Is it a road car or a sports car? Few luxury car manufacturers have managed to blur the lines between everyday comfort and elite performance quite as successfully as Audi, and the German giant has raised the bar yet again with the new Audi R8 V10 RWS.

A limited edition of just 999 vehicles, the RWS comes as a Coupé or a Spyder and is produced exclusively by hand at the company’s “Böllinger Höfe” R8 manufacturing site with around 60% of its parts identical to those used in the Audi R8 LMS GT4 race car.

“The Audi R8 V10 RWS successfully brings the drive concept of our R8 LMS GT4 racing car onto the road,” explains Oliver Hoffmann, Head of Technical Development at Audi Sport GmbH. “The V10 engine is not just one of the last naturally aspirated engines in its segment, it is also used in racing with an almost identical construction to the mass-production model. We have only made minimal adjustments to comply with regulations.”

The close collaboration between Audi’s race engineers, motorsport professionals and developers has significantly boosted the performance of the road version, with the mid-mounted engine in the Audi R8 and R8 Spyder a classic concept in motorsport and part of the sporting DNA of the brand.

The visually imposing power unit delivers 540 horsepower with maximum torque of 540 Nm at 6,500 revolutions per minute. That translates to acceleration from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds for the Coupé – 3.8 seconds for the Spyder – and a top speed of 320.

Stepping inside for a moment, the Audi R8 V10 RWS boasts sports seats for driver and passenger covered in leather and Alcantra, while the limited production of the vehicle is captured by a dashboard emblem showing a number between 1 and 999.

Standard features such as the comfort climate control system, the anti-theft alarm system, LED interior lighting, keyless access, optical parking system and dynamic handling system are complemented by an option for a customized Bang & Olufsen sound system in which a 550-watt amplifier controls 13 loudspeakers. The subwoofer is located in the front bulkhead near the right, front wheel housing while clasps made from anodized aluminum fasten the bass woofers into the doors. When it is dark they are illuminated with LED accent lighting, adding a unique and classy touch.

On the outside the Audi R8 V10 RWS is just as eye-catching. With the cabin positioned a long way forward and an elongated rear, the vehicle proportions clearly illustrate the technical concept of this mid-engine sports car which includes sharp lines and edges and a two-section side blade. On the Spyder, the lightweight soft top tapers into two fins that stretch the fabric so it harmonizes perfectly with the athletic design of the high-performance sports car. This soft top opens and closes automatically in just 20 seconds and at speeds of up to 50km/h.

There is an even the option of adding a racing stripe, but either way the Audi R8 V10 RWS is guaranteed to stand out from the crowd.