Audi has brought a special edition of its R8 coupe to the USA. Called the Panther Edition, the newcomer boasts a Panther Black paintjob, black 20-inch wheels with red accents, plenty of carbon fiber details, red stitching inside, red-trimmed mats, and seats wrapped in Crimson Red Nappa leather in an otherwise black cabin.
Things stay stock on the technical front, with the 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 still churning out its 540 PS (533 hp / 397 kW) and 540 Nm (398 lb-ft) of torque, taking the RWD sports car from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in 3.7 seconds. The top speed lies at 323 km/h, or 200 mph. The R8 is otherwise also available in an AWD version that has 570 PS (562 hp / 419 kW) and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft). It sprints 0.2s faster than the RWD one.
Prices start at U.S. $183,300, which is $13,400 above the R8 AWD and a whopping $40,600 above the RWD variant. The enormous price bump is partially due to the premium equipment that comes standard with the Panther: LED headlights, a carbon body kit, illuminated door sills, a performance exhaust system and a 13-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. The production run is limited to just 30 units.
The second-gen Audi R8 has been in production for five years so far, and its successor will be all-electric.