In UK an Audi R8 is priced at £78,195. Not something everyone can afford. This is why Audi decided to become Santa this year and released an extra-cheap special edition R8. It cost only £45. Oh, yes, before you got to excited it's a 1:18 scale special edition.

This R8 sports car, configured specifically with stockings in mind, has been designed to make a reassuringly modest dent in the festive budget – at £45 it represents a saving of exactly £78,150 over the standard R8.

The rare and highly sought-after Audi sports car of the moment has been immortalised in zinc in 1:18 scale, enabling its fans to bypass the current twelve month waiting list for a full-size
example and park one on the mantelpiece almost immediately.

The meticulously finished model is faithful to the much admired design of the full-blown original right down to the detailing of its windscreen wipers. 750 examples of its all-aluminium, mid-engined and quattro-equipped big brother will find homes in the UK in 2008, thrilling their drivers with a mighty 420PS output, 4.6-second acceleration from rest to 62mph and, for those lucky enough to be visiting an Autobahn next year, a 187mph top speed.

The diminutive R8 is now available from Audi Centres in UK.