Audi Unveils New R8 Supercar

R8 Photos

Audis done sports cars before, but never a supercar. (Photo: Audi)

This is the production version of the Le Mans Concept, and boy does it ever look good. (Photo: Audi)

High-quality interior has its own, distinguished look. (Photo: Audi)

FSI-V8 from RS4 is plenty powerful, though a V10 is said to be on the way. (Photo: Audi)

Despite being the quickest and fastest, the R8 wont be the most expensive. (Photo: Audi)

Le Mans Hits the Road as Audi R8

The moment that Audi fans have been waiting for has finally come. Yesterday, at the Mondial De LAutomobile in Paris, with Le Mans-winning legends Jacky Ickx and Tom Kristensen at hand, Audi pulled the covers off its latest creation, the R8 supercar. The R8 marks the launch of a new breed of Audi; its the first time the brand has committed to anything so decidedly sporting, and its also their first mid-engine car. The R8 is named after Audis Le Mans-winning racer, which clenched victory in 2000-2002 and 2004-2005.

The production R8 is a stunning automobile. Derived from 2003s Le Mans Concept car, it remains faithful to the one-off show car in styling and proportions. Whats surprising about the R8 is its size - at just 174.4 inches in length, its shorter than an A4, though its 49.2-inch height and 74.8-inch width are more conventional to supercars. Beneath the curvaceous bodywork is Audis trademark ASF aluminum spaceframe for strength and light weight. Key styling traits of the R8 include a large glass rear window from which the engine can be observed, LED driving lights and brake lights, and a sideblade color accent stripe that surrounds the mid-engine air scoop.

The interior of the R8 is as luxurious as the car is sporty, and assembled with Audis impeccable build quality. Racing-style bucket seats trimmed in leather and Alcantara are standard, while the cabin itself has an enclosed, wrap-around feel with styling cues that were first introduced with the second-generation TT. A compact form of the Audi MMI system and TFT display has been fitted to the center console as standard equipment.

For all of its performance potential, the R8 is quite practical, with enough interior storage room for four small bags or two golf bags to be stowed behind the driver and passenger, as well as a 3.5 cu-ft trunk in the nose.

At the time of its launch, the R8 will be available with only one engine, a 4.2-liter FSI V8 thats been moonlighting in the high-performance RS4, although, to reduce the cars overall center of gravity Audi has adapted dry sump lubrication. Like the RS4, the R8 makes 420 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque, but is capable of combining sky-high revs (a redline of 8,250 rpm) with a peculiarly flat torque curve that sees 90-percent of peak twist developed between 3,500 and 7,600 rpm. All in all, thats enough to give the R8 a ripping sprint from 0-60 mph in just 4.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 187 mph.

Audi will offer a six-speed manual as standard equipment, with an optional paddleshift sequential gearbox called R tronic. This transmission has been rumored to be the next-generation E-Gear sequential box featured in the Lamborghini Gallardo. Both gearboxes drive all four wheels through a rear-biased version of Audis quattro all-wheel drive system, while the suspension itself features magnetic ride control for a comfortable ride without compromising performance. Though pricing has yet to be announced, expect it to compete closely against Porsches 911 Carrera 4S Coupe.

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