Played Cat and Mouse with an Audi R8 today!!!

Hi all, Hit the truway on my home from work today....as soon as I got to the end of the ramp to speed up.....I noticed an odd looking car in the left lane. I sped up hoping to catch what it was....within 30 seconds, I approached the car....had absolutely no idea what it was. When I got a bit closer, I could see the audi rings on the rear.....and then I realized it was an R8. He politely moved over for me, I must say it is a beautiful car. The venting in the front and back is very aggressive and different looking. Anyhow, when I went by, I gave him the "OK" sign....he returned the gesture.....he had a huge smile on his face. Anyhow, I got a slow person in front of me, and he pulled away some.....then I merged behind him. After about 15 seconds....the road cleared ahead, and he laid on the pedal. So I followed. I didn't want to pass him....was a neat car to watch. Soon....there was no one in the left for a while, and heard that engine roar some....but it wasn't as loud as it looked like it should have been. Anyhow, I kept up every burst.....and for just a second I think we flirted with a buck thirty or so......after a few more miles....I had to exit....I gave thim the flash and a wave, he waved back. I must say the car is very very impressive looking, and it took off nicely. Not sure how hard he was hitting the pedal, but there was no issue on keeping up....I could have passed a few times, but like I said....was a great car to look at. Serious wide *** on that thing....and soooo different from others on the road. So, what's the deal with this car? Stats?? I don't think I could ever get one though....my kids would hate not being able to tag along with me. Anyone else have some fun with that car? J

Cool! I didn't realize that it had been released over here yet.

420 hp V8 A few car mags have tested it against the 997S and the 997TT and it has taken them both at the track. However, the 997 GT3 laid down a better track time than the R8 in the latest C&D. It should be more than a match for any 996 short of a GT3 or a TT w/mods.

Without further ado, here's the quick rundown on the specifics: All-aluminum body 4.2L 420-horsepowermid-mounted V8 320 lb-ft peak torque from 4,500 to 6,000 RPM. 90% of max available from 3500 rpm and up 0-62 mph in 4.6 seconds Top speed of 187 mph All headlight functions available as LEDs Typically excellent Audi interior Automatically-extending rear spoiler Two transmissions available: 6-speed manual and Audi R Tronic sequential shift gearbox R Tronic can be shifted vis console stick or wheel-mounted paddles Quattro all-wheel-drive Available magnetic ride system 18" wheels standard, 19" optional First time the Audi rings are on the hood instead of the vehicle grille Clear engine cover 3 colors available for the side trim panel

You forgot 3600 lbs. I hate this trend of making cars heavier and heavier. The only car more embarassed in the Car & Driver VIR test was the porky 997 turbo. They were both beat by the Exige S and the standard Corvette.

Wow 3,600 lbs. BTW...my post was a copy and paste from another website

Thanks Steven.....what does it cost? My first thought was to get my phone out to snap a picture, but then thought twice....lol. I thought of this board, and couldn't wait to post. It was silver, just like the picture above....not sure on the specifics though. Funny b/c I've never even seen a picture of the car in the reviews, so it was all new to me....only heard of the car before today. J

More info I grabbbed from another site: VEHICLE TYPE: mid-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $100,000 ENGINE: DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection Displacement: 254 cu in, 4163cc Power (SAE net): 420 bhp @ 7800 rpm Torque (SAE net): 317 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm TRANSMISSIONS: 6-speed manual, 6-speed manual with automated shifting and clutch DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase: 104.3 in Length: 174.4 in Width: 74.8 in Height: 49.2 in Curb weight: 3450 lb PERFORMANCE (MFR�S EST): Zero to 62 mph: 4.6 sec Top speed (drag limited): 187 mph PROJECTED FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST): EPA city driving: 16 mpg EPA highway driving: 20 mpg

IMHO I do not find the look of the vehicle very appealing...actually rather ugly especially from the front.

TT on steriods = ugly

I think the pix look kinda weird and bulky too.....it really does look amazing when it's rolling. At least in the rear for sure. You'll see what I mean when there are more on the road. Looks way better than the pictures. It has a nice stance. I am in no way an Audi fan BTW. J

i would love to take a test drive before i come to any conclusion.... but it is exclusive....... for now.......

