NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: Audi R8 Spyder launched
Droptop supercar unveiled at US car show, 50 per cent stiffer than old roadster, almost as quick as the coupeAudi has pulled the drapes off its second-generation R8 Spyder at the New York motor show, ahead of its Australian release in the first half of next year.
Measuring in at 4426mm long, 1940mm wide and standing 1244mm tall, the new Audi roadster is 14mm shorter than before, the same height, but 36mm wider.
Sharing its mid-mounted 397kW/540Nm naturally-aspirated 5.2-litre V10 with the new R8 V10 Plus Coupe, the roadster reaches 100km/h from standstill in just 3.6 seconds and tops out at 318km/h -- just 0.1 seconds and 5km/h slower than the lighter coupe version.
Claimed to be more than 50 per cent more rigid than the old convertible R8, the new Spyder weighs in at just 1612kg (dry) and is based around the same aluminium/carbon-fibre spaceframe chassis that underpins the coupe.
Featuring an electrically folding fabric hood, it takes 20 seconds -- at up to speeds of 50km/h -- for the roof to open or close.
R8 engineers working on the Spyder claim road and wind noise levels have been slashed compared to the outgoing model, while a new wind deflector cuts air turbulence around the head and shoulders by around 80-90 per cent.
Like the hard-top R8, there’s no manual transmission option. Instead, there’s just the German car-maker’s seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that drives Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive hardware, which can send as much as 100 per cent of torque to the rear wheels in ‘extreme circumstances’.
Inside, the same 12.3-inch ‘virtual cockpit’ replaces a conventional dash and can be customised to the driver’s preferences.
New for the Spyder is a revised smartphone interface for the infotainment system that can display selected content from your phone directly on the digital dash. There’s also a new wireless charging phone box -- both will soon be available on the coupe.
Also making its debut on the Spyder are new head restraints that incorporate speakers, which is essential -- Audi claims -- for an ‘excellent’ acoustic experience when driving hood-down.
In Europe, R8 deliveries begin in late 2016.
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