Audi R8

In the late 1930s, when Audi was beaten by one of the four rings served by Porsche’s first Stuttgart design office, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche and son Ferry imagined a mid-engine two-seat coupe powered by a four-cam V-10. Their Type 114 concept didn’t advance beyond detail drawings. However, they tested a scale model with a low nose and a narrow cabin in a wind tunnel and the experiment brings about favorable results.

The new Audi R8 is a brilliant combo of sensation and sense. The original R8 was usable, beautifully built and secure in the wet. Althought, it is a still mad-fast and super-exciting car. The new one has dropped the ‘basic’ V8 option. Now there are two V10 outputs, 540 and 610bhp. The body of the car becomes stiffer and lighter, thanks to substitution of several large aluminums parts in the shell by carbon fiber. Additionally, there are extra electronics in the chassis that extend the secure-versus-exciting contradiction outward in both directions. The cabin gets the TT’s ‘Virtual Cockpit’ fairy dust, but with a supercar’s driving position.

With maximum torque reaching at 6,500rpm the R8’s driving experience is dominated by the screaming V10 behind your head. And you can rapidly accelerate the car. Adaptive dampers are optional, the ratio software varies a lot, so electromechanical steering system can be ordered variously and a huge variety of driving modes allow you to tailor the car’s behavior change to suit the situation in hand.

You can search for anything more incredible from an Audi, the build quality and finish is all you need, and a top-end one at that. On the other hand, over-the-shoulder visibility isn’t as clear as a 911 or McLaren, but otherwise it is undoubted that this is a practical supercar. There’s some storage space behind the two seats, and the front boot takes a couple of big squashy bags. Audi’s digital instruments make another appearance, which means that the main display pod can do all sorts of duties. For example, it can show a supercar layout with big tacho and shift dials, or set up the way with a huge map for touring navigation. When you are sitting low in this car, which has embracing sports seats, you will realize the ride is decently supple. The dash itself wraps around you like a single-seat cockpit.

The regular V-10 is rated at 540 horsepower and 398 lb-ft. The Plus edition of the 5.2-liter V-10 packs a convincing 610-hp wallop with 413 lb-ft of torque on tap at an enthralling 6500 rpm. Drivers can speed it up from zero to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds. This becomes able due to the Plus’s combination of more-than-sufficient power, all-wheel traction. Furthermore, its speed can increase from zero to 132 mph in the quarter-mile after a brief 10.6 seconds. The run to 170 mph takes only 21.1 seconds. For reference, a $1.7-million Bugatti Veyron is going just 20 mph faster after 21 seconds of acceleration. This is what that make the Audi R8 different.

Being a supercar, daily-using is not a problem, which makes it a worthy prospect: only the broad girth makes it a pain in a city. However, it needs more scheduled maintenance than other everyday supercars. In addition, t is not so amazing that the V10 drinks more in daily use than a turbo-charging flat-six. But the R8’s residual value looks like being on a par with a 911 Turbo.