LORD OF THE FOUR RINGS
Forged from the fires of motorsport in the Bavarian city that birthed Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Audi R8 is a monstrous mid-engine beauty. Hearken to a dark and guttural air-rending growl as the R8 downshifts. Feel lightning surge as 518 horse stretches its muscles to 7900rpm. Observe closely the alien-tech lines of its Audi Space Frame (ASL) exoskeleton. Look upon the Audi R8 and know, something truly wicked this way comes.
PERFORMANCE
Given that the Audi R8’s engine is the Ingolstadt marque’s most powerful naturally aspirated incarnation – and taking the lightweight ASL frame into consideration, plus the fact that the motor shares 50% of its parts with its race-car brother the GT3 LMS – performance is a dynamically flawless, sweet and sustained rush of uber-HD driving pleasure.
‘. . . a lovely engine to use. . . slides so slickly from gear to gear, it’s like the whole thing’s been dipped in caviar.’— Sam Philip, Top Gear
EXTERIOR
Audi’s Vorsprung durch Technik vision intimately inspires the materials and innovations used in the R8 and sets new benchmarks in the process. Striking design features, from side blades and air vents to the striking shoulder line, offset by 19-inch wheels shod with muscular Pirelli P Zeros, give the R8 an iconic motorsport look that should stand the test of time.
INTERIOR
The R8’s cockpit is functional and comfortable with a refreshing restraint from overdoing the eye candy. Classic circular instruments, no-nonsense flat-bottomed steering wheel and thoughtfully placed pedals are just a few of the well-considered interior features.
WHAT'S IN THE DNA OF THE AUDI R8?
Quite simply, the R8's DNA comes from the track beast itself, the Audi R8 LM. It's a racer that happens to look great too.