motoring motoring by Iain Robertson A fine Audi-doody?
Planned long before Porsche became an unwitting subsidiary of the larger Volkswagen Group, Audi has produced a rival to the 911 that, states Iain Robertson, bolsters its position as one of the world’s prestige carmakers
into mainstream, I shall admit to finding myself in partial agreement. Yet, the balancing consideration for me lies in one simple factor. It is true that Audi, like BMW, has bought its way into the upper echelons, by investing in the once struggling Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti brands, BMW owns Rolls Royce, Mini and a host of former British brand names. However, my thoughts wandered back to 1994 and the amazing Audi Avus show car. It is vitally important to appreciate that, without Audi’s involvement, those aforementioned prestige brands would have continued to struggle and may have even become lost to enthusiasts completely. However, both Bentley and Bugatti have earned their own stripes. The former British marque is in its strongest position ever and the Italian (and Franco-Germanic) 260+mph supercar sells for over €1m, yet appears to have a client waiting list that it never enjoyed in either its original or previously revived forms.
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Audi is every bit as entitled to create an ultimate and moderately affordable supercar. Mind you, at just over £120,000 for a sportscar, with a compromised boot and a cockpit for two adults of moderate height and girth, its market is limited. Without trying too hard, Audi appeals to those people, using the integrity of its four rings logo and encouraging individual investment at an unprecedented level. As to the Avus, it was produced almost completely from aluminium. Its highly burnished, mirror-finished body became the centre of attention at every motor show around the world
78 November/December 2010
hen I listen to critics stating that Audi is overstepping the mark and turning premium
during the mid-1990s. Many of its styling cues were carried onto models like the first generation TT, while its revolutionary body panels on alloy spaceframe construction became central to Audi’s lighter, stronger and more recyclable policy for the company’s future. It was a landmark showpiece, from a period when such extravagances had genuine merit. When Audi decided to tackle world
sportscar racing, it realised that it needed a retail end-product. Inevitably, the hardtop coupe came first, not least because the race car was also a coupe, at the time. However, it was soon all- change on the circuit, with the Spyder version of the immensely potent diesel-powered sportscar continuing its winning ways for Audi. The road- going R8 drop-top was on the cards. The recipe is tantalising. Ownership of Lamborghini surely helps. Borrowing the 5.2-litre V10 engine from the Gallardo model, enhancing it in ways that ensures its brand integrity is not compromised, it is priced at a level that warrants major interest but only from a real minority sector of the sporting scene. Mind you, CO2 emissions and ultimate miles per gallon are not priorities on the typical R8 customer’s long list of options. Yet the power is down on Lamborghini’s
552bhp, reduced to 518 for Audi’s application. The torque figure also takes a small tumble to 391lbs ft, only a drop of 7lbs ft, which points to a less exotic and less frenetic power delivery. The Audi is also the heavier car, by around 250kgs, 1,725kgs kerb weight, although its performance is only marginally blunted to a 194mph maximum velocity, 7mph less than the Lambo, while the benchmark 0-60mph time is reduced by just 0.1s slower than the Gallardo Roadster’s four seconds. The actual on-road performance difference is negligible and both models would
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be nose-to-tail all the way from standstill to the nation’s 70mph limit. Yet, other concessions exist. Driven top- down, complex but electrically operated, is the best way to appreciate the engine’s inhalation and exhaust, possessing, as it does, the basso profundo tones of Welsh operatic superstar, Bryn Terfel, with every depression of the alloy throttle pedal. The sing-song continues in measured musicality with each upward clicking shift of the six-speed alloy-gated gearlever. Yet, it is a muted sound, which only appears with full-throttle, which, of course, could be all the encouragement that an R8 driver ever needs.
Constant four-wheel-drive, the company’s signature Quattro system, provides incredibly surefooted handling and the cornering agility, once the driver becomes accustomed to the enormous width of the car (2.029 metres), is almost startling. On the limit, it understeers, in typical 4x4 style, while remaining dependably neutral in almost any other state. Yet, it is lacking something. The sonorous accompaniment works like a disguise, masking the slight edginess that you would obtain from a Porsche 911 Turbo. While the steering responses are good, they lack the faithfulness and positive bite of the Porsche, which can be disappointing. The R8’s interior is a work of mastery. Clad in finest nappa leather and titanium grey stitching (+£275), with carbon-fibre inlays (+£1,685), most notably giving the driver an encapsulated cockpit feel, it is a model of ergonomic efficiency. All controls and switchgear are within easy reach and are simple and logical to use. However, if you are much over six feet three inches tall, as I am, then a Porsche 911 will have to be your choice. The cockpit is cramped for two metre giants.
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