This oddly naked Audi R8 started out in life as a 2012 R8 GT. It's a pretty rare car, too, with just 333 cars made and 90 of which were sold in the US. It uses an uprated version of the original 5.2-liter V10, giving it 552 horsepower (412 kilowatts) and 398 pound-feet (540 Newton-meters) of torque. Per Audi's factory claims, the R8 GT can do the 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 kph) sprint in 3.6 seconds, along with a top speed of 199 mph (320 kph). It's not a slow car by any measure.
Unfortunately, the second owner of the R8 was involved in a serious crash almost immediately; we're told it was just six days into the new owners stint before the car was almost completely totaled. The GT's front end was smashed in, along with the driver's side door and right-side rear quarter panel.
After that the car sat for a while until being sold on Facebook Marketplace to its third owner, a gentleman named Austin from LeeC Parts and The Scrap Life Garage.
Scrap Life Garage specializes in salvaging parts from cars such as these, so even if it would never be roadworthy again it still had a lot of value to the team. But after appraising the state of the Audi, the decision was made to modify the R8, rather than part it out.
The engine was breathed on by the folks of Underground Racing. If the name doesn't ring a bell, they slap on bigger turbos or twin-turbos on various exotics. So instead of having 552 horsepower, the R8 now packs a claimed 1,500.
Since most of the body was damaged the panels were just chucked away, hence the skeletal appearance today.
Will the Audi R8 still be around?
The R8 now wears a variety of parts from different automakers. Take the lighting: If you thought those didn't look like R8 headlights, you'd be correct. The main beams come from a pair of tractor-trailer lights. A Ford Mustang, meanwhile, donated the front turn signals.
Down the line, Austin and team will fabricate a front end, making it more recognizable, but a lot less special, too.
Source: That Racing Channel via Youtube