New car news

02 July 2010 - 11:00

Audi R8 Spyder: now in V8 flavour

Need an R8 Spyder on your immaculately raked driveway but simply won't stretch to the $375,000-odd asking price for the V10 version?

Good news, you parsimonious convertible enthusiast! Audi has just announced that the Spyder will be made available with the quite excellent V8 engine from the R8 coupe.

We've always been big fans of the, ahem, base spec R8, and we suspect we'll be just as keen on the V8 convertible. At 309kW, it's 77kW down on the V10, but still plenty quick: with Quattro four-wheel drive as standard, the Spyder will hit 100km/h in under five seconds and top out on the exciting side of 180mph.

It won't be cheap, exactly: although Audi has only announced Euro prices, we'd expect it to tip the wallet-o-meter somewhere between $280,000 and $300,000.

And you can still spec plenty of expensive goodies including the big Bang & Olufsen stereo, carbon brakes and the R-Tronic ‘box if you really must.

At which point you'll have a V8 Spyder that's almost as expensive as the V10. Oops.

Tom Harrison