We got our first peek at Abt’s R8 GTR late last year, but like with many cars, it was a whole different experience to see it in person. To say carbon fiber has been used liberally is an understatement, as the entire car is clothed in the lightweight material. The look suits the R8, and Abt has managed to give the car a more aggressive look without going overboard. The interior is lathered in carbon fiber as well, and lightweight Recaro racing seats help reduce weight even further. In total, Abt has managed to take 220 pounds off the R8′s heft.

In addition to changing the look of the car, Abt has given the R8 more power as well. Its 5.2-liter V10 is now rated at 620 horsepower, good for a 0-100 km/h sprint of 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph. Other performance upgrades include an adjustable sport suspension, ceramic brake system, lightweight 18-inch wheels and Michelin Sport Cup tires.

Sound like your thing? Abt will produce just 25 examples, so get your order in soon. More details about the car can be found in the press release after the jump and live shots from the show floor in the gallery below.

And by “controversial,” we mean “disgusting.” Look, the R8 has those side blades because it’s a mid-engine car, but Audi felt they still need a place for a set of golf clubs, so they lengthened the cabin so the clubs can be stowed behind the seats. Meaning that the body has a whole lot of extra length in the middle. Rather than go all BMW and start torturing the hell out of the metal, they slapped on some pieces of plastic (fine, carbon fiber) and called it a day, leading to a look that some love and others loathe.

Now, the A5/S5 is a superbly beautiful car. From every angle, the seemingly minimalist design gets better and better. Especially when you run your eyes across the length of its rising and falling center line that runs from the front fenders past the doors only to terminate in the tail lamp. Just about pitch-perfect. Truly, one of the better designs this decade. German tuner Hofele Design (apparently) had but one simple mission: how to destroy it!

The results are self-evident. All those people that are moaning and complaining that their Audi A5 3.2s don’t look anything like a R8 V10 can now cease their protests. All two of them. Also, and we know this doesn’t need stating but here goes: why would you go through the trouble of mutating your car to the nth degree but then leave on the “A5″ and “3.2″ badges?

Most people who know Audis (i.e. the very people that might have an outside chance of being impressed by this) would agree that A5 and 3.2 stands for the automaker’s worst engine/transmission combination, the slow-revving 3.2-liter V6 that’s already been dropped from the new A4 and the numbskull six-speed Tiptronic box that likes to be in sixth gear by 39 mph. So, besides the raw, inharmonious phony aspect of the body kit (nice fake quad pipes) why on earth bother? Especially as the badge on the back says A5 and the one in the grille says S5. That’s a rhetorical question, because we all know there’s no answer/point. One more thing: the R8 Spyder doesn’t even have side blades. And hey, why not another: the camber on the rear wheel’s all messed up.

We’ve already brought you the leaked photos, but today, on the eve of the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi went ahead and officially released the topless Spyder 5.2 FSI Quattro completing the range of the R8 supercar that was offered up until now exclusively in coupe form. Featuring a lightweight cloth top that automatically opens and closes with a touch of a button in 19 seconds, the R8 Spyder comes equipped with the most powerful engine in the R8 line-up, the 5.2-liter V10 that generates a hefty 525 horsepower.

Along with the hard top, the R8 Spyder lost the coupe’s trademark side blades but gained a anodized aluminum coating for the windscreen surround and a newly designed engine cover that houses two arched cowls, which extend to the spoiler lip and include large, integrated air vents.

If you must know, the cover over the storage compartment for the cloth top, which by the way, is offered with a choice of three colors, is made from a carbon fiber composite material.

Inside, what makes this R8 different (other than the fact that its passengers can have an unobtrusive view of the sky, that is), is the specific trim and some special goodies such as the leather for the seats which is colored with pigments to reflect the infrared component of sunlight keeping the seats up to 20 degrees Celsius cooler (always according to the automaker).

The Spyder also comes equipped with a heated glass window, which is separate from the cloth top and can be raised and lowered at the press of a button, with the top up or down. as well as with an additional net-like wind deflector.

Audi says that the soft top’s approximate weight is 30 kg (66 lb) while the necessary reinforcements in the area of the sills, the center tunnel, the rear wall, the floor pan and the A- and B-pillars, result in a weight increase of just 6 kilograms (13 lb) over the R8 Coupe.

The overall weight of the Spyder 5.2 FSI with the manual transmission is 1,720 kg (3,792 lbs) or a mere 25 kg (55 lbs) more than the respective R8 Coupe model.

The 5.2-liter V10 engine that produces 525 horsepower is coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard or an optional automatic six-speed transmission optionally that send power to all four wheels.

Audi has announced a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 4.1 seconds, meaning that the Spyder is two-tenths of a second slower than the coupe. The Spyder hits the 200km/h (124mph) mark in 12.7 seconds while top speed is 313 km/h (195 mph) with the six-speed manual transmission.

Those that opt for the stick shift will see a theoretical average consumption in the combined cycle of 14.9 lt/100km (15.8 US mpg). With R tronic, this figure improves to 13.9 liters (16.9 US mpg).

The open-top two-seater will be launched in its home market in the first quarter of 2010 with a base price of €156,400 which comes to around $228,600 USD with the current exchange rates.

Red is the color of choice for Audi’s new wallpaper gallery of the just released, top-of-the-line R8 V10 5.2 FSI. Set to go on sale during the second quarter of 2009, the most powerful version of Audi’s mid-engined supercar is equipped with a Lamborghini Gallardo derived, 5.2-liter V10 engine that pumps out 525HP and 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) of torque. In case you missed our detailed article on the R8 V10, click here for all the initial information or else follow the jump and enjoy the high-res image gallery.

Audi today edges closer to Lamborghini territory with the new V10-powered R8. It’s enough to turn the R8 from a V8 sports car/911 rival/posh-TT into a genuine supercar – thanks to a 5.2-litre V10 with a stout 518bhp. It’s the Gallardo rival Audi said it would never build.

How fast is the R8 V10? Plenty quick enough, thank you very much. We’re talking 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds and 196mph. It’s comfortably the most extreme roadgoing vehicle ever to emerge from Audi’s sports division Quattro GmbH – but also the most expensive. Before we start cooing over the numbers, be warned that the R8 V10 costs a whopping £22k more than the regular, £77k V8-powered R8 model.

But it looks like a regular R8! How can I spot the expensive new V10?

With a magnifying glass! There are now two, not four, bars on the front and rear air vents either side of the registration plates and the V10 is shod with new 10-spoke, Y-design alloy wheels and wide 295/30 boots at the rear. And if you miss those rims, you’ll need to spot the spoiler lip in high-gloss black and the chromed finish to the vanes on the trademark Audi grille. All 108 LEDs in the headlamps are standard-fit on the top-spec R8.

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