Since the model’s introduction in 2007, the Audi R8 has been a perennial favorite of Robb Report editors. The German carmaker continues to refine the R8, which has won numerous top honors in the past decade, including Robb Report’s Car of the Year and Best of the Best distinctions. And it is one of the only supercars that can also serve as an adept daily driver.
Featured in the inventory of PenskeLuxury.com are dozens of current and recent model-year variants, including the Coupe and Spyder (convertible) available with either V-10 and V-10 Plus powertrains. The standard Audi R8 V-10 delivers an impressive 532 hp and 398 ft lbs of torque for a zero-to-60-mph time of 3.7 seconds; the V-10 Plus takes horsepower up to 602 and torque up to 413 ft lbs, which cuts half a second off its acceleration to 60 mph. The Audi R8 is the quintessential mid-engine supercar, providing mathematically perfect balance, center of gravity, and dynamic weight transfer. These characteristics, paired with the R8’s 76.4-inch body width, help give the car its superior handling, enabling it to take turns at higher speeds than just about any other luxury car on the road.
Image courtesy of Audi
Notably, the road-going Audi R8 shares almost half of its parts with the R8 LMS, Audi’s racecar that scored more than 100 race wins during the 2017 season, though the street versions remain highly adept at everyday driving. The R8 and its variants feature a dual-clutch transmission, torque vectoring system, and Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive, which mimics rear-wheel drive but with the unique ability to harness 100 percent of the torque to the front axle depending which gear is engaged.
From a design perspective, the R8 is a modern icon, which may be in part due to its most-famous owner—Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) from the popular Marvel movies of recent years. Its athletic exterior is striking but unassuming and embodies the essence of German design, with prominent wheel arches and trapezoidal exhaust outlets. For recent model years, Audi was smart to make only subtle design changes, which were executed without compromising the sporty two-seater’s distinctive features. Slight improvements included a larger front grille and a carbon-fiber side scoop that replaces the full-length side blade.
Image courtesy of Audi
The R8’s driver-centric interior boasts 18-way power sports seats and multifunction flat-bottom sports steering with paddle shifters. The virtual cockpit includes a 12.3-inch instrument display, with an optional Sport mode that displays a large central tachometer and performance statistics such as lap timer, torque gauge, and G-meter. But for everyday driving, Audi also includes thoughtful additions like microphones in the seatbelts to help minimize ambient noise (like the V-10’s bodacious exhaust note) during phone calls taken from the road.
Robb Report encourages prospective buyers, whether looking for a road-worthy racecar or a race-worthy road car, to contact its partners at Penske Automotive Group to find the Audi R8 that best suits their proclivities—or those of their superhero alter ego.
For more information, contact:
Michael Famiglietti
Sr. Vice President, Super Premium Brands
Penske Automotive, Inc.
michael@penskeluxury.com
Image courtesy of Audi
