It’s with a heavy heart (and now-heavier wallet) that I’ve gotta say so long to my beloved Audi R8… Oh, the humanity!
I’ve been the proud own of this 2008 R8 V8 with a 6-speed manual for just about 7 months and in that time have put ~5000 miles on it in that time. Goddamn is car one of the all-time classics.
I’ll start with what I’d term the biggest complement I could pay a car like this: it behaves just like a “normal” car. The R8 was designed to be an “everyday supercar” and Audi hit it out of the park in that regard. This car is perfectly fine doing the mundane: grocery getting, kid chauffering and even the occasional Lowes run are all handled without drama…as are the many speed bumps that dot my neighborhood.
There is approximately 0.0% drama with this car…that is, until you want some. And then its a simple press of your right foot and you can meter in as much madness as you like. It goes from civility to civil disobedience as the tach needle sweeps past 5k. Then it sounds like you’re harboring a pissed off lion behind your head.
The gated shifter is a dream…the handling is dead-perfect…the brakes bitch-slap inertia like no one’s business and the fit and finish are beyond reproach. Hell, I’d go so far as to say this thing is a great long-haul cruiser…it’s that comfortable. Of course, at 8-12mpg, those long hauls will be dotted with trips to the petrol station. But its all about smiles per gallon, not miles, anyway.
At any rate, I will sorely miss you R8. All the best and maybe we’ll meet again at some point as I can’t rule out not wanting to own one at some point down the line.
…and now the burning question: what do I replace it with?
