R8 Official R8 Thread
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The Audi R8 is a mid-engine, 2-seater sports car, which uses Audi's trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. It was introduced by the German car manufacturer Audi AG in 2006. Production ended in the first quarter of 2024. Production: June 2006 – March 2024
(45,949 Units), Model years: 2007–2024
Imhotep Evil
Torque Titan
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Yep, needs the V10.
DocM
Highway Hunter
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The pictures are amazing, but the car is not!!
Something very strange went on after i first saw the pics of the R8. What I realized is that the picture are astonishing, great photography, lighting, nice backdrops you name it, but the car intrinsically fails to impress... opinions may vary of course (this is in no way meant to offend or provoke all the R8 protagonists)
Here is why:
From a stylistic point of view the first impression is that of a wide, low sitting, and very aggressive looking car. But dissapointment quickly settles in when you take a closer look. To start off, this car seems to have been glued together, there is little homogenity between front and back and the shape simply does not flow. it looks like it came out of a "transformer" cartoon. Designers didnt bother much...the profile of the R8 is the almost identical to that of the new TT but it has been stretched in a clumsy way to accomodate the engine and therefore it makes the rear-end seems very ackward. The term "glorified TT" comes to mind ( it was mentioned previously by another member here) the excess use of air vents which I'm sure have some purpose atleast ruin what could have been an interesting design.
So many of the credit goes out to the clever photography and computer finishing. This IMHO will be one of those car who look better in the pictures than they'll ever do in real life.
Looking at the car from a performance point of view, again nothing spectacular there as well. Not that there is anything wrong with the amazing V8 from the RS4, but hek if this is audi's creme de la creme at least give it performance that's worthy of it's purpose (other than simply derestricting the V8... also a"base" version with the 4 banger from the S3 is rumored to be in the works)
And the interior is straight out of the lamborghini Gallardo which is straight out of any other Audi ...
, so nothing new there as well
Pricing is another issue: You can be sure that this car wont come cheap, and there lies the big question: are people going to be willing to spend this much on an Audi, (although i know afew who would) because in the end this is just what it is...an Audi. Time will show that this car will not go down as modern day classic unlike it's much cheaper sibling the TT. (It might go down as a TT on steroids though)
Which brings me to the following: this car is Audi's first recent entry attempt to break into the big boys club....and based on what we have so far, there will be blood on the floor: The looks although initially overwhelming end up being questionable as well as unimaginative inside out, the current performance is just adequate (for it's segment) to say the least and the pricing....asking for over 100k euros for a V8 that puts out 427 hp and does 0-100km/h in 4.6s...thats really pushing it (you can get a carrera S with your name engraved in gold on it for the same price or something of that sort). What's also unfortunate is that Audi was very hasty and perhaps overconfident. With the R8, Audi went swimming with the Sharks and one of two bad things is bound to happen: it will either be ignored or it will be eaten alive. With a car like this, it is highly unlikely that Audi as a brand will be accepted with the likes of Porsche,Lamborghini,Aston Martin, Ferrari to name a few (mercedes had to go to Mclaren with the SLR to earn their place and BMW is still thinking 10000000 times before making their re-entry in that segment). It seems that Audi was in bit of a hurry to come up with the R8 and the effort they've put into it doesn't quite cut it. One sure thing is that nobody gets it right the first time around and so, here's to hoping that Audi will sooner rather than later, produce a classic modern day, performance car, an achievement they are surely very capable of. In closing, there is little doubt in my mind that the R8 will be a very Rare sight...but thats not always a good thing to say.
Something very strange went on after i first saw the pics of the R8. What I realized is that the picture are astonishing, great photography, lighting, nice backdrops you name it, but the car intrinsically fails to impress... opinions may vary of course (this is in no way meant to offend or provoke all the R8 protagonists)
Here is why:
From a stylistic point of view the first impression is that of a wide, low sitting, and very aggressive looking car. But dissapointment quickly settles in when you take a closer look. To start off, this car seems to have been glued together, there is little homogenity between front and back and the shape simply does not flow. it looks like it came out of a "transformer" cartoon. Designers didnt bother much...the profile of the R8 is the almost identical to that of the new TT but it has been stretched in a clumsy way to accomodate the engine and therefore it makes the rear-end seems very ackward. The term "glorified TT" comes to mind ( it was mentioned previously by another member here) the excess use of air vents which I'm sure have some purpose atleast ruin what could have been an interesting design.
So many of the credit goes out to the clever photography and computer finishing. This IMHO will be one of those car who look better in the pictures than they'll ever do in real life.
