi May Revive the R8 Using the Lamborghini Temerario As A Foundation
The Audi R8 rode off into the sunset in March last year, marking the end of almost two decades in production. Its time may not have passed yet, however, as a new report claims that Audi may revive the R8 using the chassis and engine from the Lamborghini Temerario.
Rumors point to a 2027 model-year launch for the car, which could come at the same time as an updated Temerario. Audi suggested that it may bring back the car with electric power at some point, but EV demand is all over the map. A Lambo-based R8 would follow tradition for the car, as the first-generation model shared underpinnings with the Gallardo and the second-gen based on the Huracan.
Lamborghini gave the Temerario a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 with more than 900 horsepower, thanks to its hybrid system’s electric motors. At the same time, that mill can rev to 10,000 rpm, and the electric motors provide all-wheel drive. Lambo also said it engineered the chassis with improved stiffness over the Huracan, and complexity has been drastically reduced with the new car.
Those specs deliver blistering acceleration of 2.7 seconds to 60 mph and a top speed of 210 mph, but a potential Temerario-based R8 would likely be much tamer to avoid having the two cars compete. Like previous models, the engine will be detuned and the Audi will probably be a bit softer and more daily-driver-friendly than the Lambo.
[Images: Lamborghini, Audi]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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I have done some health-care runs recently (2 passengers, 2 walkers, 1 wheelchair) and this vehicle would not be ideal.
The old R8 was a killer car. I'd love to see it back, even if it only sells a few units here and there.