Plenty of automakers make GT3-ready race cars out of high-performance road-going models, but it usually takes a little while after the debut of the road car for the modifications to be performed. Not the case with the new Audi R8, which has just gotten a new racing version a few days after the debut of the road version. Not only that, but Audi has built it to comply with the FIA GT3 regulations that won't even take effect until next year. Audi was clearly planning ahead.

Power is bumped up slightly from the road version, with the 5.2-liter V10 producing 585 horsepower. The new version is slightly lighter than the previous R8 LMS as well, going from a weight of 2,750 to 2,695 lbs. Audi says the torsional stiffness has been increased by a whopping 39 percent as well. Aerodynamics have apparently been improved too, although we don't have any figures for that. Audi sold a total of 130 race-ready versions of the first-gen R8, quite a large number for a race car. This is why the new version came out so quickly, so that potential customers don't get impatient and go to Porsche.