Looking at the car from a performance point of view, again nothing spectacular there as well. Not that there is anything wrong with the amazing V8 from the RS4, but hek if this is audi's creme de la creme at least give it performance that's worthy of it's purpose (other than simply derestricting the V8... also a"base" version with the 4 banger from the S3 is rumored to be in the works)
And the interior is straight out of the lamborghini Gallardo which is straight out of any other Audi ...
, so nothing new there as wellPricing is another issue: You can be sure that this car wont come cheap, and there lies the big question: are people going to be willing to spend this much on an Audi, (although i know afew who would) because in the end this is just what it is...an Audi. Time will show that this car will not go down as modern day classic unlike it's much cheaper sibling the TT. (It might go down as a TT on steroids though)
Which brings me to the following: this car is Audi's first recent entry attempt to break into the big boys club....and based on what we have so far, there will be blood on the floor: The looks although initially overwhelming end up being questionable as well as unimaginative inside out, the current performance is just adequate (for it's segment) to say the least and the pricing....asking for over 100k euros for a V8 that puts out 427 hp and does 0-100km/h in 4.6s...thats really pushing it (you can get a carrera S with your name engraved in gold on it for the same price or something of that sort). What's also unfortunate is that Audi was very hasty and perhaps overconfident. With the R8, Audi went swimming with the Sharks and one of two bad things is bound to happen: it will either be ignored or it will be eaten alive. With a car like this, it is highly unlikely that Audi as a brand will be accepted with the likes of Porsche,Lamborghini,Aston Martin, Ferrari to name a few (mercedes had to go to Mclaren with the SLR to earn their place and BMW is still thinking 10000000 times before making their re-entry in that segment). It seems that Audi was in bit of a hurry to come up with the R8 and the effort they've put into it doesn't quite cut it. One sure thing is that nobody gets it right the first time around and so, here's to hoping that Audi will sooner rather than later, produce a classic modern day, performance car, an achievement they are surely very capable of. In closing, there is little doubt in my mind that the R8 will be a very Rare sight...but thats not always a good thing to say.
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^^
Excellent post. Everything you wrote makes sence. The R8 is actually overpriced and with its questionable performance it really can't be called a super sports car. Only time will tell how good it will sell. Does anyone you Audi boys know when the first car will be delivered?
Excellent post. Everything you wrote makes sence. The R8 is actually overpriced and with its questionable performance it really can't be called a super sports car. Only time will tell how good it will sell. Does anyone you Audi boys know when the first car will be delivered?
R8 is not overpriced, it's about the same price as a new SL500. Obviously some of you have no idea of how Audi models outsell BMW and Mercedes in most major markets (UK, Germany, China, etc..) and the brand is held in high regard globally and is gaining recognition in the US. The media coverage of the R8 is worth millions for the Audi brand. The designers must feel flattered everyone thinks it's an expensive supercar, while in fact it competes with the M6\SLK55 in terms of price. 4.6 seconds is fast enough for this segment. A high performance version will be available in the future for those who really need it.
Mr. M
Tire Trailblazer
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darren9 said:
I agree with that. Despite 'only' having 420bhp, it's still a mighty fast car that almost steps on the toes of the Gallardo. It isn't underpowered at all.
I expect this car to be priced both below the S8 and the A8 W12 - and when you look at it from a Gallardo perspective, it's a bargain indeed. I hope the R8 would be produced in limited numbers though.
Tumbo
RPM Ruler
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- 7,727
I just have to quite this great post from RS6.com:
i want to address many criticisms of the R8 off the bat.
1. reasonable expectations here. the car was hyped up by the media to be a supercar. the car is on the level between a 997 C4S with power pack (100K USD) and a 997 TT. so it seems it is priced just right. that is reality. a beautiful reality. you probably cannot drive anything faster more comfortably on a daily basis than this car. even the 997 with the adaptive dampers is not as comfortable as the RS4 with it's "lowly" DRC. imagine the R8.
2. i happen to know from many sources that the engine benches more than 425 hp. i do not know how much but reports still remain close to 440hp. i stand by that. i for one am anxious to see for myself if audi adjusts the official power output like they did the S6's.
3. the car reaches almost the same top speed as the latest gallardo. while keeping 75k in your bank account. i'll take a $12 martini over the bragging rights about top speed with a gallardo or F430 owner at a cocktail party.
