AUDI CONVERT?(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 78

Audi's formidable R8 supercar also comes in Spyder guise - that's 'without a roof'. You still get all the good stuff, which means a 5.2-litre FSI V10 engine screaming away just behind your head. It's just that with this variant, you'll be able to hear it even more bit more clearly. This is far more of a driver's tool than the previous generation version too, thanks to a massive 50% improvement in body rigidity. Still want that Ferrari?

Background word count: 135

An Audi supercar was the last thing anyone would have expected back in the '80s and '90s when customers had the choice of only three Audi models and weren't buying any of them in any great numbers. Today, the Ingolstadt maker's range is vast and the R8's existence is taken for granted. Sharing many components with the Lamborghini Huracan, this model is as good a symbol as any of how far Audi has progressed and of all the R8 derivatives, it could be the Spyder convertible that best showcases the brand's all-conquering ambition. In second generation form, this car is less of a style statement and more dynamically adept, thanks to Audi Space Frame technology that makes it a far tauter driving tool. And in this improved form, it still looks as eye-catching as ever.

Driving Experience word count: 271

As with the coupe R8, Spyder buyers get a mighty mid-mounted 5.2-litre FSI V10 normally aspirated engine with dual injection system, dynamic throttle response and a distinctive hard-edged soundtrack. That's amplified further by exhaust flap control if you select a 620PS quattro variant, rather than the entry-level rear-driven 570PS version. If the weather's inclement but you want to better hear the engine, you can lower the electric rear window and revel in the fact that all that sound and fury is real and authentic, rather than artificially processed through a sound actuator, as the amplified exhaust note is on Audi's lesser sportscar, the TT. And when the clouds clear, it'll be time to open the fabric hood, which retracts in just 20 seconds and can be operated at speeds of up to 31mph. So older owners' toupees will need to be firmly tied down. The rear-driven version we mentioned earlier allows for a lower entry price and gives the opportunity on track for controlled drifting, but it does without some key features you get with the more powerful quattro variant; the rear-driven R8 has no adaptive dampers, the steering has a fixed ratio and the limited slip differential is of the conventional mechanical type. It's hardly any slower than its showroom stablemate though - 62mph is dispatched in just 3.8s en route to 203mph. With either drivetrain, behind the V10, there's a seven-speed S tronic transmission and the dynamic handling owes much to the engine's low mounting position, which is achieved thanks to dry sump lubrication. The wheels are controlled by lightweight aluminium wishbones - a layout that reveals motorsport DNA.