Audi's love potion No. 8
I remember Nov. 4, 2005 like it was yesterday. It was the day I fell in love. I hadn’t met her yet, I hadn’t even seen her; yet, when I finally found our coffee shop meeting place — after criss-crossing Kipling Avenue five times — there she was, standing there, and I knew right then, right there, that I was in love.
I’ll be damned if it hasn’t happened again.
Not that I am getting rid of the first love, I’m just adding to it ... well, for a day at least.
No coffee shop this time — it was the doors of Audi Uptown Markham that I walked through, and there she, uh, it was ... the stunning Audi R8.
Gasp!
No, wait — double gasp!
Audi’s first-ever mid engine sports car for the street is a magnificent piece of work. In fact, Audi says that 90 years of research and learning has gone into the R8.
It has everything. The looks, the sound — oh, that sound — the engineering, the fit and finish that only hand-built cars can deliver, and the technology to make it all work together.
It starts with the name, the R8, which to those in the racing business is legend. The racing version of the Audi R8, which has since been retired in favour of the all-new diesel-powered R10, dominated sports car racing since it was thrust into action in 2000. Five 24 Hours of LeMans victories, and numerous ALMS victories, later, the R8 had etched itself into history as the best racing sports car ever built.
To build a street version of a legend is a risky task at best. The street R8 has a lot to live up to. After just spending a day with it on the streets and racetrack, it really does deserve to wear the R8 nameplate.
The specifications of the R8 will only tell you so much. But, just so you know, it features a 420-hp 4.2-litre FSI V8. It also has Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system, which is rear biased. You have your choice of either a six-speed manual or R-Tronic Sequential Automatic gearbox, and standard is Audi’s magnetic ride suspension. All this is built around a lightweight Aluminum Audi Space Frame.
It is a true Supercar.
(I just read that last part back to myself — it does sound like a mechanical version of my first love, especially the part about the, um ... well, never mind.)
Anyhow, as I said, those specifications will only tell you so much. The thinking behind those specifications is the answer to why the R8 is such a good car. Take the mid-engine design for example. Buried in the list of specifications somewhere is that it’s a dry sump engine. This is done on race cars, not the norm on street cars, so why does the R8 have a dry sump? The answer is that it allowed Audi to lower the engine in the car, and thus lower the centre of gravity, making the car handle just that much better.
If you could turn the R8 upside down, you’d see no less than four NACA ducts that direct air into various areas of the car for cooling. You’d also see diffusers, which route the air for aerodynamic balance. Quite often, it’s the things you can’t see that make a good car great.
Every one of the 20 Audi R8 models a day that come out of the Neckarsulm plant, where they are hand-assembled, is indeed a work of art. The styling takes cues from its legendary racing brother, and according to R10 TDI race driver Dindo Capello, so does the way it drives. “It is the first street car that I drive that feels like a racecar,” Capello said.
Having driven the R8, I can relate to what Capello is saying. The feel from the steering is very crisp — the turn-in very direct, with a great amount of feel. The power delivery is incredibly smooth. And did I mention the sound? Hearing that V8 at or near the 8,000 rpm redline is enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face.
I could mention the stereo, but to be honest, I never turned it on, but I will go out on a limb and say if it is like everything else on the R8, it's great.
The R8’s performance is staggering. 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds — trust me, I tested it from every traffic light and stop sign, and it will do it with ease. Audi says it will do 301 km/h — take note, not 300, 301.
Just like every new girl you start dating, there are things you don’t know about her, that you learn in time. The R8 is the same way, although I had to learn them fast — I only had a day. Audi doesn’t really push the fact that it is clearly a daily driver if need be. It handles traffic with ease; just switch off the magnetic ride for a smooth, coffee-drinking capable ride. It’s comfortable, the seats are great, it will do a U-turn on a city street, and yes, in automatic mode, you can tool along just like you are in an A6. I love the "hill brake" for when you are making a start on a hill, which holds the car still while you release the clutch so you don’t roll back.
It’s a little thing I know, but its part of what makes the R8 the complete sports car. If you’d like a R8, get in line. Canada will get about 100 per year, and if you order one now, by spring next year you’ll have a new love also.
Fact file
2008 Audi R8
MSRP, before tax: Est. about $150,000
Configuration: mid-engine/AWD
Engine/transmission: 4.2-litre V8/6-speed manual or R-tronic sequential manual
Horsepower: 420 @ 7,800 rpm
Torque: @ 320 lb.-ft.
Fuel required: 90 litres, premium
EnerGuide Fuel Economy ratings (L/100 km): Man: 16.9 city, 10.2 hwy. (manual); R-tronic: 16.1 city, 10.6 hwy. (R-tronic)
Competitors: Ferrari F430, Mercedes SL550, Porsche 911 GT3
Highlights: 301 km/h top speed; superior handling; viable street vehicle; awesome engine note; feels like looooove
Available: In limited numbers this fall
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