In 2008, the Super Bowl commercial started with the scene of an old man in bed in a stately mansion, waking to discover oil on his hands and parts of a car under the covers. He screams in horror. The takeoff on the classic Godfather scene ends with an Audi R8 roaring to life in the driveway. On-screen printed message: “Old luxury just got put on notice.”
That R8, with its V-8 engine and manual transmission, “started a revolution” for Audi of America, division president Scott Keough told his audience at the New York auto show on Wednesday. “It declared our intent, and it accelerated everything.” Sales of the full line jumped from 80,000 back then to about 200,000 this past year, he said.
The new R8 coupe “will lead Audi into the next phase of our ascent,” he said.
It’s accompanied by the Spyder, a breathtaking convertible introduced to the world on Wednesday. With a 540-horsepower mid-engine capable of hitting 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds, the car “can go nearly [320 km/h] for an open-top car – I think this is quite cool,” said Dietmar Voggenreiter, Audi AG board member.
The R8 V10 Plus shares DNA with the 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, the R8 LM, with more than 50 per cent of the parts shared.
All of which is tantalizing for those who love speed and yet, does the restrained power amount to a load of frustration in a country with 100 km/h speed limits?
“It is not just about how fast they can go,” said Stephan Winkelmann, head of Lamborghini until being appointed CEO of Audi Sport recently. “It’s about how good they look, and how good they feel. They are performance-oriented; they are thumbs-up if you drive one of these cars.”
When can I buy it, and at what cost?
It will be on sale later this year. Pricing is unavailable.
Cool quotient
5 stars (out of 5)
The driver can operate all functions in a ‘virtual cockpit’ without taking hands off the steering wheel.