After a long wait, the latest generation of Audi R8 supercar is about to touch down in South Africa. Here are the specifications and pricing.

We attended the launch of this supercar in Spain, on a very wet Ascari circuit back in December 2018. We came away impressed with its abilities, particularly in the rain.

What has changed?On the outside, you'll notice sharper-looking sheet metalwith aesthetic detail revisions to the front and rear. There are enlargedoval exhausts and 3 slots on the bonnet, which are a tribute to the 1984 Sport Quattro Group B rally car. Don't fret too much about this "tribute", the new Audi A1 has them too. However, the critical changes lie under the skin, where Audi Sport has stiffened its supercar's suspension and installed an anti-roll bar (made of carbon) at the front.

The latter is much lighter than the unit on the pre-facelift version, which was made out of steel. There are also tweaks to the steering setup to give a bit more feel and involvement.

The iconic 5.2-litre naturally-aspirated V10 motor is retained. For the SA market, it produces a screaming 449 kW and 560 Nm. Thanks to quattro all-wheel drive and a clever launch control system, Audi claims this generation of R8 can sprint to 100 kph in just 3.1 seconds and run into a top speed of 331 kph.

Audi South Africa is offering its new R8 in both coupe and spyder body styles, and there'll be numerous options available too. A cursory glance at Audi.co.za highlighted some of these;Carbon styling package (R150 000) , Laserlight headlamps (R64 500), Audi magnetic ride (R35 000), Dynamic steering (R27 000), and you can even get a gloss carbon engine cover for R77 300.There are also a few colours to choose from, but be mindful of the flagship Crystal paint range which starts from R30 000. There are a handful of alloy wheel designs to choose from, all 20-inch in size.

Standard equipment levels are high, given its flagship status. A Bang & Olufsen sound system is standard fare, as is the Audi Virtual Cockpit with built-in MMI Navigation.

Browse Audi R8 units for sale

Audi R8 Price in South Africa (January 2021)

R8 Coupe R3 336 000

R8 Spyder R3 592 500

Further Reading

Audi R8 (2019) International Launch Review

Audi R8 V10 Spyder (2017) Quick Review

Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016) Review

Audi Releases Rear-Wheel-Drive R8