Audi R8 (road car)

The Audi R8 (Typ 42) is a sports car with a longitudinally mounted mid-engine, and uses Audi's trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. It was introduced by the German automaker Audi AG in 2006.
The car was exclusively designed, developed, and manufactured by Audi AG's high performance private subsidiary company, quattro GmbH, and is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform. The fundamental construction of the R8 is based on the Audi Space Frame,and uses an aluminium monocoque which is built around space frame principles. The car is built by quattro GmbH in a newly renovated factory at Audi's 'aluminium site' at Neckarsulm in Germany.
In 2005, Audi announced that the name of the successful Audi R8 race car would be used for a new road car in 2007, the Audi R8, based on the Audi Le Mans quattro concept car, appearing at the 2003 International Geneva Motor Show, and 2003 Frankfurt International Motor Show. The R8 road car was officially launched at the Paris Auto Show on 30 September 2006. There was some confusion with the name, which the car shares with the 24 Hours of Le Mans winning R8 Le Mans Prototype (LMP). 6-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx described the R8 as "the best handling road car today".

Models

Coupé

4.2 V8

The Audi R8 was initially equipped with a 4.2 litre V8 engine. Specifically, it is an all-aluminium alloy 32-valve (four valves per cylinder) petrol engine, utilising Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI), and has a displacement of 4,163 cubic centimetres (254.0 cu in).It develops a motive power output of 420 metric horsepower (309 kW; 414 bhp) (Directive 80/1269/EEC), and generates 430 newton metres (317 ft·lbf) of torque, on 98 RON 'Super Unleaded' petrol. It is basically the same engine used in the Audi B7 RS4, but is modified to use dry sump lubrication system. This V8 is a highly reworked, high-revving variant of the existing 4.2 litre V8, but includes cylinder-direct fuel injection (Fuel Stratified Injection), and four valves per cylinder, instead of five (as used on the previous non-FSI variants). It also uses two chain-driven double overhead camshafts (DOHC) per cylinder bank, and utilises variable valve timing for both inlet and exhaust camshafts.
The transmission options are either a Lamborghini sourced six-speed manual gearbox with metal gate for the shift lever, or an Audi-developed R tronic gearbox - which is a semi-automatic, without a traditional clutch pedal with automatic gears shifting mode.These options are the same as those available on the Lamborghini Gallardo. A double clutch Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG), now badged by Audi as S tronic, is not available (as of April 2010^[update]).

Spyder

5.2 V10

Although it was rumoured by the automotive press since the announcement of the production R8 in 2006, it was only in August 2008 that spy shots of a convertible R8 'Spider' from filming scenes of the movie Iron Man 2 were published online, which included a "soft-top" roof is clearly visible, and the unique sideblade has been removed.The vehicle was unveiled in 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.Compared with the coupé model, the convertible will have extra chassis support, a pair of roll-over safety bars, as well as minor changes such as the location of the fuel tank filler. It will be powered by a 5.2 FSI V10 engine.