It is official now that the next generation of the Audi R8 will be fully electric with an automatic transmission. Those who still lament the ongoing extinction of the manual gearbox, however, now have an interesting offer from Underground Racing to consider.
The U.S.-based tuning team took a 2020MY R8 last year and turned it into a beast packing 1,300 horsepower (969 kilowatts) under the hood – watch the video if you missed that clinically insane build. The only thing it lacked was a completely redesigned transmission, something that comes off as only natural in a 1,000+hp vehicle.
The R8 revealed this week addresses that issue. It commands an even more formidable power – 1,500 hp, or 1,119 kilowatts – but even more importantly, it comes with a stick shift. Its origin is not stated, but the 2012MY R8 seems a likely donor. The gear shifting gate is exposed and looks like an OEM part that was there from the beginning. There is no video showing the new R8 in action, but one may be coming soon.
Pricing is where the dreams of many stick shift enthusiasts are destined to crumble. Underground Racing does not explicitly say how much the transmission modification costs, but stresses that it is only obtainable with the engine turbo kit. Depending on your choice, this obligatory turbo kit may cost anywhere from $50,000 to $175,000 USD, and the gearbox comes as a separate option with its own premium.