Posted by Jeremy Clarkson at 4:55PM on Thursday 20 September, 2007 19 Comments
There is only one car here worth your attention or mine, and that's the R8.
Audi has pulled such an absolute blinder that I'm looking at my new Gallardo Spyder and wondering if there's some sly way I can get my money back.
We all know the Supercar Rules. It must be ostentatious, like a Murcielago Roadster (you'd attract less attention riding an ostrich in the raw); and it must be hopelessly compromised.
If you can parallel park without crushing a child or get in without losing a testicle on the seat bolster then it's out. It must leak, fail to start and must scare the very marrow out of your bones in every corner. They're the rules, and not for the first time, Audi has torn them up.
For a start, the R8 hasn't been styled by someone with ADHD. It's subtle, yet unique - TT aside. Get in, knackers intact, and parallel park at will. It'll start first time until long after you won't, and won't leak, rattle or fall apart. Unlike you again. And yet it's still a supercar.
Delicate, precise, composed and effortlessly fast, it uses the best balance of Quattro with heavy rear-drive bias to dish up sizzling IoM domination. For the old guard, it's game over.
19 Comments for "Audi R8"
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Astons, above all other cars have soul! Sure, Rolls are contenders for that title too, but Astons are simply the best cars around. Forget about the faults of the car, and just concentrate on the looks, sound and sheer coolness of it all. And Clarkson doesn't have one!
I think it looks great, the sort of uber-cool which Audi is best at. You should only drive it in the dark, so that everyone you pass on the street can gaze in awe at those trailing lines of LEDs.
That futuristic style says 'I'm not really supposed to be here yet... I shouldn't have popped up before the 2017 Geneva Motorshow'. Almost obscenely good looking.
I've always been a fan of Audi and even more so since they bought Lambo and introduced the world to the R8. Pretty cheap for a supercar too at only £76k! The thing I love most about this car is the underdog status its been given, like the M3 or the R26.
You can just imagine telling your best mate that you've got an Audi which can go from 0-62 in 4.2 seconds. And your mate's reaction when he drives it, brilliant. Very powerful, very cheap and very, very fast!
Valid point Clarkson but have you considered that the Audi is a tad too 'safety comes first'? compared to any other supercar out-there?
Yes, it is a great thrill, but the sensible people of Audi never stop engineering things, so sooner or later, there will be a faster, lighter, louder Lamborghini, or Audi R8 for that matter. Patience.
But the entire POINT of the supercar is to be outrageous. I want a half-a-million dollar car with doors that open the wrong way and so much power that you get tourque steer even though its real wheel drive. Not a boring Audi with safe and comfortable four wheel drive. What's so super about that?
I too agree with that all of that. The styling is absolutely unique and amazing. It's a car you fall in love with at first sight. Me being a huge Porsche fan, I would trade in a brace of 911's for that any day.
We know Audi's German design is unique and authentic in its own right, not to mention the beautiful fit and finish. Though the symmetrical and almost predictable design of this car cannot be compared to that of a Ferrari. The R8 is an entry into the supercar market that attracts a buyer with the hidden love of speed. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of the Audi but Ferrari is in a different league.
A Ferrari commands elite respect, the world's finest supercar builder. Even people that don't care about what a car is, they will most likely remember when they experience a Ferrari sighting. If you need to have the best, purchase the stallion. If you want to blend in, go with the four rings.
I am surprised by the R8 reviews. Looks like it is going to be a great car. However, it is as much as a super car as a Porsche 911, not that I am saying Porsches are not super. But, by your own opinions, they feel a lot like a pimped-up Beetle. This one seems like an over-sized TT. And Audi will never have the passion of a Ferrari or Lambo. Does it make you feel like a 8-year old? I am sorry, I am yet to find one who thinks so.
I can't help but wonder if Audi did this intentionally, did they make the Gallardo great but flawed enough so the R8 would be better? Sounds to me like they did...
Sorry Jeremy, it looks too dull and seems too robotic. It may be excellent to drive, but in my eyes it's not a proper super car.
The R8 does break those supercar rules - Yes I've seen one, very ordinary it was too. It vanished into the crowd as it passed by.
I don't really like the 911, but I can understand why someone would buy one. Just couldn't see why anyone would want the R8 - it's really rather dull...
Just driven up to Leeds and back over the weekend and saw this Audi on the way. It was black - my jaw dropped - what a fantastically beautiful car. Saw it sideways on, no idea what model so went on Top Gear site and there it was on home page!! Love it - will add it to my Xmas list after DB9 I drove last October...
I live in Germany and my neighbour has just got one, he let me have a look but won't let me drive it... can you believe that? When you consider the fact that my mate in the classic car club let me have a go with his newly restored Lambo Mura. But then again, I did let him drive my Spider 2600 as well.
Audi's torn up the rule book? I doubt it. Jeremy's review sounds very much like the reviews the Honda NSX received when it first came out. I should know - I had one for many years - a completely painless, and pleasurable, experience.
"It'll start first time until long after you won't, and won't leak, rattle or fall apart. Unlike you again. And yet it's still a supercar."
Porsche 911 Turbo or GT2 does the same... and for quite a while now ;)
If I were in the market for a supercar, there is no way I would settle for an Audi ! Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but as far as I am concerned, Audi will never be true competition with Lambo, Porsche, or Maserati, never mind Ferrari, regardless of how good the car is underneath!
Very true points, Mr. Clarkson, and there's no denying it - I can see that if I had my sensible head on, I'd be off to the Audi website in a heartbeat. However, what you're saying here conflicts with a couple of other statements you've made concerning supercars and the R8 itself.
(The TG Magazine buyer's guide - 'Clarkson Says' on the Audi R8) "When Audi's alledged Lambo came out, we all instantly wanted a drive. After a few minutes, however, we all preferred to go in a proper Lambo.
I can see that an everyday supercar is a dream of everyone, but you also said of your Ferrari 355 that if you drove it every day, it would stop being special. That's what really defines a sports or super car to me, something that is special when you drive it, that you couldn't use every day.
A BMW M3 or an Audi R8 (or even perhaps a Porsche) can't really be classed as special if you are going to eat your fish and chips in it. Give me the diesel hatchback for my family, and the Gallardo, MX-5 or Elise for me.
Audi's torn up the rule book? I doubt it. Jeremy's review sounds very much like the reviews the Honda NSX received when it first came out. I should know - I had one for many years - a completely painless, and pleasurable, experience.
Audi's torn up the rule book? I doubt it. Jeremy's review sounds very much like the reviews the Honda NSX received when it first came out. I should know - I had one for many years - a completely painless, and pleasurable, experience.