FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Audi teases rear-wheel drive R8

Audi has released a new Instagram post of the R8 which appears to suggest a rear-wheel drive version of its mid-engine supercar is on the way.

Released just a day before the Frankfurt motor show media previews kick-off, the new short film sows a white R8 gracefully pirouetting.

Since the current R8 lineup employs a 5.2-litre V10 engine and quattro all-wheel drive, pundits reckon this new video could either be Audi's new entry-level supercar set to go on sale later this year, or an extreme rear-wheel drive version of the existing model created for purists.

If so, the rear-wheel drive R8 will follow in the tyre tracks of the rear-wheel drive version of the Lamborghini Huracan which shares its platform and V10 powerplant with the Audi supercar.

It's not known if a rear-wheel drive R8 will offer the same amount of power as its all-paw brother or, like the Lambo, come with the wick turned down.

In any case, with an expected radically different weight distribution, the rear-wheel drive R8 will come with a completely retuned suspension delivering a more responsive front-end and a rear more comfortable with oversteer.

Overlooking this rear-drive variant, we know Frankfurt is primed to see the debut an entry-level Audi R8 rumoured to employ a Porsche-derived 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 originally created for the Panamera

Expected to produce around 350kW/600Nm, the new Audi R8 will sit below the current 449kW/560Nm V10 plus.

The extra torque over the naturally aspirated V10 should ensure the entry-R8 still hits 100km/h in less than four seconds and top out at more than 300km/h.

Expected to be available as either a coupe or roadster, the V6 R8 should be priced well below the $389,900 Audi charges for the V10 plus.

The same, powerful 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 is also set to star at the Frankfurt motor show under the bonnet of the BMW M3-rivalling Audi RS4.

Stay tuned because all will be revealed in the next couple of days.