Threat to Porsche Audi R8

[timmo]

I went to the launch of the Audi R8 last night at Canary Wharf Winter Gardens
It had the usual Razzmatazz with celebs,music,food etc but when they unveilved
the car it looked stunning with the Carbon rear engine cooling at the rear - I had a good look round it and it looks well put together - photos do the car no justice !
Apart from the meccano rear wing mechanism I think Audi has a potential winner on their
hands and If you stripped all Interior out a serious track car + 4 wheel drive in the wet !


Tim

[DanH]

Gonna buy one?

[silver993tt]

another 911 "killer"? This was said about the AMV8 (I still have one of the magazines with that stated on the front page before it was launched) and that failed. There have been so many of these "killers" and all have failed in that quest.

However, let's wait and see once more.

[verysideways]

If only Audi would make a car that drove as well in the flesh as it did on paper. I think they are finally realising that now (with cars like the V8 S4 and the new TT).

R8 looks great and i'm sure it will take a piece of the 911 market, but i don't think it'll be a very big piece in all honesty. The 911 occupies a market segment where those three numbers mean an AWFUL lot.

9 1 1

Say it with me. Nine Eleven.

[glenn mcmenamin]

I think the V10 version will be the one to look out for......


G.

[Fittster]

When will you actually be able to buy an R8 and any estimates of the waiting list?

[B15TT0]

Regardless of how it drives...

Sometimes just reminding myself that I have a `nine eleven` puts an odd smirk on my face and gives me a feeling of having something that i shouldn't. It's a combination of heritage, engineering credibility, contravening the recognised rules of car design and more.

I'm not sure an Audi R8 will do the same.

[timmo]

There was a lot of Hairdresser types there
the ones you see in Audi TTs

[Dino D]

I think the R8 makes more sense when you ask yourself:

What other mid-engined, V8, 4 wheel drive sports car can you buy for the money?
(that also has the dealer network, quality, bells and whistles, engineering etc that the R8 offers by simply being an Audi)

[CatherineJ]

Are there any prices yet for the R8?

[ED965]

Gotta say the R8 looks nice and will no doubt be a stonker of a car.
Although i am a Porsche nut through & through, i have a soft spot for Audi's

[964RS]

The problem to all other manufacturers is that those three little numbers....9..1..1 come with so much huge history and widespread passion that they know no matter what they build they can't just 'create' that aura.

Wonder how much they would give to have it????

Audi does look great though and with Le Mans and their innovative technical developments...they are building something that won't be far off Porsche for passion...in maybe 10-20 years.

[Dino D]

964RS said:

with Le Mans and their innovative technical developments...they are building something that won't be far off Porsche for passion...in maybe 10-20 years.

When you put it that way it starts to make more sense..I gues they are also after the halo effect for the lesser models.

[Mannginger]

964RS said:

The problem to all other manufacturers is that those three little numbers....9..1..1 come with so much huge history and widespread passion that they know no matter what they build they can't just 'create' that aura.

True, but they are also becoming ubiquitous. You can't really move for 911s where I live and I imagine the city is similar.

Don't get me wrong, I was never a Porsche fan unitl being utterly blown away by Dazren's X50's 996 turbo, I really really want one now, but they aren't novel.

If the R8 can get the dynamics right (and is priced well) then it will steal a lot of sales I would guess.

Phil

[chrisw.]

It sure is a pretty car.

Not sure tht 4wd is an advantage though. Ok I give in, up to 10 mph.

But if this embraces all that is great about Lambo into an Audi platform, Porsche should take it far more seriously than BMW.

Though the new M3 may hav a little lower budget fun.

[singh911]

Odd isn't it that Audi winning Le Mans gives it less kudos than if Porsche wins it. Same with Renault winning F1 as opposed to Ferrari.

Ajit.

[phil_dougan]

for the money has to be a 911 everytime, audi may be a good badge but PORSCHE are on another level, theres 40 years or whatever gone into developing the 911 and they defy physics with that engine in the rear with the handling it produces, obviously lambo has had a lot of input into the audi but this is audis first real attempt at challenging the 911 i would be very suprised to see this car being better than a 911.Cant see audi making it as good as a gallrado etc because then how will they justify the heftier price tag on the lambo, many makers have rose to the challenge of competing with the 911 but few have won...even if the audi tunred out to be better it hasnt got the pedigree the 911 has got and thats one thing that would win me over time and time again.. Phil

[sportsandclassic]

Its a real shame that the 911 is built from VW and Audi parts then isnt it.....??

[softinthehead]

sportsandclassic said:

Its a real shame that the 911 is built from VW and Audi parts then isnt it.....??

and? Botticelli used the same bog standard paints that a thousand other nameless adn forgotten artists did. Its how you put the parts together that defines the product

[clubsport]

I realy like the look of this...could be a great 2nd hand buy.

Initially it looks expensive for an Audi, then you look at the mark up on a C4S.

If the R8 comes with VAG's proven DSG type transmission (RS4 doesn't) and drives well, it really could make the 997 seem dated rather than classic fairly quickly.