2018 Paris Motor Show: The Badass Audi R8 LMS GT3 Unwrapped

The cat is out of the bag as the Audi R8 LMS GT3 presents itself at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. Yep, you can buy one of these if you have deep pockets.

The fourth car from Audi Sport Customer Racing has made its debut at the 2018 Paris Motor Show and boy, it does look the part. The Audi R8 LMS GT3 is the next step from the LMS GT4 which has been around for some time. This is a full-blown race car – a customer race car to be more accurate – that you can buy off the shelf, meets FIA homologation rules and can be raced in various racing series, provided you have got that kind of money in the bank.

And how much money are we talking about here? $460,000 would be an adequate number to inform your manager, when you call up the bank to make that massive transfer. And for that sum, you get a much superior race car to the Audi R8 LMS GT4.

Watch the video below to see the Audi R8 LMS GT3 being given a proper introduction by Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport Customer Racing.

Audi has listened to the current owners and has made a lot of improvements in the new iteration of the customer race car. Aerodynamics, cooling, the clutch and transmission – all these have received updates from a durability and optimization perspective. In short, the Audi R8 LMS GT3 will be easier to own and maintain for the customer racers and teams.

The engine has been left untouched. The naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 is capable of producing 580 hp and 400 lb-ft. A 7-speed dual-clutch transmission channels all of that to the rear wheels for maximum impact. The makers may have found those figures to be more than enough to keep their elite, racetrack-addicted clientele happy.

Audi has also thought about the needs of those who own the R8 LMS GT4. Which is why, the company is ready to sell the Evolution kit, complete with that revised, aggressive front-end to existing customers, at a not-so-high cost of $32,000.