World's fastest cop car revealed

The smokin' hot machine was aggressively refined by German tuner ABT Sportsline, boosting the power of the standard 5.2-litre V10 from 400 to 450kW.

One hundred kilograms was shaved from the R8's weight by replacing the bonnet, front and rear aprons, adjustable rear wing, tailgate, exterior mirrors and door panelling with carbon fibre.

The project's major sponsor, Hankook Tire, provided Ventus S1 evo tyres, speed rated for the police car's maximum velocity of 325km/h.

To match the ultra-high performance tyres, ABT Sportsline replaced the Audi's standard suspension with a new all-aluminium coil-over set-up.

The R8 GT-R police car was built as part of 'Tune it! Safe!' - a public awareness campaign by the German Federal Department of Transport and the German Automobile Tuning Association (VDAT).

The campaign encourages German car enthusiasts who modify their cars with aftermarket tuning products to do so within safe and legal limits.

Hankook has partnered the campaign since 2005, when it was initiated by police in response to a massive increase in the number of shoddy and potentially dangerous tuning products entering European markets.

Speaking at the reveal of the 2012 campaign vehicle, the executive director of Marketing and Sales for Hankook in Germany, Dietmar Olbrich, said the Tune it! Safe! campaign was important to the tyre-maker.

"This is a commitment that is especially important to us, since combining maximum performance with maximum safety is at the heart of our company's Kontrol technology development philosophy."

Hankook's tyres have been gaining widespread acceptance amongst notoriously demanding German consumers.

Its stand at the Essen Motor Show included two of this year's DTM series race cars, which this year began competing exclusively on Hankook tyres.

"As one of the most important leading trade fairs for tuning and motorsports in Western Europe, the Essen Motor Show is an important trend monitor for Hankook," explained Mr Olbrich.

"We are among the major players in the field of tuning, both in terms of technology and design.

"Meeting our fans is one of the reasons why we hugely enjoy coming to the motor show, and we are very pleased to be the premier sponsor of the Tune It! Safe! initiative for the seventh consecutive year."