R8 First UK-Bound Audi R8 to be Delivered in July.

[Yperion]

With an annual build of just 5,000 R8s for global sale, deliveries to UK customers will start in July. Just 450 of the cars will arrive this year and 750 in 2008.
With 1,200 deposits paid by UK customers, and 700 R8 advance orders already being built to specific customer requirements, new UK customers placing an order now will receive their car towards the end of 2008.
Germany, the USA and then the UK are expected to be the largest markets for the R8 but the UK leads the world when it comes ‘early adopters’ said Audi UK this week.


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[Bartek S.]

Audi R8 sold out in UK before July launch

It seems that the Audi R8 is a real success in the UK, as the Audi dealers are under avalanche of orders for the fastest car ever made by Audi. For the first year a total of 450 units has been alocated, but the Audi UK manager will increase the number for the next 12-months to 750 cars.

In the UK the 420 hp V8 engined car is priced at £82,025. The car comes with permanent four wheel drive and standard six speed manual box can also be specified with a six-speed R tronic sequential box. The same magnetic suspension system is available as on the smaller TT.

The R8 is powered by a V8 engine that delivers 420 bhp at 7,800 rpm. With its displacement of 4,163 cm3, this outstanding engine breaks through the magic barrier for a production vehicle of 100 bhp per litre. The high-revving concept also means that the maximum piston speed is 24.1 metres per second at the engine’s rated speed.

Every piston thus changes direction around 275 times per second. The torque is equally impressive: the peak value of 430 Newton-metres is achieved between engine speeds of 4,500 and 6,000 rpm. Better still, at least 90 percent of this figure is achieved across the impressively wide speed range from 3,500 to 7,500 rpm. This assures thrust across an extensive range of engine speeds and therefore superb pulling power, enabling the driver to drive in a relaxed style without frequent gear changes.

The road performance is correspondingly impressive: the R8 dashes to 100 km/h from a standstill in just 4.6 seconds, whether with manual gearbox or with R tronic sequential gearshifting. Thanks to its quattro drive and perfect weigh distribution, problems of traction are an alien concept to it. It touches the 200 km/h mark after 14.9 seconds. Thanks to its refined aerodynamics, the engine’s propulsive power is only finally harnessed by drag at a top speed of 187 mph.

Source: topspeed.com

 

[Yperion]

Re: Audi R8 sold out in UK before July launch

There was already an older thread about this so i have merged them.

 

[Bartek S.]

2008 Audi R8: Drive ’em if you can get ’em. - Daily Auto Insider



It has a high-revving V-8 like a Ferrari. It has exceptional performance like a Ferrari. And now the Audi R8 will be as exclusive as a Ferrari.
That’s Audi’s hope as it tries to limit sales of the Porsche 911–fighting mid-engined supercar slated to go on sale in the U.S. in September. Only 300 of the $110,000 coupes—which share underpinnings with the Lamborghini Gallardo—will arrive in the U.S. this year. Even though dealerships believe they could sell more, Audi is limiting supply to ensure the car’s exclusivity.
But that’s not enough for Audi—word is the German automaker wants to control each new car’s afterlife as well. Again stealing a page from the Ferrari guidebook, Audi wants dealers to make R8 buyers sign an affidavit before purchase that requires new owners to give an Audi dealership first dibs on buying back the used R8 when they’re done. Ferrari owners also must give first dibs to Italian-suited salesmen before allowing private buyers to place bids.
Not only will this keep Audi stocked with used R8s, but it should prevent owners from buying R8s at retail price and scalping them for tens of thousands more. There is the potential for price gouging whenever enthusiasts fear they won’t get their hands on a limited-run hot car. The R8 will go on sale initially with the 420-hp V-8 from the Audi RS 4 rather than the Lambo V-10. But keep your elbows high and wallet ready when a version of the V-10 arrives, likely about a year after launch, making at least 500 horsepower.
The other clawing-and-scratching exhibition is among dealers vying for an R8 to sell. Only 109 of Audi’s 267 American dealers will stock the R8. To be eligible, each dealership had to be able to set aside 400 square feet to set up the proper shrine, and be prepared to invest $40,000 on marketing (more than a third of the cost of a single R8). Another 58 dealerships that can dedicate a technician will be able to ogle and touch when they service the R8.
2008 Audi R8: Drive ’em if you can get ’em. - Daily Auto Insider - Car and Driver May 2007

 

[Bartek S.]

Audi R8 delivery delayed.
New flagship Audi sports car delayed across Europe

13th May 2007

Audi R8 customers (who have already paid a £10,000 deposit) are unhappy with the latest three-month delay announced by Audi, brought about as the result of component supply problems. Early left-hand-drive cars were meant to reach customers in March, but this has now been put back until June. In the UK, meanwhile, deliveries of right-hand-drive cars will start in the fourth quarter of 2007, some three to four months later than originally promised.
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