Alex Unleashed on Cars- Audi R8 (Brilliant, but Boring?)

After the Honda NSX went out of production, the idea of a more affordable and usable supercar went with it. Until 2 years later, Audi gave us the R8.

This by the way is not to be confused with the Audi R8 LMP900 car that won Le Mans 5 times starting in 2000 then ’01, ’02, ’04 & ’05, ’03 was won by the Bentley Speed 8 though that car was based on Audi’s old R8C LMGTP car from ’99. Funnily enough, the R8 road car was first revealed as a concept in 2003 under the name ‘Le Mans’, the links between the 2 cars don’t end there, some even theorized the R8 road car would use a detuned version of the LMP900’s twin turbo V8, but Audi instead used the 4.2 Litre V8 from the RS4 saloon. That said, later down the line, a prototype R8 was trialled with the V12 turbo diesel engine from the R8 LMP900’s successor, the 2006 Le Mans winning R10 TDI. Though instead we got the R8 V10, more on that later.

Upon confirmation the R8 was going to be built, some thought Audi would run into the same problem as Honda with the NSX and BMW with the old 8-Series, in that people wouldn’t buy a supercar with a mundane badge at a premium price, but the doubters were proven wrong and with its 414 BHP V8 engine, the R8 was certainly worth the price, 0-60 in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 187 along with a price of just over £80,000, meant it was more exclusive than a 911 but not quite as much of a show off as a Gallardo.

Although its shape has become rather ordinary and recognisable, at the time, the R8 was a very striking looking car, not just for an Audi but for a car in general, the slashes on the sides behind the doors and the LED lights at the front all give the R8 an incredibly unique and standout appearance. What I believe defines a truly great car design is if it still looks modern several years after it was launched, and I’d say the R8 achieves this indeed.

So, the V8 Audi R8 is a fantastic car, but what happens when you slot the V10 engine from the Lamborghini Gallardo into the back? You get one of the best med-engined supercars of it’s time. The R8 V10 had been trialled as early as 2007 though tests ended with the car in flames, at first it was believed Audi would use a V10 engine of their own, but instead used the 5.2 litre V10 from the Lamborghini Gallardo that also saw use in the Audi S8 (albeit detuned) and RS6 (complete with twin turbos). Whilst the R8 V10 didn’t change visually, its power boost of 100 BHP meant it now firmly had the Porsche 911 Turbo, Nissan GT-R and Ferrari F430 in its sight. And with 4-wheel drive, it can put all its power down with ease but, it's also set up to deliver most of its power to the rear wheels so you can still power slide it, very much setting it apart from the more neutral and safe 911 Turbo. 

Then we got the R8 GT, complete with aero tweaks, rear spoiler and power now reaching 560 BHP
though the top speed was ‘only’ 199 MPH due to the aero package. Sharper, faster, just what we like, a car in the 911 GT3 mould, but not as associated with track days or as spartan inside.

Finally in 2015 a new R8 was launched, it looked both similar yet different to the last one, though I must say I’m not that fond of this version 2 R8. Audi continued to develop the R8 notably dropping the V8 option upon launching this new R8. Audi later copied Lamborghini and gave us a rear-wheel drive R8 V10 and as one last hurrah, Audi gave us a new R8 GT to celebrate the R8 production coming to an end in March with over 40,000 sold over its lifespan.

Let’s also not forget the R8 was a mainstay of GT racing with its own one-make series starting in 2012 and was Audi’s technology guinea pig with them producing the previously mentioned TDi Le Mans concept (the V12 diesel engine was later used in the Q7) and 2 electric versions, a prototype in 2010 and a small production one in 2015 though less than 100 were sold.

So, is the Audi R8 brilliant but boring? Certainly not, it’s life is intertwined with Audi’s dominance of endurance racing and their experiments with new technology, plus it's pretty amazing, be it a manual V8 or the superb GT it's always been a sensible and civilised supercar that does the business whatever the weather. It shall be missed greatly.
Year Produced: 2007-2024

Engine: 4.2 Litre V8 – 5.2 Litre V10

Top Speed: 187- 206 MPH

0-60: 4.6 – 3.2 Seconds

Power: 414 – 620 BHP

Torque: 317 Ib/ft – 413 Ib/ft

Weight: 1715 – 1560 KG

Rivals: Porsche 911 Turbo, Lamborghini Gallardo/Huracan, Honda NSX mk2, Nissan GT-R