A decade of V10 power celebrated by Audi with special R8 edition

ABU DHABI: Engines are getting smaller and smaller with every passing year, and it’s nice to see that big ones are being celebrated once in a while. This is exactly what Audi has done with its V10 powered R8.

The massive 5.2-litre FSI V10 mill was first introduced in 2009 and has remained the sole engine option for the flagship R8 ever since (after the debut 4.2-litre V8 was discontinued). This means that the engine has been around for a good ten years. To celebrate the occasion, Audi has introduced a special edition R8 going by the V10 Decennium name. Based on the top spec R8 V10 for 2019, the special edition churns out the same 620 PS and 580 Nm of torque. Performance figures also remain the same with a 0-100 kmph time of 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 331 kmph.

So, what makes this Decennium edition unique? For starters, it will only be offered as a coupe while being painted in an exclusive matte Daytona Grey paint. This is accented by bronze on the 20-inch wheels and the intake manifold. You can also observe gloss black being used on the side sill, mirror casing, diffuser, and front lip spoiler.

Hop inside and the cabin is largely dominated by black, with gloss carbon fibre inlays. Keeping you in place are diamond quilted leather seats with contrast copper stitching. Apart from the seats, the contrast stitching can also be found on the armrest, centre console, and steering wheel. To show the special edition character, the Decennium logo is placed on the doors, logo projector, and the centre console.

Audi will only manufacturer 222 units of the R8 Decennium edition with sales said to commence sometime later in the year. Local prices are not known yet, but in Europe, it will cost EUR 222,000 (approx AED 924,805). It is great to see that big engines are not dead just yet and will hopefully continue to be around for a while.