Audi has claimed trademark rights for ‘R8 Green Hell’, clearly referencing the popular nickname given to the dreaded North Loop of the Nürburgring Circuit in Germany. Could a record-breaking R8 racecar be in the works?
With 6:44.97 lap time, the 770-hp Lamborghini Aventador SVJ is the current Green Hell champion. This is not just faster than the 6:47.30 of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS with its 700 hp, but even ahead of the 6:45.90 of the all-electric NIO EP9 packing 1,360 hp.
What is also interesting is whether Volkswagen Group approves of the competition or not: the corporation controls both Audi and Lamborghini brands.
Speaking in an interview some time ago, Audi Sport CEO Oliver Hoffman said his company wanted to produce an extreme road-legal supercar inspired by the track-only R8 GT3. You can see the latter in the gallery and the video here. Differences would include a boosted engine, different suspension, and lighter weight.
The current Audi lineup culminates in the Audi R8 V10 Performance quattro, previously known as the V10 Plus, which packs a 5.2-liter naturally aspirated engine good for 620 hp (462 kW) and 580 Nm (428 lb-ft) of torque. It zaps from 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3.1 seconds and maxes out at 331 km/h (205.7 mph). The Lamborghini Huracan Evo uses the same basic engine, but gets 640 hp (478 kW) and 600 Nm (443 lb-ft) out of it.
If we assume that Audi does not want to compete with Lamborghini and Porsche (which is likely the case), then the R8 Green Hell could be simply a limited edition, like the R8 V10 Plus Neuberg or the R8 Selection 24h. In this case, it will likely boast only stylistic differences from the stock model while staying unchanged in terms of tech.
One final assumption that comes to mind is that Audi could have registered the trademark ‘just in case’, for possible (undecided) future uses.
That, and the current-gen R8 has been in production for quite a while. As such, a farewell edition of sorts could be a valid way of saying goodbye to it.