Spotted: 2007 Audi R8

Has time and exclusivity served Audi's 911 alternative well?

R8s are knocking at the £50k door

I remember speaking to a friend after I'd seen the first pictures of the R8, waxing on about how stunning I thought it looked and how - if it drove like it looked - Audi might have given Porsche something to think about. 'Can't see it myself' he replied, 'it looks like a TT with a body kit.'

I thought that was a bit harsh, and the car did turn out to be the swinging danglies to drive, but to this day I can't mention the R8 without my friend saying 'nah, I'd rather have a 911.' We had the same conversation again recently at Wilton House and I wondered afterwards how a used R8 stacks up against a used 911, now that the fast Audi has been around for a few years.

So how does it stack up...

When it was new the basic price of an R8 compared to a 997 Carrera 4, but if you went all-out for an R-tronic car with alcantara headlining, mag' ride, carbon side-blades, vodka bar-style engine bay illumination and so on, the resulting bill would have put you closer to 997 Turbo territory.

This Audi R8 is about as modestly priced as they come at the moment at £51,995. The chrome-wrapped side-blades may or may not be to your taste, and it isn't laden with expensive options. However the service history appears to be spot-on and showing just 23,000 recorded miles it looks like decent value.

...against a used slice of Pork?

In terms of an equivalent Porker though, for just a couple of grand extra you could be rolling in this 997 Turbo. Made in the same year and showing similar mileage to the R8, the Stuttgart car also boasts full Porsche history and the ceramic brake option, not to mention a fresh set of Pilot Sports.

It's a tough one. The Porsche is slightly pricier, and is clearly a significantly faster car. However the Audi isn't exactly slow and does hold the exclusivity card.

Before you decide which one you'd go for though, it seems only fair to point out that of the same year and similar mileage and history, you could have this V8 Vantage for a full ten grand less than the R8. Okay it can't be compared directly to the 997 Turbo, but it isn't too far off the R8 in terms of performance and it arguably aces the Audi for practicality and cabin sexiness.