Cruise Control

Audi’s first mid-engine supercar, the R8, was a smash hit when first launched in 2006. Andre Lam heads to Germany to see if the second-generation R8 can repeat the success after a decade

udi had wanted to make a supercar for a long time and finally, the opportunity came when it bought over Lamborghini in 1998. Lamborghini was in need of a new model to complement the ageing Murciélago range; a smaller, lighter supercar that could take the fight to Ferrari’s mid-engine V8 supercar. Being the expert in aluminium car construction meant that Audi could draw on its vast experience to come up with an aluminium space frame that would become the Gallardo, and later, its own R8. By all accounts, the first R8 was a bullseye. Ten years on, Audi adopts the same strategy following the Gallardo’s replacement, the Huracán, before developing its own version, the new R8. The styling of the new R8 is more evolutionary than revolutionary and this was deliberate as the previous R8 still has its admirers. The new R8 looks more aggressive and has been repurposed with edgier lines. The signature side blade on its flanks is still much in evidence and the shoulder lines now split the side blade air intake and continue uninterrupted until they reach the rear-wheel arches. It is recognisably the R8, but now updated. The first-generation R8 began life with a V8 engine and a six-speed manual transmission but those are now consigned to the history books. The R8 begins anew with the bigger, hotter V10 motor shared with the Lamborghini Huracán. It was a brave and deliberate decision to go with the naturally aspirated engine when all of its competitors have adopted turbocharging, as this means