I've only seen it in pictures, but from the shots I have seen of the car I think it is stunning.

I saw one in May in Nuremberg and it's even better in person. A very nice looking car, although I wouldn't touch it at the price tag that they're putting on it.

Why buy the R8 when there is something called Gallardo

Or something called a GT3. I bet it does look good in person though.

I think its cool, I cant believe it doesnt pull away more, maybe he was in cruise control

I've driven a Gallardo amazing car...and yes I would take that any day over an audi including the R8

911 killa

I too have seen the car in person here in Germany and it does look better live than in pictures. Just wait for the V10 I am not sure what Porsche will do to stay up, maybe buy the company and stop production after a very short run.

Porsche buy Audi?! As far as I know they are all part of the same group as Lambo, VW, Skoda, Seat etc. etc.

That is what I was joking about, they are in fact the major share owner now so do you think Porsche will allow Audi to build a better sports car for long before the R and D Euros dry up and the R8 is removed from production?

So the 996 is still quicker. Good to know.

I don't know, if it was mine I'd be respecting the break-in period, which a car that new is probably still under. So probably not at all a reasonable test. I think the R8 will be a force to be reckoned with, and a nice alternative for those shopping in the category. Hard to do a lightweight car AND all wheel drive, however.

The "cat and mouse" run did not determine the superiority or inferioriy of either car for obvious reasons that I won't even bother to list. However, it's clear that the R8 is superior to most cars in terms of performance. We'll get a better idea of how good it is (versus its competitiors) by its achievements on the track and test results from car magazines. I think we'll be surprised at how capable it really is. Bravo, Audi.

The R8 motor is very similar to the Gallardo, but it is tuned differently to provide more torque. I've been driving Audi's for years and they're one of the best used car buys on the market because they depreciate so rapidly here in the US. Not so in Europe, where they outsell BMW. My plan was to wait 4-5 years and pick up a used R8 for ~$50k, but I got the P-car itch instead and found a C4. Audi may introduce a spyder version in the future, and there are plans for the S8's V10 to be installed which may really accelerate the depreciation of the first generation (current) R8. Haven't driven one yet...

I don't have the magazine in front of me but I read the Car & Driver article on the plane yesterday and as I recall the R8 was about a second faster than the 997 turbo. The Exige S was a second faster than the R8. The 997 GT3 was three seconds faster than the Exige and the X06 was another three seconds faster than the GT3. The Z06 ran the fastest lap yet of the cars C&D have tested. If you haven't checked out C&D's new testing methods at VIR you should. I'm going to subscribe to the magazine again after many years without looking at it. VIR is a great track to measure real world fast. Much much better than the 0-60 and braking tests that everyone does now. Jim p.s. no the 996 is not faster than the R8. I'm sure it would be severl seconds slower.

Based on the reviews I've read on the R8, the key benefit to the R8 over the 911 versions it�s been tested against is handling, not straight line performance. It's faster on most race tracks than a 911. It is easier to drive hard. I think one of the quotes I read was that the R8 "makes you a better driver".

Looks like I started a good one here.....anyhow, yes...there is no way to tell how hard he was accelerating....but again, no issue keeping up, so I would imagine he was "taking it easy", but so was I. I wasn't redlining or anything...just very hard accleration. I used "cat and mouse" as a term of endearment.... Not sure how many of these cars will be produced, but it definitely has the appearance of an exotic, no doubt on that. I can assure you all of that. This does not have the look of those pontiac or saturn roadster cars....this kinda has the same appearance as a super exotic. Very low. J

but the R8 doesn't have back seats! :-)

It hasn't. It was probably a magazine writer. I believe they are the only ones who have gotten loaners yet, for reviewing.

I can't wait to get my hands on an R8. I've asked my dealer to bump me down the list a bit since I do not want to get the first model year and instead will shoot for MY09. I've learned the hard way that it is nice to be the first one on the block with a new model, but I'd rather have someone else deal with the kinks.

