Audi’s Latest R8 Blends Convention with Tradition
Slideshow: To some, the Audi R8 is a German Lamborghini. To others, it is the most driveable of all mid-engined supercars.
A silhouette unlike any other Audi
The latest iteration of Audi’s most iconic car of the new millennium is instantly recognizable. Sharing its platform with Lamborghini’s Huracan, the Audi R8 looks unlike any of Audi’s other front-engined products.
That mid-engined layout allows for shape and proportions that are distinctive and purposeful. Beyond the arresting appearance, the R8 also boasts weight distribution unlike any of Audi’s other RS performance cars. With the engine acting as a central mass anchor point, the R8 doesn’t dive under heavy braking into corners.
Through fast corners, the R8’s mid-engined layout also allows for more body roll resistance. The R8’s mid-engined shape might be a signifier of its Italian joint-venture roots with Lamborghini, a brand renowned for its history of mid-engined supercars. But Audi takes ownership of that mid-engined layout with its unique color contrasting switchblades – a typically clean and simple German styling solution to product differentiation.
Images courtesy of Audi GmbH
Meaner face a tribute to the original Quattro
The overall design of Audi’ second-generation R8 is much sharper and geometric than the original. Viewed from the front those R8-specific LED patterns in the headlamps are most noticeable.
That grille is wider too and the border between it and the R8’s hood has been shaped to accommodate a design element with three slits – as a homage to another Audi performance car icon: the Ur-quattro, which debuted a similar styling detail in the 1980s.
The facelifted R8’s front lip spoiler is also reshaped for optimized aerodynamics too and those air-intakes which flank the grille are now more aggressive in profile.
Images courtesy of Audi GmbH
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A terrific V10, that is not turbocharged
Mounted amidships is the R8’s unique engine layout. In an era where nearly all high-performance cars are turbocharged, the R8 has resisted the trend to forced-induction and remained proudly naturally-aspirated.
The R8 engine measures 5.2-liters and that capacity is divided amongst ten cylinders. Power peaks at 570hp and torque registers at 413 lb-ft. What is most noticeable is not R8’s horsepower figure, but where it peaks on the engine speed range: which is at a dizzying 8100rpm.
The V10 engine’s drivability is its greatest feature, blending the inherent smoothness of its ten-cylinder configuration with a voracious appetite for crank speed. For a driver who values the thrill of changing gear less often, and later, no modern turbocharged engine can compare to the traditional supercar feel of an R8’s V10. Audi’s commitment to this engine configuration is possibly the R8’s greatest point of appeal.
Images courtesy of Audi GmbH
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Each one, built by hand
The R8’s construction might involve some of the most aluminum shapes of any production car, but final assembly is still entrusted to humans – instead of machines.
Built at the quattro GmbH facility, in Neckarsulm, the current R8 is assembled by hand, as one would expect for a low-volume supercar. Only the very best and most experienced Audi technicians graduate to the privilege of working on the R8 assembly-line.
As the only Audi of its type in production, being mid-engined, there is simply no other facility that could possible share a production-line with R8. It both needs, and deserves, a dedicated assembly facility of its own – which ensures repeat perfection with each new R8 that is built.
Images courtesy of Audi GmbH
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An Audi that looks better viewed aft, than any other
Part of the reason that R8 is such a scintillating experience to drive, are those large diameter exhaust ends. Combine the size of those exhausts with the location of the V10 engine, right behind the cockpit, and both driver and passenger cannot help but be drowned in a flood of exceptional high-revving acoustic drama, whenever R8 is pressed into service for sustained acceleration.
It’s a terrifically fast car, capable of 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds. The extreme acceleration is in part due to R8’s exceptional all-wheel-drive traction, and mid-engined weight bias. That mid-engined layout also helps it flow through the air with the least possible drag, thanks to the bunched proportions and low, squat, shape.
Rumble onto an unrestricted road or race track with enough room and the R8 V10 will run a true top speed of 201mph. It might have all the digital driver assistance and infotainment system convenience you could desire, but if you desire raw drivability, the R8 can transition to its traditional mid-engined supercar roots in an instant.
Images courtesy of Audi GmbH
>>Join the conversation about the latest R8 right here in the Audi World Forum!
For help with service on your car, check out the how to section of AudiWorld.com.