The 2015 R8 Competition is Audi’s fastest supercar ever, and its rarest

By Stephen Edelstein October 29, 2014

An all-new Audi R8 is on the way, but before it arrives the German carmaker will give the first generation of its first supercar a proper sendoff.

The 2015 Audi R8 Competition will debut next month at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. Inspired by the R8 LMS racecar, this limited-edition promises to be as rare as it is fast.

Sitting behind the driver is the familiar 5.2-liter V10, but it’s been tuned to produce 570 horsepower, 20 more than you get in the next-most-powerful V10 Plus model. It’s paired with a seven-speed S tronic automatic transmission and, naturally, Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive.

With that extra power, the R8 Competition will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, and reach a top speed of 199 mph. That makes it the tastes production R8 ever, but only just: the V10 Plus will reach 198 mph, and do 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.

Related: 2014 Audi R8 V10 S tronic review

Visually, the R8 Competition is distinguished by matte carbon fiber exterior trim, including front dive planes and spoiler, a rear diffuser, mirror caps, and the trademark “side blades” behind the doors.

Audi says the aerodynamic bits are functional, providing a bit of extra downforce. They’re paired with model-specific gloss-black wheels and carbon-ceramic brakes with red calipers.

On the inside, the R8 Competition features more matter carbon fiber trim, including door sills with the car’s name, should the owner forget exactly where his or her kids’ college fund went.

You’ll need luck as well as money to put an R8 Competition in your garage, because Audi will only import 60 units to the U.S.

The company isn’t discussing price, but the order books will open around the time of the Competition’s L.A. Auto Show debut next month, with deliveries set to begin in early 2015.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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