Audi unveils Iron Man's favourite supercar, the new R8

It's official! It successfully breaks the 200 mph (321 kph) barrier with a top speed of 205 mph (330 kph). It is definitely more striking and dynamic than ever before, and if you still haven't guessed what we are taking about, it's Audi's second generation R8, which made its debut at the Geneva auto show. This is also Audi's first production car that goes past the 321 kph mark.

This high-performance car is powered by a mid-mounted V10 and is available in two versions --  540 PS and the powerpacked 610 PS, which does 0-100 km in just 3.2 seconds. This naturally aspirated 5.2-litre FSI V10 engine boasts a mammoth torque of 6,500rpm. It is mated with a seven-speed S tronic transmission and a newly developed quattro drive system ensures a significantly enhanced performance as the R8's handling system adapts according to the road conditions.

The R8 is newly built from ground up and weights a mere 1,454 kg, 50 kg less than the previous model. It uses the multimaterial Audi Space Frame (ASF), which ensures low weight and optimum axle load distribution. With the combination of aluminium and carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) in the frame, this enhances the R8's rigidity. The underbody, which integrates a long diffuser, boosts downforce.

“With the new Audi R8, our engineers are bringing accumulated racing expertise from the race track onto the road. No other model of ours evokes more dynamic emotion. The new R8 V10 plus is therefore the most powerful and fastest series-production Audi of all time,” said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development at Audi. "Thanks to the close cooperation between racing engineers, racing drivers and developers, the Audi R8 has seen a clear performance increase – this benefits both the series production car and the R8 LMS developed on the basis of this," he added.