Audi squeezes a Lamborghini V-10 into the
engine bay of its R8 supercar. The result, says Road Test Editor
HOWARD WALKER? Magnifico.
Take one meaty German bratwurst. Coat it with a heaping of zesty Italian fra diavolo sauce. And what do you have? One exceedingly hot sausage. Audi’s latest iteration of its sensational R8 supercar – the searing R8 5.2 FSI Quattro – is that hot, steaming brat.
It’s what happens when you take an R8 – one of the most gorgeous creations to roll on four wheels – and swap its Audi-built V-8 with a hot-tempered Lamborghini V-10 mega-motor from the Gallardo. Fantastico!
Think of it in loose terms as a mixing of a little Gewurztraminer and Asti Spumante. Or the resulting love child from some imaginary in flagranti delicto between Heidi Klum and Vinny Testaverde!
Why would Audi do that? Because they can. You see the burgeoning Volkswagen AG group includes, among its ever-expanding stable of luxury car brands, both Audi and Lamborghini (as well as Bentley and Bugatti.
So, in exceedingly over-simplified terms, it was just a matter of the Fritz calling up Luigi, ordering-up a batch of V-10s from the Lamborghini parts store, and modifying them to fit. It’s not as if the R8 was in desperate need of an injection of increased power. Its standard 4.2-liter V-8 has at its disposal 420 thoroughbred horses that can thrust the aluminum-bodied R8 towards the horizon with the urgency of the Starship Enterprise going into warp speed.
But for those select few sports car aficionados who live by the mantra that too much power is never quite enough, the 525 horsepower from the Lamborghini V-10 is just what the good doctor ordered. And it’s an absolutely intoxicating combo. Whereas the V-8 is all big biceps and aural muscle, the V-10 screams to an insane 8,700 rpm redline, hitting the high notes like Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma!
For stopwatch clickers, those extra 105 horses and two additional cylinders mean the difference between hurtling from standstill to 60 mph in a breathtaking 3.4 seconds instead of a slightly less breathtaking 3.9 seconds. Not that from behind the wheel you’re going to notice the difference; V-8 or V-10 your body is still going to be compressed into the back of the seat and your eyelids peeled back like you’ve been riding an F-16 on full afterburner.
And, of course, with the R8’s standard Quattro all-wheel drive, there’s no smoke-belching burn-outs as the rear wheels clamor for grip. With all four 19-inch Pirellis gripping at the blacktop like Velcro on velvet, the R8 just lunges off the line.
Yet despite this over-serving of Italian horsepower, the R8 remains a pussycat to drive – albeit a cougar on caffeine. It’s happy to chug along in rush-hour traffic, or do the run to the grocery store. And unlike so many hard-core supercars, the R8’s suspension soaks up lumps and bumps like a Lexus.
Its cockpit too is the height of civility. It’s easy to climb in and out of without needing a course in limbo dancing. And there’s no shortage of legroom or headroom for the vertically-enhanced. Those deep-dish bucket seats hold you in place like a hug from Hulk Hogan!
And in true Audi fashion, the quality of the fixtures and fittings is breathtaking. The simplicity and clarity of the instruments, the tactile beauty of its salami-thick steering wheel and knurled-edged gear shifter. Gorgeous.
Talking of gears, you have the option of a six-speed manual shifter or a six-speed R-tronic manual-automatic. Unless you’re desperate for the car to do the shifting for you, stick with the manual. You can read a chapter of War & Peace in the time it takes for the automatic to change gears, whereas the manual has the click-click precision of flicking on a light switch.
To have a little Italian soul in your Teutonic Audi will cost you an extra $32-grand over the price of the V-8 version ($147,200 versus $115,400).
But make no mistake, when the tachometer needle spins towards that soaring redline and you feel the punch of 525 Italian stallions, it’ll have you singing like Luciano.
One word: Bellissimo!
For more information about the R8 and other Audi vehicles, please visit http://www.audiusa.com