Audi’s supercar available to GT3 teams from next year

 

Audi has announced that a customer-orientated version of its hugely successful R8 racer will be available from next autumn. The 500bhp machine is seen as a competitor to Porsche and Ferrari in the GT3 racing class. The new Audi R8 will meet all of the FIA’s production-based GT3 motorsport regulations that allow the car to be entered in numerous national and international race series, which will mean a conversion to rear-wheel drive as four-wheel drive are banned.

“The R8 is the first production Audi to bear the name and genes of a successful racing sportscar and is therefore an excellent base from which to build our first big customer sport program,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. “Ever since the R8 was unveiled we’ve been inundated with inquiries about a racing version. We will offer customers a racing sportscar equipped with the best technology and the typical Audi qualities, but it will be easy to handle.” 

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Bits of Hollywood star’s flipped truck hit the web

One opportunistic celeb-hunter collected fragments from Shia LaBeouf’s upturned truck and put them on eBay, with a starting bid of $200. Bargain.

The seller wrote on the auction site:

“I just happen to live a few blocks from the crash site and collected some leftover souvenirs… broken glass and some plastic pieces from Shia’s truck. (some of the pieces can be from the car he hit but his truck flipped and definitely suffered more damage) The debris was collected afterwards and was in the public domain on the street. a.k.a. it’s legal.”

Who would want to pay $20 for this crap, let alone ten times that much? Obviously no one, as the seller took down the listing early. However, we would buy a piece of Isabel Lucas.

[Jalopnik]

Celeb pays record price for 1961 dream machine

Your starter for ten: Guess which British celeb paid out a world record £5.5m for this beautiful 1961 Ferrari California Spyder 250 GT, previously owned by Hollywood legend James Coburn? Answer after the break…