This Audi R8 Is Four Seconds Faster Than Dominic Toretto

A factory fresh Audi R8 can run the quarter-mile somewhere between 10 and 12 seconds. That’s depending on whether you have the V8 or the V10, and what year, trim, and transmission you have. But how fast can one be made after it leaves Ingolstadt? How about a quarter-mile time that is half of what it could run out of the box?

Underground Racing specializes in twin-turbocharged V10 performance. It has now smashed what it says is the world record for an R8 on the drag strip, running a six-second quarter – the first time any R8 has managed it.

With A Squirmy Launch And Bad Clutches, This R8 Hauls

The Charlotte-based performance shop calls itself the home of the world’s fastest street-legal twin-turbo Lamborghinis. The Audi R8 and Lamborghini Huracán are peas from the same pod, so it makes sense that the company would work on both.

Underground knew its R8 was quick, but then, the company posted to its Instagram, it got a tip. Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, NC, had new owners, and the track was very well-prepped.

So the team brought its twin-turbo V10 R8 to the track for some nighttime runs. The very first pass was a 7.11, which was already a tenth quicker than the previous fastest R8.

Nearing the end of the day, the team set the car up for max attack, and attack it did. Despite problems, like a clutch pack that couldn’t contain all of the horsepower in the top two gears, the Audi ran a 6.94 at 218 mph. That trap speed is the same as the slower run, showing the effect that the slipping clutch was having on the overall run.

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So with an even beefier clutch than the 12-plate pack in the car, it could be even quicker. Underground was expecting a 6.8 at 225, and that sure seems possible for this beast. This run was still less than optimal in terms of traction, too, hinting at even more potential.

Five Times The Power Of A Stock Audi

A stock Audi R8 V10 makes as much as 562 horsepower. To get from there to a six-second quarter takes a boatload more. Underground offers packages that boost the cars up to 3,000 horsepower if they’re running race fuel, and this car almost certainly has that.

Making that power involves reworking almost the entire engine. From Precision turbochargers to MoTec engine management software, and everything in between. Blueprinted internals, custom block sleeves, upgraded clutches – you get the idea.

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What’s the plan for this beast? Underground is going to put in an even stronger clutch. Then the car will come back to the track, looking to go even quicker down the track. After that? Maybe another trip to the Texas2K, looking to see how fast, and not just quick, it is.