2011 New Audi R10 Design Study

Coming up with the R8, Audi suddenly places itself in a category beyond that of BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes and Lexus and joins a whole different kind of company in terms of competition, and that is that of Lamborghini, Maserati, Aston Martin and others.

The R8 is a different kind of Audi, much different than the now famous but tired Audi TT. It's a car for those who enjoy driving fast and most likely will sell more models in Europe where the autobahns are the dream of American drivers that own one of these cars.

I first saw the R8 at a showroom in Denver and I thought at first it was just a concept car, showing it's powerful engine through the back window. But then I started seeing one here and there go by and couldn't help but turn my neck around as if staring at the girl from Ipanema.

The design is very tasteful both inside and out and taking it for a test drive was like having a delicious ice cream for the first time as a kid or even better but the words I want to use would not be proper for this article. The car handles as it should. Perfect. No curve is too fast for this ride and I would say that it is one of the most desirable cars in production in the world today. The price tag is also extremely reasonable for a car of its kind at "only" $100K. That is well less than if you compare it to some Ferraris and Aston Martin cars that don't come home with you for less than $200K so it's actually quite "affordable".

The car has such a serene handle on the road it seems to have been attached to it but some futuristic technology like electromagnets holding it tight to the asphalt. Well, it actually is! The Audi R8 has electromagnetic dampers which can be adjusted by the driver, or should we say pilot? The driver can adjust for more day to day handling of for shredding performance whatever you should choose, you can tell your R8 what you want and it will glide over whatever the surface is as if it was driving on perfect roads. The car is so well designed and the quattro Audi technology is so tightly built into this powerful machine that the driver will only need to use brakes in the tightest of curves. With a 4.2 liter V8 engine which in turns gives out 420 horsepower of pure driving excitement, you can achieve 60 mph in only 4.4 seconds.

If I had the $100 thousand dollars to shell out, I would be rushing to the dealership right now to get my red version of one.

Audi TT RS and R8 5.2 FSI are "Sports Cars of the Year 2009"

The Audi TT RS is “Sports Car of the Year 2009” in the category “Production Coupés.”
PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)
Audi R8 5.2 FSI
The R8 5.2 FSI wins the title for production supercars. The S5 Cabriolet, the RS 6, the S4 Avant, and the Q7 V12 TDI each placed in the top five in their respective classes. The prizes awarded by a jury from the Auto Bild SportsCars monthly were presented last evening at the Essen Motor Show.

With 650 invited guests looking on, Michael-Julius Renz, Head of Sales Germany at AUDI AG, accepted the prize for the Audi TT RS; Werner Frowein, Managing Director of quattro GmbH, accepted the award for the Audi R8 5.2 FSI.

The title “Sports Car of the Year” is one of the most sought-after prizes in the German automobile industry. 51,637 readers of the magazine took part in the voting this year. Sports cars that had previously proven their worth in more than 300 tests and road reports were nominated in eight classes, which were further broken down into Tuning and Production. Besides the two group winners, four other Audi models placed in the top five in their respective classes: the S5 Cabriolet in the class “Production Convertible/Roadster”; the RS 6 in “Production Sedan”; the S4 Avant in “Production Station Wagon”; and the Q7 V12 TDI in the category “Production SUV.”

The panel of experts at Auto Bild SportsCars only crowns pure-blooded sports cars as “Sports Car of the Year.” In conjunction with TÜV Rheinland (Rhineland Inspection Authority), the magazine’s jurors regularly conduct exacting road tests to thoroughly assess the latest sports cars.

The Audi TT RS Coupé is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged engine with gasoline direct injection that generates a power output of 250 kW (340 hp) and a torque of 450 Nm (331.9 lb-ft). The five-cylinder engine enables the TT RS to perform extraordinary feats. In conjunction with quattro permanent all-wheel drive and a high-performance chassis, the engine makes the compact Audi TT RS an exceptional sports car.

Generating 386 kW (525 hp) and 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) of torque, the 5.2-liter, ten-cylinder engine delivers breathtaking performance. Superior Audi technologies such as quattro all-wheel drive, the lightweight aluminum chassis featuring Audi Space Frame construction, the innovative all-LED headlights and the distinctive design put the R8 5.2 FSI in the pole position in its competitive field.

Audi TT RS and R8 5.2 FSI are "Sports Cars of the Year 2009"

The Audi TT RS is “Sports Car of the Year 2009” in the category “Production Coupés.”
PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)
Audi R8 5.2 FSI
The R8 5.2 FSI wins the title for production supercars. The S5 Cabriolet, the RS 6, the S4 Avant, and the Q7 V12 TDI each placed in the top five in their respective classes. The prizes awarded by a jury from the Auto Bild SportsCars monthly were presented last evening at the Essen Motor Show.

With 650 invited guests looking on, Michael-Julius Renz, Head of Sales Germany at AUDI AG, accepted the prize for the Audi TT RS; Werner Frowein, Managing Director of quattro GmbH, accepted the award for the Audi R8 5.2 FSI.

The title “Sports Car of the Year” is one of the most sought-after prizes in the German automobile industry. 51,637 readers of the magazine took part in the voting this year. Sports cars that had previously proven their worth in more than 300 tests and road reports were nominated in eight classes, which were further broken down into Tuning and Production. Besides the two group winners, four other Audi models placed in the top five in their respective classes: the S5 Cabriolet in the class “Production Convertible/Roadster”; the RS 6 in “Production Sedan”; the S4 Avant in “Production Station Wagon”; and the Q7 V12 TDI in the category “Production SUV.”

The panel of experts at Auto Bild SportsCars only crowns pure-blooded sports cars as “Sports Car of the Year.” In conjunction with TÜV Rheinland (Rhineland Inspection Authority), the magazine’s jurors regularly conduct exacting road tests to thoroughly assess the latest sports cars.

The Audi TT RS Coupé is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged engine with gasoline direct injection that generates a power output of 250 kW (340 hp) and a torque of 450 Nm (331.9 lb-ft). The five-cylinder engine enables the TT RS to perform extraordinary feats. In conjunction with quattro permanent all-wheel drive and a high-performance chassis, the engine makes the compact Audi TT RS an exceptional sports car.

Generating 386 kW (525 hp) and 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) of torque, the 5.2-liter, ten-cylinder engine delivers breathtaking performance. Superior Audi technologies such as quattro all-wheel drive, the lightweight aluminum chassis featuring Audi Space Frame construction, the innovative all-LED headlights and the distinctive design put the R8 5.2 FSI in the pole position in its competitive field.