What is it?
Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI Quattro; Audi’s mid-engine supercar with a fabric roof (no folding hard-tops in Audi’s vast range, remember). Power comes from the same direct-injection 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine that’s fitted to the coupe. A V8 version is not available from launch, but is expected to follow.Drive goes to all four wheels (with a rear bias) and Audi will charge you £111,995 for the manual or £117,700 for the R-tronic automated manual.
Technical highlights?
Lightweight materials are used throughout. The body is a combination of aluminium and composite materials while the chassis is predominantly aluminium, as are the suspension wishbones. There’s even magnesium in the roof structure. However, this isn’t a flyweight supercar – the light materials peg the weight rather than reduce it – meaning at 1720kg (100kg more than the coupe) the car is class competitive, rather than class leading. Fortunately, the extraordinarily punchy motor compensates. The stats say 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds but this car accelerates with a rare ferocity that makes it feel way quicker. You’ll love the zingy, inertia-free nature of the rev delivery too – more like a MotoGP bike than a car.
The R8’s true supercar credentials remain (that acceleration, precise steering, huge grip) with barely any of the usual soft-top compromises (handling imprecision, scuttle shake). On excessively broken surfaces a few tiny tremors filter to your palms and during absolute ten-tenths, tyre-ripping, on-the-edge driving you can detect the extra mass shifting fore and aft – but the effect is negligible. http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/249454/audi_r8_v10_spyder_review.html
Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI Quattro; Audi’s mid-engine supercar with a fabric roof (no folding hard-tops in Audi’s vast range, remember). Power comes from the same direct-injection 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine that’s fitted to the coupe. A V8 version is not available from launch, but is expected to follow.Drive goes to all four wheels (with a rear bias) and Audi will charge you £111,995 for the manual or £117,700 for the R-tronic automated manual.
Technical highlights?
Lightweight materials are used throughout. The body is a combination of aluminium and composite materials while the chassis is predominantly aluminium, as are the suspension wishbones. There’s even magnesium in the roof structure. However, this isn’t a flyweight supercar – the light materials peg the weight rather than reduce it – meaning at 1720kg (100kg more than the coupe) the car is class competitive, rather than class leading. Fortunately, the extraordinarily punchy motor compensates. The stats say 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds but this car accelerates with a rare ferocity that makes it feel way quicker. You’ll love the zingy, inertia-free nature of the rev delivery too – more like a MotoGP bike than a car.
The R8’s true supercar credentials remain (that acceleration, precise steering, huge grip) with barely any of the usual soft-top compromises (handling imprecision, scuttle shake). On excessively broken surfaces a few tiny tremors filter to your palms and during absolute ten-tenths, tyre-ripping, on-the-edge driving you can detect the extra mass shifting fore and aft – but the effect is negligible. http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/249454/audi_r8_v10_spyder_review.html
