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By
ALISTAIR KENNEDY
8 October 2007
Audi has moved into new territory with the launch of its R8
high-performance sports coupe. The company’s traditional competitors
have been fellow German’s Mercedes-Benz and BMW. This time the Porsche
911 likely to be the R8’s major competitor.
Based on the race car of the same name that won the Le Mans
24-Hour Race five times in six years between 2000 and 2005, R8 is
a stunning-looking vehicle that is sure to turn heads wherever it
goes. But then the guy (and it almost certainly will be a guy) who
is willing to outlay more than a quarter of a million dollars on a
car is going to want to be noticed.
The R8 sits square, squat and low on the road and has
similarities to the Lamborghini Gallardo with which it shares
quite a bit under the skin, both Audi and Lamborghini being part
of the Volkswagen group.
The only real Audi styling cue is the now familiar single-frame
grille, although by necessity the grille is considerably smaller
than in other cars in the range and doesn’t dominate to the same
extent. The headlights are narrow but wide and sit atop a
three-bar feature over additional air intakes. The rear has a
similar arrangement with four bars sitting below the tail lights.
The daytime running lights, comprising 12 small lights, which
hug the lower edge of the headlights add an extra dimension to the
car’s visual impact.
An interesting, possibly controversial, design feature of the
R8 is a vertical panel located behind the car’s doors and
flanking the clear panel on either side of the engine compartment.
Known by Audi as a "sideblade" and available in a
variety of colours, the panel also acts as an air deflector. To
our eyes the colour contrasts worked well in a couple of
combinations but not in others.
Power comes from the same 4.2-litre V8 engine that has
impressed us so much in the RS4 sedan. In the R8 it is
mid-mounted, a first for Audi. Maximum power of 309 kilowatts at
7800 rpm, and 430 Newton metres of torque between 4500 and 6000
revs (90 per cent between 3000 and 7500rpm) combine to allow the
car to charge from zero of 100 km/h in a blistering 4.6 seconds.
We were able to test the R8 on the Phillip Island race track then
on the road back to Melbourne – no prizes for guessing where we
had the most fun. Especially when we had a trio of experienced
race drivers, including seven-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen,
to display the car’s capabilities. Indeed that’s one of the
main problems with a car such as the R8 – unless you can
regularly get to the Northern Territory or onto a race track you
won’t be able to do it justice. For the record, the R8’s top
speed is listed at 301 km/h.
The combination of the mid-mounted engine, long (2650 mm)
wheelbase and low centre of gravity ensures that the R8 remained
extremely stable even when going through corners at a much higher
speed than the vast majority of drivers would ever contemplate.
R8 comes with the choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or Audi’s
R tronic sequential-shift gearbox. In the latter, gearchanges can
be made either through a short gear lever or steering wheel
mounted paddles. The R8 uses Audi’s quattro permanent four-wheel
drive system.
Standard wheels are 18-inch six-spoke alloys with 19-inch
available as an option.
Audi R8 is strictly a two-seater although there is a reasonable
amount of storage space behind the seats, enough, Audi claims, to
carry two sets of golf clubs. There is also 100 litres of space
under the front bonnet.
In urban areas the R8’s ground-hugging stance means that you’re
looking up at just about everyone else on the road and visibility
isn’t great especially to the rear. There's plenty of interior
space for the two occupants although getting in and out can be a
bit challenging for the less supple.
R8 is priced at $259,900 for the six-speed manual variant and
$274,900 for the six-speed sequential R tronic version. Audi
expects to sell around 80 cars per annum.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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