It came from outer space!
Lamborghini’s Huracan Evo Spyder might appear to be from another world, but it shares plenty with our R8. By Jake Groves
Fundamentally, our Audi R8 and this Arancio Xanto bolt of Italian fury are near identical. Both have a V10, 600+bhp sent to all four wheels by a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, a fabric roof, a drinking problem, two seats, a tiny frunk and a soulful tune to draw those with the cash to the rocky shores of supercar ownership. Both the R8 and Huracan, now in upgraded Evo form, have massive appeal. And from the very beginning since the original R8 and Gallardo arrived in the mid-Noughties, one could never really exist without the other. Lamborghini developed the engine (over decades, in fact) and injected some theatre to the mix, while Audi contributed the powertrain set-up and at least the idea that both cars would be screwed together properly. They’re the yin and yang of the VW Group performance car domain.
And yet, while they share so much, this Huracan Evo Spyder and my R8 have some significant differences, not least because the Lamborghini, with its fins and wedge shape, makes the Suzuka Grey-finished Audi look like a shrinking violet, dour and minimalist in its design.
Then there’s the interior. It’s not that one is clearly better than the other, just that they’re very different. I fit comfortably in the Audi, mainly because it has the optional thinner bucket seats. The infotainment system is relatively simple – it’s all structured around a Virtual Cockpit display and a rotary dial. There’s some tasteful alcantara upholstery and some useful storage cubbies. It’s a different story in the Huracan, this one being fitted with the normal sports seats, far fatter in design. There’s an actually-quite-slick portrait-format tablet leaving the instruments clear of unnecessary info. Crazy shapes and materials are blunderbussed across the cockpit and there are no places to put things. The Lord giveth and taketh away in both cases.
On the move, though, is where the biggest contrasts are found. The Huracan, with its standard rear-wheel steering, feels so much more alert to input than the Audi. And by God it’s louder and raw, with pops and bangs on literally every throttle lift-off.
The Huracan feels so much more alert to input than the Audi. And by God it’s louder and more raw
The R8 is easier for a supercar novice like me, with a much more controlled response to your inputs, better peripheral vision and a more measured, if no less tuneful, exhaust note. Oddly, since the faulty original exhaust has been replaced, there now seems to be a more noticeable step: 3000rpm and above is the minimum entry requirement for any real noise, even in Dynamic mode.
Both cars are creeping into their twilight years, with Audi considering going electric and Lambo potentially using Porsche engineering instead of Vorsprung Durch Technic for the next-generation models.
And that makes me quite sad, as both cars are exactly what I think supercars should be – albeit in different ways: fast, brash and dynamically impressive, but most importantly fun. The blend of a raucous V10, a degree of theatricality (high in the case of the Lambo) and an ‘angry on the outside, cuddly and safe on the inside’ vibe is enough to get anyone with a remote interest in the automobile’s motor running. It should be cause for celebration that both still exist. Let’s enjoy them while they last.