Named for Audi's all-conquering endurance racers, the R8 supercar marks Audi's first foray into the full-on exotic sports car segment.
It has all the Audi trademarks you'd expect -- aluminum space-frame structure, full-time all-wheel drive, and a gasoline direct-injection engine.
The engine, installed longitudinally behind the cabin, is a 420-hp, 4.2-litre V8. That's not too shabby at all -- but it's by no means the most powerful engine in Audi's arsenal. Presumably Audi held back because it would be poor form for the R8 to outmuscle its much pricier corporate cousin, the V10-powered Lamborghini Gallardo -- with which, incidentally, the R8 shares much of its underpinnings.
A 6-speed gearbox is available in a full manual version, or a sequential automatically-shifted version that can be driven in full automatic mode or as a clutchless manual. Audi claims 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and a top whack of 301 km/h (couldn't they be more precise?).
The engine is not only visible from outside through a transparent cover, like jewelry in a display case -- it can even be illuminated! Another option is LEDs for all the exterior lighting functions and a Bang & Olufsen-designed 12-speaker sound system.
In addition to a 100-L trunk, there's room for a pair of golf bags behind the seats in the two-passenger cabin.
New, sexy, fast, exclusive, etc.
Competitors offer V10s and V12s