R8
The R8 is the car Audi has built to take on the Porsche 911. Naturally there are other reasons why Audi has chosen to make a mid-engined V8 supercar that costs £76,825 in 2007; and the fact that Audi now owns Lamborghini and has learned much from overseeing the creation of cars like the Gallardo and Murcielago must have had a big influence on its decision to make a machine like the 186mph R8. But be in no doubt, the key motivation behind this car was to upstage the 911 – to go one better than Porsche and, in theory, beat arguably the greatest sports car on earth at its own game.
The R8 was first shown at the Frankfurt motorshow in 2003. At the time it was called the Audi Le Mans. Back then it had a V10 engine and was unashamedly Audi’s way of patting itself on the back and celebrating its many wins at the famous 24 hour race.
But it was also a bold attempt to take Audi into a brand new market and in the process create a halo car to top its expanding range. Three and a half years later and the R8 has become reality. Not only does it look very similar to the original concept, it’ll even get a V10 engine ‘sometime next year.’
Even with this more modest V8 version though, it's clear that Audi has pulled out most of the available stops. The R8 4.2 uses the same thumping good 414bhp V8 as the RS4 saloon, and its mid-engined chassis is four-wheel drive, as you’d expect from Ingolstadt. But, says Audi, the R8 is also civilised enough to use everyday. Just like the 911.
The R8 was first shown at the Frankfurt motorshow in 2003. At the time it was called the Audi Le Mans. Back then it had a V10 engine and was unashamedly Audi’s way of patting itself on the back and celebrating its many wins at the famous 24 hour race.
But it was also a bold attempt to take Audi into a brand new market and in the process create a halo car to top its expanding range. Three and a half years later and the R8 has become reality. Not only does it look very similar to the original concept, it’ll even get a V10 engine ‘sometime next year.’
Even with this more modest V8 version though, it's clear that Audi has pulled out most of the available stops. The R8 4.2 uses the same thumping good 414bhp V8 as the RS4 saloon, and its mid-engined chassis is four-wheel drive, as you’d expect from Ingolstadt. But, says Audi, the R8 is also civilised enough to use everyday. Just like the 911.