The seven-second barrier in the quarter-mile has long been the benchmark for the world’s quickest street cars. The team at Underground Racing, already famous for building some of the world’s fastest R8 and Huracan models, has just sent the first-ever Audi R8 into the six-second zone, setting a new world record and resetting the standard for what’s possible with the V10 platform.

The record-setting R8, a stunning street car with a full interior, is owned by a customer named Sebastian from Houston. His initial goal was modest: a mid-seven-second car to enjoy on the street. At its debut at the TX2K event, the car easily hit that mark, running a 7.32 at 218 mph. But after seeing the car’s incredible potential, the plan quickly changed. Sebastian asked the Underground Racing team to push the car to its limits and chase the overall R8 quarter-mile record, which stood at 7.2 seconds.

The team took the car to the newly renovated Rockingham Dragway, a track known for its incredible prep. On their very first shakedown pass, driver KC Howeth shattered the old record with a stunning 7.11 at 218 mph. As the sun set, the track owner informed the team that his track was “on kill,” and they prepared for one final pass.

On its final run of the day, the R8 launched with incredible force, pulling 2.4 Gs and clocking an unbelievable 1.17-second 60-foot time. The scoreboard lit up with the magic number: 6.94 seconds at 218 mph. Incredibly, the pass was far from perfect. The 12-plate clutch began to slip in the higher gears, and the MoTeC engine management system had to reduce power to protect it. The team was hopeful for a 6.8-second pass at over 225 mph before the clutch issue arose.

Underground Racing proved that you don’t need a stripped-out, gutted race car to break into the sixes. The team accomplished this in a fully loaded streetcar on drag radials, proving the incredible engineering from Underground, Proline Racing, and John Reed Racing. With plans to install a stronger clutch and return to the track soon, the question isn’t if they will break the record again, but by how much.