This is the the new Audi R8 Spyder, which has finally been treated to an official unveiling by the fine folks at Audi at the Frankfurt motor show.
As expected, the soft-top R8 is only available with the range-topping 5.2-litre V10 engine that's recently been slotted into the R8 coupe.
Despite reinforcements to the car's centre tunnel, floor pan and both the A-pillars and B-pillars, the R8 Spyder's aluminium space frame keeps weight gain to a minimum - at 1720kg the R8 Spyder is 100kg heavier than the coupe, but just 6kg of that comes from the bodyshell.
That extra 100kg does blunt the R8 Spyder's performance slightly, though. The 518bhp V10 R8 Spyder manages the sprint to 62mph in 4.1secs (0.3secs longer than the coupe's time), while top speed is down 3mph at 194mph.
Channeling that power to the tarmac is the familiar combination of all-wheel drive and a six-speed manual gearbox, although Audi's R Tronic paddle-shift auto is available as an option.
The R8 Spyder also loses the coupe's 'side blade' styling, although the side panels and the cover for the (cloth) hood are of carbon composite. The result is a much more elongated profile, exaggerated by the twin horizantally slatted engine vents.
The hood is fully automatic and can be raised or lowered in 19 seconds and at speeds of up to 31mph.