Is Audi's Upcoming R8 Really a Race Car?

Audi touts its upcoming R8 sports model as the successor to its R8 Le Mans champion car. But how exactly does the car benefit from the famous racing model?

This is what an Audi spokesman told me:

The R8 was developed with the knowledge gained from racing. The FSI direct injection engine technology debuted on the R8 prototype race car in 2001, and is found in the production car. In fact, all of our model lines have FSI now, and Audi is the only manufacturer to have 4, 6, 8, and 10 cylinder engines with FSI. Other manufacturers may only have one or two engines in their line-up with direct injection.

Using what we've learned about aerodynamics and air-flow management in the race program, the R8 engineers were able to create downforce on the car, even when the rear spoiler isn't raised. The R8 sports car was also the benefactor of lessons learned from the race car's mid-engine layout and vehicle dynamics. While Audi has never had a production mid-engine sports car before, the development team had the benefit of learning from the mid-engine layout of the race car.

So how does all of this translate into specs? Audi says the R8 can accelerate from 0-62 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds and to 125 miles per hour in 14.9 seconds. Its maximum speed is 188 miles per hour.