2018 Audi R8 RWS pricing revealed

The first Audi production car to be rear-driven is coming to Australia.

The Audi R8 RWS has been confirmed to arrive in limited numbers locally, with pricing starting at $299,500 before on-roads.

The RWS – or 'Rear Wheel Series' – is limited to 999 units worldwide, but few lucky Australians will be able to get one in either coupe or Spyder form.

Exactly how many are on the way Down Under hasn’t yet been confirmed with Audi Australia telling MOTOR it’s confident Australia’s reputation will secure a “healthy” allocation of cars.

“At this stage it’s not a definitive number, however obviously we know that there are only 999 available worldwide,” an Audi Australia spokesperson says.

“We know that we generally punch well above our weight in Australia, in terms of demand for performance cars, and so we’re hopeful of securing a reasonable number for our market.

“However as is usually the case, it’s best to get in early to have the best chance of securing one of our remaining allocation.”

The drop-top is a little pricier than the coupe, adding more than $20K to make a $321,000 price tag.

Both variants are, however, the cheapest way into the R8 club, with the regular R8 V10 usually costing $354,325.

The 397kW/540Nm rear-drivers are powers by Audi’s atmo 5.2-litre V10, which sends power through a 7-speed dual-clutch and, of course, to the rear wheels.

The coupe will make for the 100km/h mark in just 3.7 seconds, Audi says, which makes it just two tenths slower than the all-wheel drive version.

Though don’t expect the heavier Spyder to nail that.

The RWS comes in ‘Ibis White’ as standard, though an Audi Sport GT stripe graphic is available as an optional extra.

“The Audi R8 RWS is such an exciting car for us because it’s the very first rear-wheel drive production car ever built by Audi,” says Audi Australia managing director Paul Sansom.

“As a brand famous for quattro, this was a huge but exciting move for our brand... it’s hard to imagine any sportscar-loving owner who wouldn’t be motivated by such a modern classic supercar.”

The Audi R8 RWS will arrive in April, with local allocation yet to be confirmed by Audi Australia.