Audi Soars

Three years ago when Audi showed the R8 as the Le Mans concept car, we asked if this wasn't an Audi too far, if Audi hadn't got too big for its britches? But in three years Audi has become even more successful so the R8 is now a natural extension to the range

Audi's appeared incapable of making a mistake, or an error of judgement of any sort. The march towards domination of each new market segment it enters is as relentless as the incoming tide.

So successful has Audi been that's its not only worrying the bosses high up in the HQ of the Blue Propeller, but VW itself is wondering if it needs to reign in its protégé.

Here's something more for them to worry about - the Audi R8.

Critics say it's nothing more than a disguised Lamborghini Gallardo, but that's an over-simplification of the case.

There are some similarities between the R8 and the Gallardo - but they are both mid engined sports cars from the same family of marques, so similarities will exist.

The R8 first appeared as a concept car three years ago and was labelled the Le Mans. Other carmakers have fatuously called cars Le Mans in the past and will again in the future. But Audi has a legitimate claim to the name having won the great 24 hour race there five times - taking first, second and third on two of those occasions. The most recent Audi victory at the Sarthe was this year when they won using a diesel powered car.

History can toss up any number of concept cars that looked set for production but which disappeared without a trace. But the Audi Le Mans concept looked sensible enough to already be a production car when we first saw it, even though it was a radical step for the company. Audi had been making some pretty extreme high-performance vehicles, but they were all packaged in sensible four door sedan bodies, or even more sensible station wagons.

A high-performance, sports coupe with more than a nod to the supercar club was something else again.

The production car, called the R8, to fit in the Audi family nomenclature, made its debut at last month's Paris Motor Show where it was probably the star.

The final shape has changed only marginally since the Le Mans concept.

It's unquestionably an Audi, even though there's never been a high performance, mid-engined sports coupe from them before.

There are definite design linkages between the R8 and the new Audi TT.

At launch, the R8 gets the same 4.2 litre, 309kW V8 that powers the RS4 sedan, but insiders say that it's just a question of time before it gets the V10 from the Audi S6 as an option.

But that's not likely to happen until the Lamborghini Gallardo, which obviously the Group needs to protect from an Audi R8 that would be just as fast but half the price, gets a 10% increase in power in 2008 as a guarantee against a faster R8 cannibalising Gallardo sales.

Although R8s won't start to be delivered until early next year, Audi are already assuring customers of substantial performance - 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 301km/h.

Peak power is developed at 7,800rpm while torque tops out at 430Nm at a pretty heady 5,500rpm, but 90% of that figure is available from 3,500 to 7,600rpm.

It's a rev-happy engine, red-lined at 8,250rpm and it's dry-sumped, allowing the engine to be mounted very low, enhancing the centre of gravity.

The R8 comes with the choice of two transmissions - a six speed manual, or the Audi R tronic sequential shift with a centre console mounted selector, and steering wheel paddles.

You will scarcely need to be told that it drives all four wheels variably through Audi's quattro system and a vicious clutch.

The R8 is based on aluminium spaceframe technology and not only is it longer than the Gallardo the critics insist it's based on, but there's considerably more cockpit space and there's real luggage space.

The bodywork is also all aluminium.

This is a good looking car - long, low, wide and sensuous - to which you almost feel like adding, "for a German car".

It's just a tad too clinical to be Italian.

The proportions of the R8 are dictated by the position of the engine - behind the cockpit, but ahead of the rear wheels, so it's got a cab-forward look, a stubby nose and a long tail. Close your eyes and you can easily picture this car as a direct descendant of the prewar Auto Union Grand Prix cars. Which, of course, it is.

The grille is a variation on the current corporate theme fianked by headlights and a miniature set of LED running lights set in panels that contain massive air intakes with horizontal strakes.

It's an aggressive look.

The curving arc of the roof is pure Audi while the enormous rear window extends down the tail to double as an engine cover. Nothing new in treating the engine as a design feature - Ferrari have been doing it for years.

The doors are deeply sculptured, leading to massive, vertical air intakes directly behind the doors that feed air to the engine compartment and these intakes can be dressed up with carbon fibre panels as an option. Some of the show cars at Paris had these and they struck us as having fashion value only and will quickly date.

Underneath, there are forged aluminium wishbones front and rear and the R8 uses Audi's "magnetic ride".

The R8 gets 18 inch wheels as standard, but these can be optioned up to 19 inch.

The R8 is the first production car in the world to offer the option of having all light functions taken care of by LED. But that's an option that's not available until next year, in the interim, you get Xenon headlights, but all other lights are LED.

Interestingly, or curiously maybe, the internal refiectors of the headlights were inspired by the shape of the Sydney Opera House.

The interior of the R8 is pretty special as you would expect from an Audi and in Paris we had to fight our way to the front of a line of poseurs who wanted to slip into the driving seat, go "Vroom, vroom", dribble from the corner of their mouth and have their photograph taken by their glamorous looking companions. There's a lot of that sort of thing at motor shows.

The interior is mainly in dark hues with the option of trims being finished in either Piano or Carbon sigma.

We're surprised it's taken three years to convert the Le Mans concept car into the R8 because the Le Mans looked so production ready.

Ten years ago a car like this from Audi wouldn't have been thinkable. Even three years ago when it appeared as the Le Mans there were people wondering if this wasn't an Audi too far. But in those intervening three years Audi's fortunes have soared and now the R8 seems like a natural extension to the range.

The R8 will be built in both left and right hand drive and it will be available for New Zealand customers. Price will be somewhere between $250,000 and $300,000 and there has already been considerable interest.

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