Audi R8 V10 Performance

Apparently the R8’s absence makes the heart grow fonder

IT HAPPENS WITH EVERY LONG-TERM test car eventually. A colleague will ask to borrow it or circumstances will require you to give it up for a period of time. This is when you know if you’ve gelled with ‘your’ car or not, because if you don’t give it a second’s thought in the time between it leaving your possession and the key being returned to you, chances are the relationship you have is amenable rather than a whirlwind.

I thought mine with the R8 was heading for the former. I can’t get enough of its V10 and when the situation presents itself there are few cars of its ilk I think would be better in said situation. OK, the steering of a Mclaren 570S is crisper, the suppleness of an Aston Vantage’s chassis more forgiving when the compressions get a little fierce. And a 911 is more relaxed. But when the R8 did the office rounds this month I realised that its absence left a much deeper hole in my life than I expected.

Yes, I missed those individual moments on empty roads, of course, but I also missed the late-night runs home from the airport and the early morning drives to the city. They all rammed home just how much the R8 has got under my skin. And until now I didn’t think I would have felt as strongly about it as I do.

Any of the aforementioned rivals would, I know, be equally as beguiling, but the R8’s infectious appeal has taken me by surprise.

Stuart Gallagher (@stuartg917)

Date acquired April 2019 Total mileage 10,217 Mileage this month 1991 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 20.9