Race cars are cool. Inherently so. What’s better than a purpose-built machine with one intended purpose: beating everyone else? The answer is “not much,” but with that comes a constant battle between form and function. As cool as race cars often are, they’re often also saddled with looks only a mother could love. There are, of course, numerous liveries that stand as all-time greats, but more often than not, a grid of idling race cars has an ugly majority. Colorways are often awful, as are sponsor logos. Aero can detract from the lines of a purebred beast, and in all, aesthetics are typically disregarded when it comes to beating opponents: it’s just not important. Audi, however, has recently announced and introduced the all-new R8 LMS GT2. Even as someone who has been vocal in the past about my distaste for the R8, I was gobsmacked by the presence of the new customer racer. It’s one of the best looking race cars I’ve seen in the last decade, and with a factory colorway that simply oozes style. I guess the 640 horsepower, 427lb-ft of torque, and the 2.1kg-per-pound power to weight ratio don’t hurt either.

True to Form – Roman Grushetskiy’s Jetta GLI on Schmidt Wheels
Photography by Evano Gucciardo Since 1979, the Volkswagen Jetta has played the rather standard role of “compact” family sedan. Over the course of the past


















