When illuminated, the Audi R8's tail lamps look like a pair of double quotation marks enclosing the marque's four-ring symbol on the rear end. And in a way, the German carmaker is making a bold statement with its first mid-engine sports car.
The Audi R8 is a two-seat high-performance model that plugs a strategic gap in the premium manufacturer's line-up and gives the fast-growing brand an image boost.
As a halo model, it certainly looks the part. It is short, low and wide - at just 1.25 metres high and 1.90 metres across - with a striking vertical panel behind the door called a sideblade. It may not be as sensuous as an Italian supercar but it does have distinctive details, like LED headlights - for fatigue-free night driving as well as bragging rights for being the first production model to have them.
To ensure that all this style has sufficient substance, a 4.2-litre V8 engine is showcased under the rear window.
The FSI direct injection engine is naturally aspirated for a better spread of torque than a turbocharged unit, thus requiring fewer gear changes and providing more driving pleasure, according to Audi. It powers all four wheels and the quattro all-wheel-drive that gives the car its special character.
With the R8, Audi set out to make something that can be driven on the race track, yet switch easily to cross-country travel with luggage and a couple of golf bags - but without the nervous handling and uncomfortable ride of a twitchy race car. There won't be any V8 roar to leave you shell-shocked either.
Stable & confident
And even at insane autobahn speeds, the R8's brief specifies stability and confidence, with the four-wheel-drive and suspension providing the smoothness of a big German saloon.
At its media launch last week in Las Vegas, the R8 displayed some of this ability to combine that dual nature. Strict enforcement on the Interstate 15 meant it wasn't often that the R8's 420 horses got to gallop above 75 mph (120 kmh) much.
But when they did, the car was reassuringly unflappable. It cut through the phalanx of dusty sedans and gigantic trucks like a predator slicing into a herd of overweight buffalo.
A slim, meshed spoiler automatically deploys above 80 mph, and with the downforce created by the flat undercarriage, the R8 never seems to lack grip.
The steering is well-weighted and almost light but still accurate. Handling is also enhanced by the rigidity of the car's lightweight aluminium space frame. The standard suspension is very firm to ensure the R8 performs credibly when on the track.
But it feels like a good compromise between the two settings offered by the optional magnetic ride suspension. This variable damper system has a normal mode that offers a smooth, civilised ride and a sport mode that provides leech-like grip but a much bumpier experience.
It is on the track where the magnetic ride option is worth every cent. Pick the sport damper setting, then hit the other sport button below the joystick of the R tronic sequential manual transmission. The latter heightens the gear changes of this clutchless manual box, which is derived from the Lamborghini Gallardo's robotised E-gear but improved for shift speed and comfort.
Quick & sure
At the Las Vegas Speedway, the R tronic's steering-mounted paddles work with the car's light weight and quattro capability to perform slalom manoeuvres and high-speed corners quickly and surely.
As with all cars that enter a corner too quickly and are subject to over-correction, understeer is induced and the R8 will start drifting.
But unlike a rear-wheel-driven car, the all-wheel-drive R8 won't slam into a set of safety cones like an unguided missile. Ease off the gas and the front wheels immediately regain their bite and take you in the right direction. All very safe but still very entertaining.
The fact that the R8 has a 44/56 per cent front/rear weight distribution also helps.
For a high-performance model with near-exotic looks, the R8's biggest attraction is its combination of everyday usability and superb build quality. What an accomplishment.
Engine: 4,163 cc V8 Gearbox: 6-speed R tronic sequential manual transmission Max power: 420 hp @ 7,800 rpm Max torque: 430 Nm @ 4,500-6,000 rpm 0-100kmh: 4.6 secs 0-200kmh: 14.9 secs Top speed: 301 kmh Estimated price: slightly over $500,000 Agent: Premium Automobiles. Tel: 6566-1111
