11 November 2016
An eclectic blend of high-level design, Teutonic rigor and theatrics, the new R8 Spyder is Audi Sport’s current technical pinnacle and the most alluring of its road models. As well as one of the latest open-top supercars with a naturally aspirated engine. A fleeting moment powered by a mighty 5.2-liter V-10 located just a few centimeters from your auditory system. And so every time you accelerate, the roar of the engine works its way between skeleton, tissues and thoughts, stimulating your senses. This simply epic soundtrack is fully in keeping with the performance: 198 mph and from 0 to 62 in 3.6 seconds, in part thanks to a power-to-weight ratio of 8.6 lb (3.19 kg) per horsepower, the product of a masterly effort of lightening. In fact the R8 Spyder is fifty-five pounds lighter than the previous version and the reduction in weight has been achieved without renouncing such refinements as the sophisticated mechanism for opening the roof, which vanishes gracefully beneath a carbon-fiber panel. The V-10 engine produces 540 hp, optimally handled by the S-tronic seven-speed transmission. In addition, with almost eighty percent of its components derived from motorsport, the interventions made to increase the stiffness of the frame and the proverbial Quattro four-wheel drive, the Spyder allows almost anyone to drive in a lively manner, with confidence and precision, even in difficult conditions (rain, damp, worn asphalt). Handling, quality of the interior, design and technology: everything is perfectly integrated. “The R8 Spyder is a complex car built by a small group of people for an extremely demanding clientele,” declares Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Audi Sport, “but the world is changing fast and expects sustainable sports cars. We will have to decide whether to adopt a strategy of evolution or revolution.” In other words the aspirated 5.2-liter V-10 might not be the only engine used in the future for the R8, whether Coupé or Spyder.
