Audi’s name might be associated with luxury cars and big SUVs in India , but the fact is that this German carmaker recently stepped into the world of supercars as well. No , not the TT , i am talking about the real deal here. A car that looks quintessential Audi from the front with the rear taken right off a Lamborghini - the R8 is the fastest and the finest production car to have come from this company. Named after the five-time Le Mans winner , the R8 offers all the edgy lust of an Italian supercar - the right curves , sexy looks and a low swung roofline. The 24 day time running LED lights inspired by the Sydney Opera house look stunning. A long sweeping hood followed by a roof that gently flows into the rear uncovers the massive V8 engine that sits below a distinctive transparent engine cover. The contrasting silver side blades might look out of place but they have been designed with a purpose - to chuck air into the 4.2-liter 420PS engine.

The R8 uses three lightweight materials in abundance - aluminum , magnesium and carbonfibre. Though the inspiration to design the car came from the Lamborghini Gallardo , only 15 percent of the parts are shared. 782 rivets , 382 self tapping screws and 99 meters of welding go into making every single R8. Weight saving has been given top priority with the aluminum body shell weighing just 210kg.

Like all low supercars , getting into the R8 in itself is a difficult exercise. However once inside , the seats seem to hug you tightly and there is enough room for two big adults. You can easily see some parts taken from the Audi family models but the overall layout and quality , leaves no reason to complain. However , Audi could have probably played with more colours than just a simple mix of black and silver. The silver finished manual gearbox (yes!) is directly lifted from the Gallardo but the race inspired flat bottomed steering wheel does surprise you. Fire the engine and it instantly calms down into a deep rumble. Though Audi also sells a V10 option abroad , in India we only have the V8 on sale. Good for me as I personally feel the V10s don’t sound as sonorous as the V8s. The engine (the same One used in the hot RS4) is basically a highly reworked Audi V8 mill with features like FSI , four valves per cylinder , two chain driven double overhead camshafts per cylinder bank and variable valve timing for both inlet and exhaust camshafts , along with a variable tract length intake manifold. What this basically means for non-technical blokes is that the motor pumps out enough juice in the form of 420PS of power and 430Nm of torque. Though Audi offers the manual and the auto ‘box options in India , we got a chance to drive the former one and boy , did I thank the heavens for this. I don’t remember the last time I drove a car with this much power and a manual ‘box.

The R8 is manically and insanely fast. It will shred small pieces of rubber while accelerating from naught to a hundred in just under five seconds (blame the low quality fuel in India) , taking another eleven to go past 200km/h. The clocks , given the right roads , can show speeds of well over 300km/h as well. But it is not the car’s performance that impressed me the most , it is the way it handles and feels around corners. The Quattro system works brilliantly , making the driver exit corners in exactly the way he intended. For enthusiasts , the system further makes sure you can have fun with the rear stepping out while flooring the right pedal as the power is always distributed among the four wheels with of course , partiality to the rear ones. Perfect!

But given the fact that in daily Indian driving conditions , the car will live most of its life slotted in the third and fourth cogs , does this baby have enough low end juice for City grinds? The answer is yes. Plus the fact that the seats are comfortable enough for long stints behind the wheel means that the R8 has to be one of the most accommodating supercars around. Head out to the open highways or sweeping roads and you will fall in love with it. If you are lucky enough to have a tunnel near your city , head there everyday , roll down the windows , go pedal to metal and enjoy that lovely grunt from the eight cylinders. For Rs 1.17 crore (ex-showroom) , the R8 also seems ‘cheap’ in the company of the other two cars here. Audi’s first step into the German supercar club , has already achieved success abroad. As for me , the R8 is a difficult weapon to fault. It’s hard to say , but yes , I am completely sold.

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