Audi did wisely to put a naturally aspirated V10 under the hood of its R8 flagship: even a decade and a half after launch, the sports car is still considered one of the most successful in its segment. Still, Mike Tornabene found the power lacking and resolved to fit a supercharger on the five-liter mill.
VF Engineering carried out the job, balancing the boost pressure at 6.5 psi. This enabled the V10 to churn out up to 750 PS (740 hp / 552 kW), a solid improvement over its already-great stock power of 570 PS (562 hp / 419 kW). However, subsequent dyno measurements revealed that only around 600 PS (592 hp / 441 kW) and 680 Nm (502 lb-ft) of torque actually reached the wheels. Even so, the tuning was obviously a success.
In the meantime, the fate of the next-gen R8 hangs in the balance. Rumors have been circulating for a while now that it would be outfitted with a twin-turbo V8, but Linda Kurz, a representative of Audi Marketing, hinted that the next R vehicle would be completely electric. Whether she was referring to the next R8 or a different model remains to be seen.