Audi R8 is Audi's supercar. It's a brilliant sports car, available in V8 and V10 form, as an R8 coupé and an R8 roadster. Audi blew us away when it launched its first supercar in 2007. Who would have guessed that boring old Ingolstadt, with its expertise in front- and four-wheel drive saloons and estates, would go on to build a stonking supercar that could take the fight to the 911 and junior Aston Martins and Lambos? But they did, and some. Arriving first was the 4.2 V8, mounted amidships under those evocative aluminium side blades and driving all four wheels. Yet the R8 never felt 4wd, with a nimble playfulness that belied its Quattro traction. Best of all was a wonderful exposed alloy gearlever, click-clacking around the gate for all the world like it's a junior Ferrari. Which in many regards, it is. Audi went on to launch a robotised manual 'box, but we've always preferred the stick shift. Ditto with the engines, for the rampant Sant'Agata-sourced V10 was certainly ballistic, but we somehow always kept a soft spot for the V8, which is just more raggable, more of the time. If there is a chink in the R8's armour, it's the cabin. The interior of this supercar simply isn't up to scratch at this level, feeling like an A8 of a dozen years ago. Some of the infotainment and heating controls just don't gel. But frankly we'll forgive such foibles for such a wonderfully styled and engineered fun machine.
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