Audi R8

We continue our way on the top 100 most beautiful cars of all time and its time to talk about the Audi R8.
The Audi R8^[3] (Typ 42)^[5] is a mid-engine sports car,^[3][6] which uses Audi's trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system.^[3][7] It was introduced by the German automaker Audi AG in 2006.
The car was exclusively designed, developed, and manufactured by Audi AG's high performance private subsidiary company, quattro GmbH, and is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform.^[8] The fundamental construction of the R8 is based on the Audi Space Frame,^[3] and uses an aluminium monocoque which is built around space frame principles. The car is built by quattro GmbH in a newly renovated factory at Audi's 'aluminium site' at Neckarsulm in Germany.^[3]

In 2005, Audi announced that the name of the successful Audi R8 race car would be used for a new road car in 2007, the Audi R8, based on the Audi Le Mans quattro concept car, appearing at the 2003 International Geneva Motor Show, and 2003 Frankfurt International Motor Show. The R8 road car was officially launched at the Paris Auto Show on 30 September 2006. There was some confusion with the name, which the car shares with the 24 Hours of Le Mans winning R8 Le Mans Prototype (LMP). 6-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx described the R8 as "the best handling road car today".^[9] The Audi R8 is used as a safety car in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and British Superbike Championship racing series.
The R8 is due to be replaced with a brand new model in calendar year 2014.^[10] The highest output version of Audi's new 4.0 liter V8 twin-turbocharged engine is expected to power the new car. This engine is scheduled to be previewed as a detuned version in the 2012 Audi S8- with 518 hp (386 kW) on tap.^{[citation needed]} In the R8 application it is expected to produce about 600 hp.^{[citation needed]} Combined with an approximate 200 lb (91 kg) weight loss, the new R8 is expected to compete well with the new Porsche 991 twin turbo model and will likely perform significantly better than the current R8 GT with a 0-60 mph time in 3.2 seconds and a quarter mile in less than 11 seconds. A dual clutch automated gearbox will be offered for the first time.
Many publications were hailing it as the first car to truly be able to beat the Porsche 997 — considered by many to be one of the best sports cars ever made, and a leader in its class.^[38] Initial comparison tests have proven quite positive in this respect; Evo Magazine listed it as a "supercar",^[39] compared the R8 to the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and BMW M6 and after praising the R8's "amazing stability, traction and grip, unparalleled steering accuracy and bite, (and) its uncannily flat and disturbance-free ride", claimed that as a result of "the sublime effortlessness of it all", the Audi is a better sports car. The article concluded that "Audi humbles Porsche. A new dawn starts today".^[40] Other publications have also written similar reviews of the Audi beating the Porsche in comparison tests.^[7][41] In a half mile drag race conducted by Battle of the Supercars between the R8 and a 997 Carrera S, the Porsche won, crossing the line just a half metre before the R8. However, the R8 easily beat the Porsche around Top Gear's test track.

The television show Top Gear compared the Nissan GT-R to the R8 V8, and remarked that the R8 was "simultaneously less impressive and yet somehow more involving". On the R8 they wrote that "it rewards driver input", calling it "fantastic in a way that will appeal more to true car enthusiasts", but also remarked that it (the V8 model) was "much slower", and the GT-R was cheaper.^[42] On their test track, the car performed better than a Lamborghini Gallardo and an Aston Martin DB9. On Bedford Autodrome, tested by Evo Magazine, the R8 was faster than the Lamborghini Gallardo.


Information courtesy of:http://en.wikipedia.org