4. by socratic deduction the 4.6 seconds 0-62.5 estimate is very conservative. the RS4's is 4.8 and it can do 4.5 quite easily. that means the R8 can do 4.2 or so. and it has .....read further.
---4.2. do you know how fast that is? that's a gallardo-style number. for 75K less. again.
5. the car. especially at its price point, offers a degree of technical advancement unheard of. when you think about it it puts all cars short of the veyron to shame. it really does.
6. and no one has yet been able to comment on its handling. i can't wait to read the articles. if the porky RS4 has been lavished so. can you imagine this car?
7. finally. the style point. perhaps the least pragmatic of all to discuss because it is a subjective one. you can discuss this one with yourself.
8. and last. the M5. M6 argument. on a good day. based on the numbers that the R8 is "really" capable of (0-60 in 4.0 was quite easy for test drivers while developing the car) the R8 will be just as fast. and this will apply on a nice dry day. on any other forget about it.
a note: my neighbor's CRX, at 12K (USD) with mods, could embarass a stock Z06 in a drag race any day. to me an isolated number (thank you qisha) cannot harness the meaning of an specific machine. catch my drift? (no pun intended)
and finally. ask yourselves this. why would you spend 100K on a car? it is a ridiculous sum to spend for a car by any means. but if you did what would you expect in return? a comfortable, sexy, safe, solid, exclusive car that will be driven everywhere. rain or snow. track. grocery store. movies. dinner. the beach, perhaps? in short, everywhere. and hard. that's what i expect from my money. sounds like the R8 would do. and just about no other car. and it happens to be an audi.
what about you?
i want to address many criticisms of the R8 off the bat.
1. reasonable expectations here. the car was hyped up by the media to be a supercar. the car is on the level between a 997 C4S with power pack (100K USD) and a 997 TT. so it seems it is priced just right. that is reality. a beautiful reality. you probably cannot drive anything faster more comfortably on a daily basis than this car. even the 997 with the adaptive dampers is not as comfortable as the RS4 with it's "lowly" DRC. imagine the R8.
2. i happen to know from many sources that the engine benches more than 425 hp. i do not know how much but reports still remain close to 440hp. i stand by that. i for one am anxious to see for myself if audi adjusts the official power output like they did the S6's.
3. the car reaches almost the same top speed as the latest gallardo. while keeping 75k in your bank account. i'll take a $12 martini over the bragging rights about top speed with a gallardo or F430 owner at a cocktail party.
4. by socratic deduction the 4.6 seconds 0-62.5 estimate is very conservative. the RS4's is 4.8 and it can do 4.5 quite easily. that means the R8 can do 4.2 or so. and it has .....read further.
---4.2. do you know how fast that is? that's a gallardo-style number. for 75K less. again.
5. the car. especially at its price point, offers a degree of technical advancement unheard of. when you think about it it puts all cars short of the veyron to shame. it really does.
6. and no one has yet been able to comment on its handling. i can't wait to read the articles. if the porky RS4 has been lavished so. can you imagine this car?
7. finally. the style point. perhaps the least pragmatic of all to discuss because it is a subjective one. you can discuss this one with yourself.
8. and last. the M5. M6 argument. on a good day. based on the numbers that the R8 is "really" capable of (0-60 in 4.0 was quite easy for test drivers while developing the car) the R8 will be just as fast. and this will apply on a nice dry day. on any other forget about it.
a note: my neighbor's CRX, at 12K (USD) with mods, could embarass a stock Z06 in a drag race any day. to me an isolated number (thank you qisha) cannot harness the meaning of an specific machine. catch my drift? (no pun intended)
and finally. ask yourselves this. why would you spend 100K on a car? it is a ridiculous sum to spend for a car by any means. but if you did what would you expect in return? a comfortable, sexy, safe, solid, exclusive car that will be driven everywhere. rain or snow. track. grocery store. movies. dinner. the beach, perhaps? in short, everywhere. and hard. that's what i expect from my money. sounds like the R8 would do. and just about no other car. and it happens to be an audi.
what about you?
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Audi
Audi AG is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles
headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the
Volkswagen Group, the company’s origins date back to the early 20th
century and the initial enterprises (Horch and the Audiwerke) founded
by engineer August Horch (1868–1951). Two other manufacturers (DKW
and Wanderer) also contributed to the foundation of Auto Union in 1932.
The modern Audi era began in the 1960s, when Volkswagen acquired Auto
Union from Daimler-Benz, and merged it with NSU Motorenwerke in 1969.
Official website: Audi (Global), Audi (USA)
Official website: Audi (Global), Audi (USA)
