The German luxury car builder Audi showed the world their Lamborghini fighting 5.2 Liter V10 powered R8 Spider at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week, well today they have unveiled a few new images of the four ringed drop top super car that were shot right here in sunny South Florida. As was confirmed at the show, the open air R8 will only be available with the high revving 525 HP FSI ten cylinder engine when it goes on sale next year starting at $227,000.
Weighing in at only 3,792 pounds, the R8 Spider is able to sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in under 4.1 seconds; go from 0 to 125 MPH in a little over 12.7 seconds and reach an incredible top speed of 194.49 MPH, all while consuming 15.79 MPG in the manual transmission version, or 16.92 MPG in the R-tronic variant.
Despite all the reports about Audi not having anything electric to share with the world at their home show in Frankfurt was debunked when Audi chairman Rupert Stadler and Audi board member Michael Dick unveiled the 2010 Audi e-Tron concept last Tuesday.
The e-Tron concept takes the R8 super car to the next level, gone are the notions a gas burning TFSI V8 or even a high revving V10 because the e-Tron is powered by a purely electric drive system made up of four electric drive motors, two at the front and two more at the rear axle that uses lithium-ion that allow the e-Tron to travel nearly 150 miles on a single charge. The total output of this electric drive system is 313 HP and 3,319.03 lb-ft of torque, meaning that the car can sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in just 4.8 seconds and is expected to be in showrooms as early as 2012.
Just like the power train, the exterior design of the e-Tron differs from the standard R8, for example the signature side blades and huge air inlets will be reduced or completely eliminated as they are unnecessary for an electric vehicle, the front grille will disappear as well. However it’s the deep air intakes in the front bumper underneath the while LED headlamps that will set this particular R8 apart from the standard model. One of the best things about Audi is that almost every single on e of their concept cars goes into production, and the German automaker has said that they will build a small batch of these electrified R8s in 2012.
If you still can’t get over the fact that the Audi R8 now has a Spyder offspring, then here’s something that we hope can satiate your growing appetite for the car.
Days after unveiling the R8 Spyder at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi released a promo video of the car highlighting the it’s plethora of unmatched features while it drives around a host of scenic locations – all in one thirty-second spot.
Unlike other promo car ads that have been sprouting around lately, this particular commercial really captures the emotional charges involved in being behind the wheel of the R8 Spyder. Likewise, the carefully edited soundtrack shifts into high-gear the moment the gas was throttled, giving you the fleeting feeling of freedom that only a speeding R8 Spyder can provide.
Of course, all our descriptions of the ad still won’t do justice to actually seeing it so might we suggest that you go take a look for yourself.
With a fleet of new cars gracing the Frankfurt Motor Show, there haven’t been a lot of brands that have made quite an impression as Audi.
From the mouth-watering R8 Spyder to the out-of-this-world e-Tron Elecrtric concept, Audi has let it be known that they went to Frankfurt with one goal in mind: to have everyone talking about them.
But just when we all that we’ve seen everything Audi had to offer, they come out with yet another shining, glittering ace up their sleeve: the chrome-domed R8 5.2 FSI V10 coupe.
To say that the car got its fair share of attention should be the understatement of the year. After all, who wouldn’t notice this staggeringly beautiful R8 decked out in a chrome finish?
We certainly did and judging by the massive crowds around the car, we’re guessing a lot of people did too.
If earlier today Audi showed us the Spider version of the R8 V10 version, now is time to see how an electric R8 would work. The new E-tron concept is powered by a purely electric drive system made up of four motors – two at the front and two more at the rear axle. The total output of this electric drive system is 313 HP and 3,319.03 lb-ft of torque, meaning that the car can sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in just 4.8 seconds, and from 60 to 120 km/h (37.28 – 74.56 mph) in 4.1. Who ever said that electric can’t be fun?
Even if it is based on the R8 super car, the E-tron concept features an unique and distinctive design, like a trapezoidal single-frame grille, two large air intakes, special headlamps that adjust the light depending on weather conditions and a large 19 inch wheel and tire combination. The concept has a weight of only 3,527.40 lb, with 58% of the weight pressing down of the rear axle.
The E-Tron’s top speed is limited to 124.27 MPH, as the amount of energy required by the electric motors increases disproportionately to speed. The range in the NECD combined cycle is approximately 154 miles. This impressive value is made possible by the integrated concept: technology specially configured for the electric drive system combined with state-of-the-art battery technology. The battery block has a total energy content of roughly 53 kilowatt hours, with the usable portion thereof restricted to 42.4 kWh in the interest of service life. In order to keep such high tech equipment from over heating, Audi uses liquid cooling for the batteries.
