After years of ambiguity, Audi finally ended the speculation in 2022, confirming the Audi R8 supercar would bow out after the 2023 model year with no direct successor in sight. Yet the story didn’t quite end there. Before production wound down in the spring of 2024, one last iteration of the V10-powered supercar slipped into the world, closing out the lineage with an unexpected final act.
Abt XGT Front 3/4 ViewAbt
That final version didn’t come from Audi, though. It came from Abt Sportsline, a German tuner with deep roots in Audi performance engineering. Known as the Abt XGT, it represents the most extreme take on the R8, and with a build run capped at just 99 cars, it’s also one of the rarest.
A True Race Car For The Road
Abt XGT Front ViewAbt
Abt has spent decades as one of Audi’s most visible partners in competition and development. It has fielded factory-supported programs across disciplines, from DTM touring cars to the all-electric Formula E era, and it has also gone endurance racing with Audi’s R8 platform at the center of its GT efforts. The XGT became Abt’s way of marking the end of the R8 story in road-car form, developed in close collaboration with fellow German outfit Scherer Sport, which has also campaigned R8 race cars and provides tuning and servicing for the platform.
Key Facts To Know
- Developed with help from Audi racing driver Frank Stippler
- Wears Abt’s own VIN and build plaque
- 10 examples earmarked for US
Development took place over roughly two years, with a clear brief: deliver a genuine race car experience in a turnkey package that doesn’t require a full team of engineers to run. The XGT starts life as a regular R8 chassis and is built to a specification closely aligned with the Audi R8 LMS GT2, the endurance racer that competes globally in series including the US-based GT America Series.
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Each car is hand-built, and as Top Gear learned during its review of the car, the changes made to the donor R8 are so extensive that the completed XGT no longer wears an Audi VIN plate—Abt is the official manufacturer.
Abt XGT Specifications Deep Dive
Abt XGTAbt Sportsline
Mechanically, the XGT stays remarkably close to its racing counterpart. Mounted behind the cockpit is a 630-hp version of Audi’s naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10, the same basic engine used in the R8 LMS GT2 race car. Unlike the racer, however, the XGT swaps the competition-spec sequential gearbox for the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic from the production R8, making the car considerably easier to live with away from the track. Power goes exclusively to the rear wheels, and Abt fitted a larger radiator to ensure the engine stays cool even when crawling through traffic.
Engine
5.2-liter V10
Transmission
7-speed dual-clutch
Power
630 hp
Torque
405 lb-ft
0-60 mph
3.2 seconds (estimate)
Top Speed
193 mph
Curb Weight
3,086 lbs
MSRP
€599,000 ($692,000)
Carbon fiber dominates the bodywork, with virtually every exterior panel fashioned from the lightweight material. The result is a curb weight of roughly 3,086 pounds, or roughly the same as a Porsche 718 Cayman or Lotus Emira. The panels match those of the race car and this visual connection is impossible to miss. A giant roof scoop dominates the profile, while a closer look under the fuel filler cap reveals the connector for the onboard air-jack system. The fuel tank itself, however, comes straight from the road-going R8.
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When it comes to the chassis, the wheels share the same design as those fitted to the GT2 race car but grow by an inch in diameter, measuring 19 inches up front and 20 inches at the rear. They retain race-car-style center locks and come wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires as standard. Abt also developed an adjustable suspension system with unique springs for the XGT. While ride height sits slightly higher than on the race car, the setup still delivers a level of precision and feedback rarely found in a road-legal machine. And to make it even more usable in daily driving, engineers also fitted engine and suspension bushings to improve noise, vibration, and harshness levels.
Abt XGTAbt Sportsline
Inside, the standard R8 cabin gives way to an interior modeled closely after the race car, complete with a full roll cage, racing seats, and the same steering wheel used in the GT2 machine. The seats receive modifications to improve outward visibility, while a handful of road-car conveniences survive the transition. Air conditioning remains standard, as do a rearview camera and the controls for the turn signals and side-mirror adjustments, preserving just enough civility to make the XGT usable beyond pit lane.
Paying For The Ultimate R8
Abt XGT Rear ViewAbt
All of this goodness comes at a price, and a steep one at that. The XGT carries a retail price of €599,000 (approximately $692,000), putting it well above the $158,600 starting MSRP of the regular R8 in its final model year. Of course, the XGT is far more extreme than any road-going R8 Audi ever built. It also serves as a semi-official swansong for the V10 supercar, a distinction that only adds to its desirability and collectibility. The fact that production is capped at just 99 examples only strengthens the appeal.
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Then again, nearly $700,000 buys into some very rarefied company. For similar money, buyers could park a Lamborghini Revuelto or Ferrari 849 Testarossa in the garage, both of which carry considerably more brand cachet. It’s also a substantial ask for a car wearing an Abt badge, particularly outside Europe where the company remains relatively unknown. The XGT’s uncompromising, track-focused nature may further limit its appeal among collectors. That could help explain why build slots remain available even a couple of years after the car’s debut.
Abt XGTAbt Sportsline
The equation becomes even more complicated in the US, where the XGT doesn’t comply with federal rules for road use. The car hasn’t undergone crash testing, and its race-derived steering wheel doesn’t contain an airbag. That’s before you get to details like the multi-point harnesses, fixed side windows, and custom roll cage. Just 10 examples have been allocated to the US market, with Chicago Performance of Lombard, Illinois, serving as the car’s official dealer and support partner.
The Nuvolari In The Room
Audi NuvolariAudi
If the XGT represents the end of one era, Audi’s newly unveiled Nuvolari signals the beginning of another – not to mention being another threat to the XGT’s collectibility. Revealed in June, the limited-production supercar (499 units planned) arrives with a price tag that puts it in the same neighborhood as the XGT, but the similarities largely end there. Where the XGT celebrates the R8’s naturally aspirated V10 and race-bred simplicity, the Nuvolari embraces electrification and outright performance. It also introduces Audi’s next-generation design language, making it as important to the brand’s future as the XGT is to its past.
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The numbers are staggering. At its heart sits a twin-turbocharged V8 producing 788 horsepower on its own, while three electric motors boost total system output to 987 hp. That’s enough to place the Nuvolari firmly on the edge of hypercar territory and make it the most powerful production Audi ever built. Audi claims a zero to 60 mph time of 2.6 seconds and a top speed exceeding 217 mph, figures that would have seemed unimaginable when the original R8 debuted nearly two decades ago.
Audi NuvolariAudi
It would be easy to dismiss the Nuvolari as little more than an Audi version of the Lamborghini Temerario, especially given the shared corporate parent and broadly similar hybrid powertrain layout. But there’s far more to the car than badge engineering. The Nuvolari features its own aluminum chassis, suspension setup, bodywork, and vehicle dynamics package, while its 987-hp output actually eclipses the Lamborghini’s. Viewed together, the XGT and Nuvolari make an interesting pair. One is a race car for the road built to celebrate Audi’s supercar past; the other is a technological showcase designed to define its future.
Buy It Because You Love It
Abt XGT Rear 3/4 ViewAbt
The XGT may or may not become a blue-chip collectible, but that’s almost beside the point. Cars like this aren’t bought with a spreadsheet in hand. They’re bought because they deliver something increasingly rare: a raw, unapologetic driving experience built around a naturally aspirated V10 and genuine race-car DNA. If you’re lucky enough to secure one, buy it because you love what it is, not because you’re betting on what it might be worth someday.
Sources: Abt, Audi, Top Gear
