We have seen hundreds of noteworthy projects at this year’s SEMA show, but this Audi R8 GT restored after a crash and converted into a road-legal supercar is decidedly one of the most memorable.
The car rolled off the assembly line in 2012 and received a full makeover from Underground Racing a couple of years later. It then went up on sale, but the new owner hadn’t driven it for a full week before crashing it. He then sold it for parts to LeeC Parts, a company specializing in procuring exotic car components.
However, rather than ending the life of this R8, the company chose to try and restore it to top condition, minus the bodywork. The panels all around were stripped, and only the roof was allowed to stay. Custom tubular frames were used for the doors, the fog lights and turn indicators were taken from the Ford Mustang GT, and the side mirrors were borrowed from a Honda S2000. An APR Performance splitter rounded off the Mad Max-esque exterior.
The drivetrain was largely restored to the Underground Racing spec, meaning that the 5.0-liter twin-turbo V10 was once again burning racing fuel to hit the wheels with 1,700 horsepower through a reinforced transmission. Perhaps the most exciting bit is that the vehicle is reportedly street-legal.
Watch the video to see for yourself what a stripped R8 can do with an extreme engine upgrade.
