R8 Comparison: 2023 R8 GT vs the Cheapest Audi R8 You Can Buy
Does the quarter of a million-dollar 2023 R8 GT justify its lofty price, or is an older R8 with a V8 and manual transmission a better buy?
The wonderful Audi R8 leaves us after 2023. As a goodbye gift, Audi offered the 2023 R8 GT that is limited to just 333 examples worldwide and costs a little more than $250K. It has a V10 that fires 602 horsepower to the rear wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It is a desirable model that collectors will seek out for years to come. But collectability aside, is it a better sports car than say a 2009 V8 R8 with a manual transmission? What if you consider that the older R8 can be had for roughly a quarter of the price of the new R8 GT? Does the R8 GT justify its high price compared to even a brand new R8 V10 Performance RWD that is about 100 grand cheaper?
That is what the folks at Throttle House are attempting to determine in their latest video. In one corner they have a 2009 R8 V8 that can be had for $63,995. In the other corner is the 2023 R8 GT wearing a $253,290 MSRP. Neither car is what you would call cheap. But for the price of the R8 GT you could buy the older R8 plus a new S8 performance sedan, AND a new SQ5 for running to the shops. The R8 GT would have to be pretty darn special to justify the price. Well, it is special, but is it special enough?
2023 R8 GT
A 602 horsepower V10 gets this car to 60 mph in the low 3 second range and keeps pushing it to nearly 200 mph. A 7-speed automatic transmission is your only transmission option in this car. Besides the limited number being built this car has a few other special touches. You get a bunch of carbon fiber aero bits including a large, fixed rear wing. This car is loaded with features such as laser headlights, a Bang & Olufsen stereo and more. Yet the R8 GT weighs 55 pounds less than the regular RWD R8 V10. There is no question that the R8 GT is an exceptional car. But Audi is going to make you pay through the nose for it.
Collectible
The R8 GT is the collector’s choice. Let’s get this out of the way up front. All 333 examples of this car are already sold. And if you can find one on the secondary market you can expect to pay about $100K on top of the already ambitious $250K MSRP. So, Audi had no problem finding buyers for this car. But folks willing and able to spend this kind of cash on a car are a different breed than the normal consumer. These folks are not necessarily looking for the most bang for their buck. These buyers love the exclusivity and collectability of the R8 GT. They view the car as much as an investment piece as a driving machine. For them this car makes sense and justifies the cost.
But in reality, the performance of the R8 GT and the features offered on it are not special enough to warrant the extra spend over a regular 2023 R8 V10 RWD car. Let alone the bargain V8 model from the previous decade.
2009 R8 V8
These older R8 V8 cars might be some of the best performance car bargains on the market right now. First, you can get a gated manual transmission in these. It is a joy to behold. It makes the experience more involving and special. That is the whole point of a car like this. Is the R8 GT faster? Yes. But who cares? There will always be someone out there with a faster car than you. Get over it. Enjoy the drive. And the drive in a gated manual R8 with a V8 engine is about as enjoyable as it gets. And it is not slow. It has 420 horsepower. You can hit 60 mph in the mid-4 second range. And honestly that is the sweet spot for enjoyable street performance. The car still looks great, and they have proven to be quite reliable.
If you have millions of dollars to spend on sports cars, then sure, grab yourself a 2023 R8 GT. But if you have a more realistic $100K budget to spend on a sports car you can grab yourself a wonderful example of an R8 V8 with a manual transmission and enjoy it every day. And while the R8 GT may be more collectible, the R8 V8 manual cars probably won’t be getting any cheaper either. For mere mortals like us, it is the smarter buy.
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