It’s finally official: the long waited and highly anticipated Audi R8 Spider has made its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. As previously reported, the drop top R8 will only be available with the 5.2 Liter FSI V10 connected to Audi’s patented quattro all wheel drive system. Sales in Europe will begin in the first quarter of 2010 and retail starting at $227,000. Details for the U.S. market version will be announced at a later date.
The 5.2 Liter FSI V10 in the R8 Spider delivers a maximum output of 525 HP at 8,000 RPM and has a rather high compression ratio of 12.5:1 in order to get the most out of the high revving naturally aspirated power plant. With a weight of only 3,792 pounds, the R8 Spider is able to sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in under 4.1 seconds; go from 0 to 125 MPH in a little over 12.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 194.49 MPH, all while consuming 15.79 MPG in the manual transmission version, or 16.92 MPG in the R-tronic variant.
The all new Audi R8 Spider is being offered with a cloth top that weighs only 66.14 pounds; chosen as a solution by Audi to keep the rag top’s total weight and center of gravity lower in the vehicle. The electro hydraulic soft top opens and closes in 19 seconds, and operates even while driving at speeds of up to 31.07 MPH.
Audi will offer the unit in three different colors, while the car will be available with eleven different paint options, with metallic and pearl effect finishes standard. Like all of Audi’s luxurious convertibles, the reinforced windshield frame is covered with anodized aluminum.
While we continue to ait word on whether or not Audi is unveiling the RS3 in Frankfurt, we do know that the folks from Ingolstadt will be bringing with them the new R8 Spider. That fact alone should make Audi fans salivate at the prospect of seeing the roof-less supercar in all its glory.
But since the Frankfurt Motor Show is still a week away, we believe that new spy shots of the car will do – for now. A number of new spy shots of the R8 Spider were revealed recently, giving everyone more reason to look forward to its official unveiling.
We know that spy shots are all well and good, but with the Frankfurt Motor Show less than a week away, we understand if a lot of you are already gnawing at the idea of seeing the R8 Spider in the flesh. We know we are.
If we were giving you nightmares about being beaten by a hot hatch in your high revving mid engine super car with that last piece on the Sportec tuned Audi TT RS then you can breathe a little easier, because the German tuning house ABT Sportsline have taken the highest horse power version of Audi’s R8 to new heights and while this improvement isn’t as drastic as on the five cylinder TFSI motor, the carbon fiber aerodynamic tweak and bump in grunt are good for shaving 0.1 seconds off the 5.2 Liter Audi R8 V10’s 0 to 60 MPH time, but at this level who’s counting?
The ABT powered R8 makes an extra 75 HP over the base model which is good for a 3.8 second 0 to 60 MPH run. The German super car is adorned with a new carbon fiber front spoiler, side sills and rear apron as well a bespoke rear wing and an ABT tuned quad tipped exhaust complimented by a set of 20 inch BR-type wheels. Christian ABT, the man to talk to at the shop said “the 600 HP is not just intended to exist on paper, but also be available on the road.”
Finding an extra 75 horsepower on an already highly tuned V10 is no easy feat an perhaps that is why ABT is keeping a little tight lipped about what exactly makes up their ABT POWER performance tuning kit, after all ABT is a DTM race team.
Yesterday when I was taking my wife to the HBF (Hauptbahnhauf) and on the way to taking her to her designated platform we spotted a very beautiful Audi R8 just sitting there in the middle of the HBF. I was very suprised to see it in the middle of it. But there were four little tables around this powerful machine for signing up to win the vehicle. Of course, I signed up to win it just to see if I could win something in my worth while but what I think happened is that I wasted 2 minutes of my life writing down my info and even come close to win the supercar. But I can only hope. So, wish me luck everyone. I took pictures of it on my iPhone but my phone was being stupid and did not email the pics to me so I just pulled pics off of google. I mean once youv’e seen one youv’e seent them all, pretty much.
The BMW 8 Series was an excellent grand touring car that combined the upmost in luxury, style and performance throughout the 1990s. The only thing wrong with the car is that the German automaker stopped producing the high performance coupe in 1999 and despite renderings and speculation and one very angry Russian Audi R8 owner.
That is because the owner of this four ringed super car has not only dropped the olympic style linked rings in favor of a spinning propellor not only once, but three times in an attempt to erase any link between the car’s engine and chassis with its original manufacturer, visually at least. The owner even went as far as attaching 850 i badging to the rear deck lid. Now it would be hard to mistake the 420 HP mid engine 4.2 Liter FSI V8 for something from the Bavarian automaker, perhaps if the owner had chosen to go with M badges instead of the round emblem on the engine cover he might have been able to get away with it. While the BMW 850 was a great car the R8 is as well. Perhaps if the disgruntled Audi owner had tried to pass the R8 off as BMW’s mid engine super car the M1 it might have been a bit more believable.
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