Audi R8 GT Spyder 2012

With the 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder debuting at this year's LA Auto Show, one might say the Audi R8 supercar lineup is now complete. This latest addition, the drop-top version of the uber-performance GT, means the venerated Audi R8 now has topless siblings for all of its variants. The Audi R8 GT Spyder gets the same powerplant that propels the hardtop: a mid-mounted, direct-injection 5.2-liter V10 that makes 560 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque.
Sportscar purists might bemoan that the only transmission choice is the R-Tronic, Audi's 6-speed single clutch automated manual. Still, the 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder is no slouch. Add the standard rear-biased four-wheel-drive plus launch control, and you get a manufacturer-estimated 0-62 mph time of 3.8 seconds (or 0-60 in about 3.6 seconds) and a top speed of 197 miles per hour.
Like its hardtop sibling, the GT Spyder sports carbon-fiber panels and trim, including a front splitter, rear spoiler and rear bumper with integrated diffuser. Combined with a lighter transmission, wheels and brakes, examples of the R8 GT Spyder bound for the U.S. each lose 107 pounds over non-GT Spyders. European spec models will get special fiberglass bucket seats that will shave off even more weight, but whether they'll end up here in the States is TBD. In addition to the fancy aero and lighter components, the 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder, like the coupe, also gets 19-inch wheels and a 0.4-inch lower suspension. A GT Spyder for the North American market should weigh in at a more svelte but still substantial 3,800 pounds.
Options on the 2012 Audi R8 GT Sypder will most likely be the same or similar as on the coupe, which includes an enhance leather package, Audi's MMI infotainment system, a Bang & Olufson sound system and various wheel and brake choices. The Spyder also features a microphone built into the driver’s seatbelt to allow for clearer handsfree calling with the top down.
The most obvious competitor to the 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder might very well be the newly unveiled Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster. Its 563 hp and 479 pound-feet of torque top the specs on the Audi, and will only set you back $183,000, compared to the $200,000-plus price tag we're expecting for the R8 GT Spyder. Other worthy competitors include the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG, Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet, and Ferrari 458 Spider.
Like the GT Coupe, only 333 Audi R8 GT Spyders will be produced, and only about 90 of them are slated for American soil. As for pricing, though figures haven't been announced, the current hardtop GT starts at $196,800, and the 5.2 Audi R8 has about a 10-percent price premium over the hardtop with the same engine. That makes our guess for the 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder around $215,000, give or take, with availability expected in early 2012.