First Glance: When German Chefs Cook Italian December 1, 2006
Who says the world doesn’t need another six-figure midengine German-made sports car?
Introduced on Wednesday: Audi R8
Is it real? Born as a racecar and reincarnated as a design study, the R8 is now ready for production. Hardly a secret, an R8 was on display on Park Avenue in Manhattan for two weeks in October, but its official North American debut was in Los Angeles.
What’s the point? Lamborghini is in the same corporate family as Audi, so why not use many of the same ingredients to cook up a German Gallardo?
The company line: “It is a fascinating driving machine,” gushes a company press release, “and the sporty pinnacle of the Audi brand.”
The view from here: Who says the world doesn’t need another six-figure midengine German-made sports car? Audi intends to find out..
What makes it tick? A 420-horsepower variation of Audi’s 4.2-liter V-8, borrowed from the current RS4. A 500-horse V-10 will gallop along in another year or so.
How much, how soon? Starting around $110,000 - figure $115,000 with floor mats - in showrooms next fall.
How’s it look? The R8 is a couple of points short of a perfect 10, but we’re always grateful when auto-show dream cars graduate to reality.
- Posted in : Uncategorized, Audi
- Author : arnold
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