A detailed look at the original all-conquering Audi R8 ...

Even before the start this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans was set to be a historic one, and as it turned out, it would be one for many more reasons than highlighted today but that will be addressed later this week. The 2017 edition was always going to be a historic one as it was the first without an Audi at the start since 1999 and accordingly represented the end of a hugely successful era. To mark that occasion, we have today taken a detailed look at the original Audi R8 that debuted in 2000 with outright victories in the Sebring 12 Hours and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The writing of Audi dominance was very much on the wall as these debut wins were a one-two and a one-two-three respectively. Designed by Audi Sport engineers in Germany and built by Dallara in Italy, the R8 was not particularly revolutionary but was developed to be a hugely efficient endurance racer that was easy to work on and hugely reliable. In 2001, the R8 did feature a new direct-injection FSI engine, which would further increase the car's efficiency.
In today's feature we have taken a look at three of the cars that raced in 2000. In addition to the winning car, we have also included the unique alligator liveried machine and the the ex-works and ex-champion chassis 405, which was recently demonstrated at the Spa Classic.

Enjoy the links:

[url="http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/777/Audi-R8.html"]2000 - 2002 Audi R8 - Images, Specifications and Information[/url]