News: Exclusive laser-beam Audi R8 LMX gets Le Mans TV debut tonight at 11pm (CEST)

FRIDAY 13TH ‒ an unlucky date for some but, hopes Audi, not for its new, uber-exclusive R8 LMX which will be revealed tonight, June 13, at 11pm CEST (10pm BST) live from Le Mans on Audi’s internet TV channel.

The chief feature of the new model, which is limited to a 99-model production run, is its laser high-beam headlights, the first time the technology has been used on a production car.

Each headlight has a single laser module giving twice the range of the car’s all-LED headlight. The laser lights are activated at speeds over 37mph and supplement the beam provided by the car’s LED lights to give what Audi claims is brighter and deeper illumination.

To mirror the laser light’s blue beam, Audi has created a new colour for the R8 LMX called Ara Blue. Accordingly, blue stitching features throughout the cabin.

Powering the LMX is an uprated version of the R8 V10 engine producing 554bhp, 20bhp more than the existing R8 V10 Plus, but the same 398 lb ft torque. The result is a 0.1sec reduction in the 0-62mph sprint time: from 3.5 seconds to 3.4 seconds. The top speed is 198mph.

The new car, which is on sale now, costs from £160,000 and will be seen in the metal for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 26-29).

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