Sure, the R8 is not exactly snail like, and this is even more so once the sports car has been tuned by ABT Sportsline. The result is a real workhorse, which does not just hint at power, but also doesn’t have a single gram of fat on its body unlike its driver. With the limited version R8 GT R (with only 25 units available) engineers and designers have gone one step further: experience from motorsport flowed into the design, and all the components have been systematically trimmed to ensure a light-weight construction and optimal weight distribution. As a result not just the bonnet, front and rear aprons, the adjustable rear wing or the tailgate are made of carbon, but the outline edge on the rear, the external mirrors and the door panel are also made of the same material. The side windows are made of Makrolon – the high-tech polycarbonate does not just reduce weight, but also has impressive strength properties. The result: the ABT R8 GT R is a proud 100 kg lighter than its counterpart.

The well-trained sports car has enormous performance potential: instead of the series-standard 525HP (386 kW), the 5.2 FSI in the ABT R8 GT R provides a massive 620HP (456 kW) and as a result the light car travels extremely quickly: the top speed is 325 km/h, it does 0-100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds and the GT R reaches the 200km/h mark in a mere 9.9 seconds. In order to ensure that the power can be optimally applied on the road and on the race track, height-adjustable ABT Sports suspension and adjustable dampers are standard on the ABT R8 GT R. The ceramic brake system with modified brake pads has been adjusted to meet the enormous performance potential of the super sports car. The extremely light ABT CR alloys round off the package. On the front axle they are mounted in 9×19 inch and on the rear axle in 11×19 inch. The Michelin sports cup tyres are the perfect choice for the car. The ABT R8 GT R is a unique vehicle which provides maximum driving enjoyment. It has been designed for driving at the limit: from the weight-optimised exhaust unit to the ABT Titanium special coating – ABT’s love of motorsport can be seen in every detail.

This was in direct competition with the MTM GT3-2 which is a shy 560hp, But after speaking to Roland Mayer at MTM he teased us about the upcoming Twin-Turbo v10 is in development. After his experience in the Bi-Turbo audi market this should be an interesting update to the R8 Customizer market,and suspect a 680hp model.