(autoinsidernews) - Audi's R8 will be the German automaker's first car to break the 300 kph barrier. While the 420-hp V8 powered R8 will have a top speed of 301 kph, all other Audis will continue to be electronically limited to 250kph.
Since the R8 is targeted at the Porsche 911, which has a top speed of 285kph to 310kph, depending on the model, Audi has decided to break the voluntary agreement by German automakers excluding Porsche to limit the top speed of their cars to 250 kph. It is impossible to sell a vehicle like the R8 with a speed limiter, said an Audi spokesman, reports Trend.
German automakers established the agreement in 1988, when BMW's V12-powered 750i debuted with a theoretical top speed over 250 kph, to head off talks of speed limits on the autobahn. Over recent years, the agreement has been weakened, by BMW and Mercedes AMG. With a special driving course, BMW M5 and M6 buyers can have their top speed raised to 305 kph. Buyers AMG of models can have their top speed raised to 275 kph and 300 kph as a factory-approved option, depending on the model.