ABT XGT is a 640PS Audi R8 GT2 for the road

What it definitely is is road legal – see the plates – in celebration, they say, to ABT’s motorsport success over the last couple of decades, particularly in DTM, where it’s contested more than 300 races since 2000. It must be said, it’s also as much a celebration of just what a fantastic GT racer the R8 has proven to be over the past few years.

As we can see, it’s very much an R8 GT2 pegged back a bit, rather than a normal R8 dressed to the nines. The full swan-neck wing and roof-mounted engine intake are carried over, as are the numerous vents on the bonnet where your luggage would normally be stored. 

In profile and in the rear three-quarter, you can actually see the bodywork following the lines of the Spyder’s roof, allowing a flat surface for the snorkel to tumble down onto. At the rear, below that swan-neck wing, circular exhausts mounted way up in the vents, free up diffuser space. There’s no word on downforce figures for the crazy aero, though we can imagine it won’t be too dissimilar to that of the R8 LMS GT2, which of course has more than a GT3 car. What we do know is the aero limits top speed, which depending on the setting of the adjustable rear wing, is stated as 192mph.

What isn’t particularly racer, is the weight – 1,400kg is the kind of paunch we are used to on road-spec supercars. Tyres will be hardcore but road legal Pirelli P Zero Trofeo Rs, while the transmission will be the twin-clutch S-tronic rather than a full-blown sequential.

On the inside, it’s pretty damn racey too. We can see the ABT racing wheel, the special race gauges, the carbon binnacle with essential controls in the middle – that now has stuff like electric mirror buttons instead of fuel cutoffs – and the enormous roll cage. Truly, this thing is a race car for the road.

Well, the Nordschleife is a public toll road, after all…

Just 99 units are to be produced worldwide, each packing a 640PS version of the R8’s 5.2-litre V10. Big numbers for the R8, though the engine in the Huracan has been putting such figures down for a few years now and indeed, they’re a match for the LMS GT2.

"It was the challenge itself that spurred us on to develop this unique complete vehicle,” said Hans-Jürgen Abt.

“The XGT is the quintessence of our heritage.”

So where does Richter Automotive come in? Well, if you want one, or any ABT-fettled car for that matter, it’s them that handle imports for the UK and Ireland.

There’s no suggestion they’re sold out like the rest of these limited-run specials, so we suggest you get calling, texting, emailing, faxing, carrier pigeoning, or whatever else it takes to get your hands on one. Prices will start from £520,206 before you get customising, which should be both a reflection of just how limited this thing is and how much of an effort it’s been to make it road legal. Your move Manthey Racing…