Anyone looking to order a new Audi R8 will have to act fast as the supercar bows out after the 2023 model year, Audi has confirmed.
The automaker is celebrating the nameplate’s run, which dates back to the 2008 model year and spans two generations, by highlighting the R8 during 2023 Monterey Car Week currently underway in California.
A handful of 2023 R8 supercars are taking part in this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion hosted at Laguna Seca. The cars will be used for exhibition laps on the racetrack on Aug. 19, led by nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen in an RS E-Tron GT, the car that will serve as the flagship offering at Audi Sport following the R8’s demise.
Each of the R8s in Monterey feature an individual wrap designed by Frank Lamberty, the designer responsible for the exterior design of the original R8. Lamberty is also available to meet with fans and customers.
2023 Audi R8
News of the R8’s demise isn’t a huge surprise. Audi last year revealed the R8 V10 GT RWD special edition as the swan song for the R8’s 5.2-liter V-10 engine.
Audi hasn’t said what will come next, but the automaker is committed to launching only electric vehicles from 2026, and that commitment extends to the Audi Sport division.
Perhaps the best representation of what an electric R8 successor might be like is Audi’s PB18 E-Tron concept rolled out in 2018. The concept featured solid-state batteries, which are lighter than current liquid-type batteries, and quicker to charge. It’s a technology Audi’s Volkswagen Group parent is preparing for the second half of the decade.
The R8’s corporate cousin, the Lamborghini Huracán, is also on its way out. A successor arrives in late 2024, and is tipped to use a version of the Revuelto’s carbon-fiber platform and a new V-8 plug-in hybrid powertrain.
