First there was the Audi R8 Le Mans prototype. It was one of the most successful cars of its kind, and it was good. Then came the road-going R8 sports car, which was also good. Then the R8 sports car went racing in its own right, cementing Audi’s quest to dominate everything with something called an “R8.”

GT4 is one of the least extreme specs for race cars. Outside of one-offs like the wacky enclosed KTM X-Bow, these cars look pretty normal, and approachable, without a lot of the insane aerodynamic aids you’d find on a GT3 or GTE spec race car. As such, the R8 LMS GT4 shares 60 percent of its components with the road-going R8, according to It’s even produced on the same assembly line as the R8 Coupe V10.

Powering the deceptively normal looking Audi is a roaring 5.2-liter V10 mid-mounted engine, which produces up to 495 horsepower to meet the GT4 spec rules.

GT4 cars compete in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge’s GT class and the Pirelli World Challenge GTS class in the United States, along with eleven other GT4-spec sports car series around the world. Audi’s new GT4 competitor will make its debut next month at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. Customer teams who order a new R8 LMS GT4 will start to receive them before the end of the year.

Audi has two other customer cars at the moment: the R8 LMS GT3 (yes, another R8) and the RS3 LMS TCR. If only TCR’s pesky rules didn’t get in the way, they could have used an R8 for that, too. It’s not too late for a rebadge job, Audi. You might as well call your TCR an R8 for simplicity’s sake, too, and continue your quest to dominate everything at least once with a car called “R8.”