R8 Spyder reigns in Oz
Audi's new rangetopper, the R8 Spyder, has arrived – along with torrential rain and a hefty pricetagBoasting a 0-100km/h sprint of 4.1sec and a sunshine to sealed interval of 19sec, Audi's most expensive soft-top ever has gone on sale Down Under.
The 386kW V10-engined R8 Spyder was launched yesterday in torrential rain at Phillip Island in Victoria. Customer deliveries commence next month with cars wearing pricetags that starts at a whopping $376,100 for the manual version. The robotized R-tronic (autromatic) version starts at $392,000 – or, to put it another way, enough to buy you an A3 soft-top, an A5 Cabriolet and a V8-engined R8 coupe!
Indeed, with a modest number of option boxes ticked, the R8 Spyder easily tops $400K!
Though based on its coupe sibling, the Spyder features significant styling changes. Large body-side air intakes give the car a quite different stance visually and the engine cover and rear scuttle have all been redesigned.
The 'classic' soft-cloth top features 'fins' to escape the 'truncated' look of some two-seater convertibles and folds away under a carbon-fibre cover in just 19sec. Featuring a Z-folding mechanism and one-touch electric operation the whole set-up weighs just 42kg, says Audi.
The top can be raised or lowered at up to 50km/h. Trying to do the same at the R8 Spyder's 313km/h top speed would be ill advised, however.
Audi says the Spyder's body-in-white is unique. It claims the R8 Spyder's aluminium Audi Space Frame (ASF) body is just 6kg heavier than its coupe equivalent – at 216kg.
At 1720kg in complete manual form, the Spyder matches Ferrari's California but is around 60kg heavier than Porsche's latest 911 Turbo soft-top (even with a twin-clutch PDK transmission fitted). That said, even at $400K the Audi is significantly cheaper than both competitors.
Power is provide by the same Lamborghini-sourced 5.2-litre V10 that features in the flagship R8 Coupe. The engine features dry-sump lubrication and direct petrol injection. It produces 386kW at 8000rpm and 530Nm at 6500.
Like the coupe the R8 V10 is all-wheel drive and six-speed manual or R-tronic automated single-clutch gearboxes are offered.
The R8 Spyder rolls on 19-inch wheels and features Audi's electronically adjustable magnetic ride suspension. Ceramic brakes are a $25K-plus option.
Standard equipment includes significant interior customization options, B&O audio, climate control air and electrically adjusted and heated seats. MMI user interface, full satnav and full LED headlamps are also standard.
The cockpit will be familiar to R8 aficiandos. Echoing the coupe's 'monoposto' design concept, it features a tight driver-oriented binnacle with racecar style flat-bottomed wheel complete with gearshift paddles. Interior options include a comprehensive leather package that includes a dash overlay and the like. It's priced at $8700.
In appreciation of its open-top orientation, Audi has specially tweaked the hands-free installation in the R8 Spyder. As well as a conventional screen mounted microphone, the Spyder gets integrated seatbelt microphones, which, it says: "makes it possible to make telephone calls even with the top down on the highway".
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