Audi is owned by Volkswagen. Porsche now, I believe, has a controlling interest in Volkswagen. So it's basically already happened. Some journos speculated that when Porsche got controlling interest, they'd kill the R8 because that car broke the gentleman's agreement they had not to mount a direct competitor to the 911. If the R8 gets its volume from elsewhere, I think they'll keep it in the line. If it cannibalizes 911 sales, don't be shocked if it has a short life. As for the car, it looks great on paper. But it's just so focus-group slick and modern looking, it's hard to love, IMHO. And it seems like a lot of money to pay for 2/10ths of a second to 100kph.

I heard in a reliable european motoring magazine that Eddie Griffin was running it in its first inaugural race at the end of this year. (sorry, had too)

Taking it easy to 130 mph?

This car is beautiful in person, I was dying to get one when I saw it. That price in this demon is 100K plus the overprice you are willing to pay... *Cough* 40-50k... They are stocked out everywhere and coming in very slowly and in small quantities. Having had a TT (Audi) I love this car; and it was the first time I felt violated by a seat... you cant imagine how much of a "hug like experience" the seat of this beast has.

I'm not really interested in Road Course numbers because there are so many variations in play. While I assume riding around the track is fun to you guys, I can't really get into the excitement since most of the track references on this board are not head to head. I prefer to hear what actually happened on the HWY, head to head.

Very interesting with the porsche influence on the company. I dont think they have the supercar experience to have a substantial negative impact on porsche's bottom line.....

Ahh, that makes more sense. I knew that as of May it wasn't over here and I hadn't heard of a release date.

Who knows.....maybe in the next Car and Driver...the reviewer will have a little story about how it's main competitor tailed him on the thruway for a while for a spirited and respectful jaunt....you heard it here first. J

Hah! maybe Audi will say: "Unfortunately we will have to end the production of the R8, since we got stalked by a Porsche owner who was afraid of his car depreciating in value; we feared for our lifes...."

I found this video of an Audi R8 hillclimb - holy cow - listen to that engine! http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=395173&fr=yvmtf Nice driving also!

he was toying with you. If he wanted to, he would have left you standing still.

I saw a silver one parked outside my gym about a month ago in Bergen County New Jersey (maybe it was the same car) They also had one as a pace car (dark grey) at Lime Rock this weekend for the ALMS race. Beautiful car!!!

Wellardmac, that video is not the R8, its the LeMans Audi Supercar (Called commonly R8)

Anyone know how much a gallardo weighs?

Given the price of the R8 which is a lot higher than the 997 S I'd like to see a head to head test with a 997 X fitted with option X 51 !! that would be interesting...

The R8 looks amazing while driving in person. I didn't care for it much in photos but once I saw it in person on the interstate it just blew me away. I would prefer a Lambo but the cost difference is quite a bit more. Either way ,I am an Audi fan (notice my other vehicle is an S4) and this new breed is sure to last a while.

Ahh, that would explain why the view from the camera looked kinda odd compared to the R8 that I saw. They are both R8s, just not the same R8.

Right, thats why you fell in love with that exhaust sound. This is what's in the video:

Yup! That would do it! Nice!

Count me as one who thinks R8 is ugly. That extra piece on the side of the car: what's the point? Isn't it against the purpose of a strong car body to not have an extra panel to account for? That piece stands out for no apparent mechanical reason, and is a surprising touch from a German car. Looks like they learned that one from the aftermarket modders for Nissan or Scion. You can spend $2000 extra (not much considering the car costs six figures) and get it in carbon. Cool, but that's a sure sign of a car designer with poseurs in mind, and not something any self-respecting purpose-driven sports car manufacturer should be allowing. The R8 looks striking but nothing special about its looks besides...striking. Shelf life for striking looking cars is usually short, because it's as long as the attention span of the auto magazine writers. Once the magazine writers are onto the next hot car for their covers, this will not be in the forefront of the collective consciousness of car aficionados.

I though the LED headlights aren't available in the US.

enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkarCTMjdgY