Along Raced a Spyder |
The ten-cylinder jewel from Audi is a bit of a unicorn, and when on song, its delicious high-pitched soundtrack takes you back to the halcyon days of V10s in Formula 1 and Le Mans race cars. It is the spearhead to Audi’s performance range and the closest you will get to a pukka GT3 race car – and in Spyder form, the revised R8, the fastest volume-production model from Audi Sport, is now even more delectable.
From close-up, the Audi R8 – now more sharply styled and honed with a wider, flatter Singleframe grille, flat slits above the grille reminiscent of the Audi Sport quattro, side winglets dividing the large air intakes, and broader front splitter – is more compact than it appears on images. While small and slight for a supercar, it packs a humongous V10 punch – part of its recipe for success in the super-competitive GT3 racing formulae worldwide.
Small it may be, but its squat, hunkered-down appearance is now even more intimidating. With a high-gloss black RS styling package, carbon exterior mirror housings and carbon sideblades, plus LED headlights, dynamic turn signals and Audi laser lights (a R64,500 option), our Kemora grey Spyder with black fabric top looked the part.
With the top retracted (via an intricate stowing system), the R8’s unbalanced cab-forward design, with a short front overhang and long, extended engine bay, is emphasised, and it actually looks better with the fabric roof in place. The new look extends to the interior with smart-looking R8 sports seats upholstered in fine red Nappa leather with diamond stitching, and as expected from a true supercar, all key driving functions are at your fingertips.
In addition to the pushbuttons for the MMI, there are three satellite buttons on the steering wheel – to start and stop the engine, to select basic drive modes, or to access the performance programs to tweak the response from the Spyder’s big heart – the high-revving and unique sounding 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10-mill.
V10 Performance
Being naturally aspirated, power delivery is instant, with 449 kW now delivered at a screaming 8,000 rpm and 560 Nm of torque at 6,600 rpm in the Performance version – the only model available locally (the rear-wheel-drive derivative has also been discontinued). With power figures matching those of the McLaren 570S, the R8 Spyder scoots to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and its propulsive power, sent to all four wheels via a 7-speed S tronic transmission, ends at 329 km/h.
The optional dynamic steering modes (that change the steering gear ratio depending on the driving speed) and drive modes (Comfort, Auto and Performance) warrant optimum steering sensitivity and sharp turn-in precision when needed, and as part of the Performance mode, three additional programmes (dry, wet, and snow) adapt key dynamic parameters to the friction coefficient of the road.
Sharp Handling
Besides sharper handling behaviour, these programmes, in conjunction with the magnetic ride suspension (a R35,000 option), gives the topless everyday supercar surprisingly smooth ride characteristics in all conditions – even while shod with wide, low-profile 20” performance rubber on V-spoke design wheels.
The huge brakes, now with enhanced ESC, bring the Spyder from 100 km/h to a standstill up to 1.5 m earlier than previous models, and the stopping distance from 200 km/h is up to 5 m shorter. This is also due to less frontal weight, thanks to a stabiliser bar made from carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and aluminium.
Last Word
Now on sale here, the latest, rejuvenated R8 Spyder V10 performance quattro will very likely be the last of its kind, as the next range of supercars from Ingolstadt will probably use a hybrid powertrain to attain R8 levels of performance (or better). Available for R3,592,500 in standard trim (our test vehicle carried options to the value of R167,700) the R8 – in Coupé or Spyder guise – is still the most user-friendly of all supercars.
Report by Ferdi de Vos | Images © Ryan Abbott | TCB Media
