2018 Audi R8 V-10 Plus Competition Package: A Spicy-Looking Track Slayer

Topline: Audi will bring just 10 of the special-edition R8 V10 Plus Coupe with the Competition Package to the United States.

What's New: Every one of the 10 cars bears identical Suzuka Grey paint with the black exterior detail package, which trims the grille and vents with black outlines. Leather adorns the interior, where bucket seats with red stitching cup the driver in place, and a 13-speaker, 550-watt Bang & Olufsen stereo system does its best to drown out the R8's 5.2-liter V-10, which is nearly identical to the one found in the Lamborghini Huracan. Seeing as the V-10 kicks up 610 horsepower—455 kW—it shouldn't have a problem overriding the stereo.

What's different about the Competition Package isn't to be found in the powertrain. Instead, Audi obsessively cut weight wherever possible. Milled 20-inch alloy wheels like those found on the R8 GT4 cut 26.4 pounds total, and carbon-ceramic brake pads with titanium backing plates lose another 2.2 pounds. A three-way adjustable coilover suspension allows setup adjustment to fit any track to which you could take the Competition Package R8.

No supercar can be had without enough carbon fiber to armor an elephant, however, and this R8 is no different. The following aero components are all functional, and all carbon fiber: Front splitter, canards, side sills, rear diffuser, rear wing. The aero bits may raise the R8's drag coefficient from 0.36 to 0.42, making it a less-suitable road car, but they double the R8's downforce generation to 115 pounds at 150 kph (93 mph), and at the R8's top speed of 196 mph, downforce reaches 551 pounds.

What You Need to Know: With only 10 Competition Package cars coming stateside, prospective buyers will need to transfer $237,350 (the car's MSRP) into their checking accounts while supplies last. Be in line at an Audi dealer in November when the cars become available to secure one.