The Audi R8 LMS GT3 was first introduced using the second-generation Audi R8 (Type 4S) as its base. The race car departs significantly from the road car in its mechanical execution: a race-specification V10 engine delivers around 430 kW, the standard quattro all-wheel-drive system is replaced by rear-wheel drive, and a lightweight combination of aluminium spaceframe, carbon fibre structural elements and a steel roll cage reduces the chassis weight to approximately 252 kg. Total car weight was quoted at 1,225 kg. Torsional stiffness of the stressed frame was increased by 39 percent over its predecessor.
The first evolution, the Audi R8 LMS Evo, was unveiled ahead of the 2019 season. It introduced revised bodywork including a new front splitter for additional downforce and an improved gearbox, and was made available both as a complete new car and as an upgrade kit for earlier R8 LMS models.
Audi Sport revealed the Evo II in 2021. The principal areas of development were aerodynamics, engine characteristics, air conditioning, suspension geometry and the traction control system. As with the earlier Evo package, the upgrade was made available both as a new-build car and as a retrofit kit, allowing existing R8 LMS customers to bring their cars to current specification without replacing them entirely.
The car competes under the international GT3 regulations that govern series including the GT World Challenge, IMSA GTD class, the Intercontinental GT Challenge and various national GT championships. Audi's customer sport programme supplies the Evo II to private teams worldwide.
The broader R8 LMS family carries a substantial competition record. The Audi R8 LMS won the 2018 Bathurst 12 Hour, one of the marquee events in international GT3 racing. The platform has been a consistent presence in endurance GT3 competition across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia throughout its production life. The GT3 programme is complemented by the R8 LMS GT4, introduced at the 2017 New York International Auto Show, which shares the rear-wheel-drive configuration and uses the same 5.2-litre V10 engine producing up to 496 PS in a lighter package designed for the accessible GT4 category.
The R8 LMS is produced at a dedicated facility at the Bollinger Hofe industrial park in Heilbronn, where Audi's customer sport division integrates the race car's manufacturing process with aspects of the road car production line. Chassis assembly up to the roof installation and cathodic dip painting stages is shared with the road car process, after which race-specific completion takes place in Heilbronn-Biberach. The aerodynamic package features a fully lined underbody, an integrated rear diffuser, and rearward-opening wheel arches that improve airflow. At 200 km/h the cockpit air circulation system delivers 250 litres per second of fresh air, and the radiator's airflow rate and cooling area is ten percent greater than a previous generation to handle sustained high ambient temperatures.
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