Saying Auf Wiedersehen to the Audi R8 V10
We shouldn’t mourn the demise of the Audi R8 V10 but toast it (along with a few tires), celebrating that it existed at all.
We knew the Audi R8 V10’s days were numbered. The march towards electrification, recent high gas prices, and environmental legislation sealed its fate. It had a good run. Debuting in 2006, the R8 was an exotic supercar. It was the closest you could get to an F1 car or Audi’s LeMans dominating prototypes. It shared parts and engineering with Lamborghini. But it was better than a Gallardo for less money.
Audi’s secret sauce for the R8 was to combine the ferocity of the Lamborghini with the civility of an A6. The R8 has always been an approachable car and easy to drive. It’s not a car you’d park outside the grocery store, but it’s still far more useable than a weekend toy. It’s more exotic than a Porsche 911 or the Corvette C8 but just as practical. And if Porsche and Chevrolet can find a way to keep their flagship sportscars going, Audi could have found a way to keep building the R8.
The decision to end production of the R8 seems like a practical one. From 2006 to 2019, Audi sold a total of 39,000 R8s, and it accounts for less than 1% of the company’s annual sales. That said, it’s also been an emotional decision. Audi could have kept building the R8 and used the 4.0-liter TFSI V8 or gone full electric, but it wouldn’t be the same car.
The phenomenal V10 engine is the heart of the R8. It’s a weird engine configuration. Ten cylinders are not as smooth as a V12 but make for a more compact engine with less mass. It’s not as economical as a V8, but it revs faster and is capable of producing more power. The R8’s V10 produces 562 hp and has a wonderfully feral exhaust note. The roar is not as lumpy as a V8 and only slightly coarser than a V12. It’s the perfect sound in the R8. That’s why Audi wasn’t about to let the R8’s last year pass quietly. So they produced the R8 GT, and with a 602 horsepower version of the V10, it’s the most powerful rear-wheel drive car in Audi history.
By all accounts, the R8 GT is the best R8 yet. It will ensure the R8 goes out on top of its game and as a track-focused smoky burnout machine. Auto journalists are lining up for their turn behind the wheel, eager to sling superfluous hyperbole in their reviews. They will commend Audi for making this last, great version of its V10 supercar. And they will sing Audi’s praises for making the best R8 ever while lamenting its end.
But they are wrong. Audi should be praised because it built the R8 in the first place. It could have stuck to making RS 6 Avants. Instead, its engineers looked at what the Italians had wrought under the VW corporate umbrella and said, “Ja, hold my dunkel.”
Audi produced the R8 for almost 17 years, continually improving it and keeping it relevant. Rather than mourn its passing, we should throw a wake and toast it. And if that means toasting a few sets of tires, even better.
Photos: Audi
Click HERE to join the AudiWorld forums!
