ALONG CAME A SPYDER (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 66

Audi's R8 Spyder got sharper, smarter and faster in second generation 'Type 4S' form. Turning away from the tide towards turbocharging, it used an aurally magnificent normally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 and promised race-bred but road-ready four wheel drive performance able to justify its claimed supercar status. Rivals had to take this car very seriously indeed. Here, we look at the pre-facelift 2018-2018-era 'Type 4S' Spyder models.

Modelsword count: 6

2dr Convertible (5.2 V10 - 540PS/610PS])

Historyword count: 399

Create a credible supercar and it's almost expected that you'll make it available not only in coupe form but also in open-topped guise. Audi's R8 delivered on that brief in first generation 'Type 42' form but there were a few compromises to be made in choosing the convertible version. That wasn't the case with this much more sophisticated MK2 'Type 4S' R8 Spyder model. As any automotive engineer will tell you, the problem in creating a cabrio from a coupe lies in the huge reduction in torsional stiffness you'll create by lopping off the roof that would normally provide much of it. It's taken a great deal of modern technology to get close to sorting this problem, much of which wasn't available to Audi when they introduced the first generation 'Type 42' version of this R8 Spyder back in 2011. As a result, back then, choosing an open-topped R8 over the fixed-top version wasn't really something an enthusiast would ever have done. It just didn't feel as sharp. As a result, the rag top version of this ultimate Audi sportscar remained a boutique buyer's choice; you certainly would never have seen one on a track day. But things changed. The Ingolstadt brand based this second generation 'Type 4S' R8 model, launched in 2015, on an 'ASF' 'Audi Space Frame' that for the MK2 version was fundamentally fortified with hi-tech 'Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer'. That made an awful lot of difference, especially to this Spyder variant, improving the structural rigidity of this model by a massive 50%. According to Ingolstadt, this created the stiffest open-topped car ever made. At the same time, Audi reduced weight, added in torque vectoring for improved corner turn-in and sharpened up the quattro four wheel drive system. We were promised that the result will be a very different proposition - a proper driver's machine: a proper supercar. It certainly has a proper supercar engine. While rivals were turning to turbocharged power in this era, Audi stuck to the fabulously vocal normally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 that was also used by Lamborghini. What that created was the fastest, the most powerful and the most desirable open-topped Audi ever made. A rare rear-driven variant was offered as an alternative to the quattro version between 2017 and 2018. The MK2 R8 Spyder was lightly facelifted in 2018. Here though, we look at the pre-facelift 2015-2018-era versions of this model.

What You Getword count: 497

In MK2 form, visually, the R8 Spyder remained much as it had been, a distinctive cocktail of low-slung curves and delightful design extravagance, though in this second generation version, the influential shape of the previous model was expressed in a tauter, more technically precise way. As before, we're talking Ferrari - but with a German twist. Inside, you're introduced to what the Ingolstadt brand calls a 'luxury-level racing atmosphere' and an interior that remains an object lesson in how to package a two seat sportscar. As before, one of the cockpit's key distinguishing features is what the stylists call the 'monoposto', a stylised large arc that encircles the driver's area of the cockpit, starting in the door and ending at the centre tunnel. But if that's familiar, there's also plenty in this second generation model that was different too, the changes beginning with the grippy, flat-bottomed R8 performance steering wheel. Extra round satellite buttons were added to control engine start-up and driving dynamics. Plus there was an extra cost steering wheel original buyers could add that included two further smaller round controls - a dial on the left to set the car up for different weather conditions and a button on the right to alter the exhaust note. As for all the infotainment functionality, well, as with Ingolstadt's humbler TT Roadster, that was all relocated to the 'Audi Virtual Cockpit', a 12.3-inch high resolution instrument binnacle display that completely replaced the usual set of conventional dials. The fabric top itself weighs only 44kgs and opens or closes in just 20 seconds at speeds of up to 31mph. You'd usually activate the process from inside the car but you can also do so from outside by using the standard 'Advanced Key'. The hood mechanism's acrobatics deliver an intricate piece of street theatre, the hood compartment cover moving fluidly on two seven-link hinges. When closed, the top integrates neatly into the design line, stretching low above the body and extending to the rear in two long slender fins. The fins surround a rear window that has its own retracting mechanism, activated by a press of the button below the gearstick. This means that even when the weather's inclement and the roof's up, you can still retract the glass pane and get a richer dose of the wonderful V10 engine's aural fireworks. But of course for that, there's nothing quite like having the top down. The main button for the hood is right next to the other one, activating a folding process that sees the soft top sandwiching itself in 'Z' formation into the flat storage compartment over the engine. With the roof open, having the rear window up can reduce buffeting but to fully deal with that, you'll be better off installing the proper clip-on textile wind deflector that comes included with the car and is stored in the boot. Audi says that with this in place, wind flow around the head can be reduced by up to 90%.

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