In close vicinity to the Neckarsulm location, the 50th Audi R8 LMS GT4 was driven out of the assembly hall at “Audi Böllinger Höfe” in Heilbronn in mid-March. The GT4 model is a worldwide sales success and, like no other race car at Audi, benefits from synergies in terms of its technical concept and production in the flexible, low-volume manufacturing operation. Since deliveries began on December 15, 2017, Audi Sport customer racing has produced 50 race cars and further orders are on hand.
The driverless transportation system moves a race car amidst the high-performance models for consumers through the special low-volume R8 manufacturing operation. What looks like an arranged photo subject is daily manufacturing routine at Audi Sport. The GT4 race car is actually produced at the same facility as the production version and passes through the same 15 cycles, from the body shop to the inspection station. There the same employees that approve the quality of the production model are responsible for quality inspection of the race car as well. Both versions share some 60 percent of their components. The kinship in the chassis and the powertrain areas is particularly close. The 5.2-liter V10 engine and the S tronic 7-speed double-clutch transmission of both models are near-identical.
In terms of its chassis the race car benefits from the excellent genes of the road-approved car as well. 79 percent of the multi-material Audi Space Frame (ASF) consists of aluminum and 13 percent of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) which results in both high strength and light weight. For racing, it is provided with specific additional equipment for safety and service such as the steel roll cage or the air jack. The employees install these systems in the pre-production operation prior to cycling the car into the assembly line. The production model and the racing version pass through the same painting process as well. The GT4 receives its special Florett Silver color in the Edition paint shop.
“We take pride in this achievement of being able to build the race car in such close combination with the production model,” says Wolfgang Schanz, Head of Production Audi Sport GmbH. “This yields maximum synergies for the entire Audi Sport brand.” Currently, one Audi R8 LMS GT4 is driven out of the assembly halls per day. Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing: “Our customers directly benefit from these advantages. We offer the ready-to-race model at a price below 200,000 euros. In return, the teams receive a new race car in premium quality, as the one-two class win of the Audi R8 LMS GT4 by customer team Phoenix Racing in the 24-hour race in Dubai in January proved.”
“We take pride in this achievement of being able to build the race car in such close combination with the production model,” says Wolfgang Schanz, Head of Production Audi Sport GmbH. “This yields maximum synergies for the entire Audi Sport brand.” Currently, one Audi R8 LMS GT4 is driven out of the assembly halls per day. Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing: “Our customers directly benefit from these advantages. We offer the ready-to-race model at a price below 200,000 euros. In return, the teams receive a new race car in premium quality, as the one-two class win of the Audi R8 LMS GT4 by customer team Phoenix Racing in the 24-hour race in Dubai in January proved.”
With thanks: Audi
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