You know that feeling you get when something's a bit off, like there's something just at the back of your mind you can't quite figure out, but something isn't quite right.
Audi had that feeling once and it was all to the supercar, the R8.
As far back as 2003, Audi was being the pinch of not having a super fast, super sleek, supercar in its range.
At the Geneva Motor Show, the Le Mans concept was revealed.
It was pretty much identical to what would become the R8.
Okay, you rode on giant wheels and had silly wing mirrors, but the rest is pretty much bourbon for what came out in 2006--
the production version of the R8.
There have been quite a few versions of the R8 since its launched.
yYou got the V8, which is the one that started it all, that came with the engine from an Audi RS4.
Then the V10, which came with the engine from Lamborghini Gallardo.
Then they got Spyders or convertibles both have those.
Then they released sort of hardcore track special, the GT.
Then after that they released the hardcore track special for poses, the GT Spyder, and they even conceptualize an e-tron,
electronic version and that apparently had about a million, billion pound per foot of torque.
They're still thinking of making it.
That is quite cool.
The R8 has become wildly popular too.
It causes a bit of a stir wherever it goes.
Passers by all know what it is and they all want a good look around it.
That maybe because it's got such a distinctive shape.
I mean, personally, I find it very pretty indeed in a sort of low flat, squat, squinty kinda way.
There are a few stand-out
features on the R8.
For example, the vent at the front and at the back, they change depending on whether you got a V8 or V10 or GT or whatever.
Also in that is the engine, that's on display in a sort of glass cabinet stylie, a little bit like a Ferrari 458.
Personally, I find it rather opulent which makes it brilliant in my eyes.
Finally, though, the R8's sort of flash of brilliance, its signature piece-- the carbon fiber side blades.
The interior is, as you'd expect, very well put together.
Everything is as if not more solid than it looks.
The buttons are decently spongy.
It's easy to see out of and the seats are comfortable.
What more do you need?
What you need is a good drive with the R8, so that is precisely what you get.
And the car we've got is the V8 and that's got around 424 brake horsepower which in real world numbers equates to more than 62 in just 4.6 seconds.
Now on top up, at about, well just shy of 190, that makes it faster than most things on the
road.
Meaning in real world times, it's plenty quick enough, but do bear in mind, that the GT track special hyper mega super thing, moving enough 62 dash in a second less and with top up near has done it at 200.
This thing also corners absolutely wonderfully and it does that for three very good reasons.
Number one, it is wide.
Number two, it's very low, and number three, it's got Audi's clutch road 4-wheel drive system, which means you sort of
sucks itself to the tarmac and won't let go.
It's one of those cars that they go yeah-- I can hustle this without fear.
The gear change in here, I have to highlight that.
We were lucky enough to be driving a manual.
Now, that's a six-speed manual gear box in a supercar which nowadays is a pretty rare occurrence.
But, all right, good, it is an open gate metallic jobie, lifted also shared.
With the level that you're gonna get and you can have an automatic gear box, but really, while this is available, you've got to deal with the noise it makes, so that when you change it says, "ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching," it's awesome.
It's depressing me, it's brilliant in an old school way.
I'm just so glad it exists.
It such a wonderful car, it was a big two fingers to everyone else, saying , "Yeah, we can make the A4,
we could make the AA, we can make the TT, nice are the sports car though it is," but also, oh yeah, by the way, we can take Porsche, and do a really good job of it.
They've made a truly brilliant supercar.
I'm so, so pleased it actually exist.
But you know what, you can forget your GTs and your V10s, personally, I feel the V8 is the best car in the line-up.
It's so happy and keen that it makes a wonderful, glorious noise, I mean it's [unk].
It's this sort of amazing V8,
I won't say purr and I won't say grout, it's sort of somewhere in between.
It stirs the senses really.
It is just-- what a car-- what a car.
