RE: Audi R8 V10 Performance meets R8 V8

[jakesmith]

hyphen said:

V8 vantage perhaps, think they are around that that price. Or an evora for 2+2. 911 turbo even. How much are Exiges. And so on.

R8 isn't a car with any occasion (for me personally), and external styling doesn't do it for me.

Edited by hyphen on Monday 1st April 18:38

That is a diverse range of cars you talk about and as another said it is your loss on the R8. I have been in all the cars you mention as alternatives ...

I wouldn't get more of a sense of occasion from a 996 Turbo than an R8, it will have all your perceived downsides, in a very dated looking package inside and out, with very little noise

V8 Vantage is OK but £35k is a 4.3 which is unbearably thirsty, dated interior, reminds me of a smaller version of my old Maserati Granturismo, it is not really a sports car, in any respect, it's a small GT and is much more about how it looks and sounds than how it drives. Not really a driver's car like the 997

Exiges are not suitable for a long journey having been in one for about 10 minutes, they are a toy to take to a track, which is why you never see them on the roads. Even driving one a few hours to a track would be testing.

Evora is a bit meh really, I'm sure they are more practical than a Exige but they look nondescript, and I would rather an engine shared with an RS4 than a Toyota block. I can't see the point of it over a 997.2 or Cayman

I’ve had some good cars in my time but the R8 looks and drives very nicely. It’s as well balanced as a Boxster with the power and traction of a c4s, and with the open gate / gearchange of a manual v8 Ferrari. I struggle to see how a keen driver wouldn’t love it even ignoring the looks

Edited by jakesmith on Tuesday 2nd April 06:31

[foxsasha]

I'm at Donington now in an Exige 360 Cup. Anyone who would spend £35k on a V6 Exige over a V8 R8 as a road car needs to give their head a wobble. They're in different leagues.

Another R8 V8 vs 2019 R8 V10 review and yet another praise ridden piece giving love to the old dog. Maybe all these journos gushing over the lowly V8 have a point?

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/progress-report-2...

[Kevin-sz0nv]

I have had quite a few nice cars from Ferrari 328 and a 355, BMW M5, Lotus Carlton, 9 TVRs, and quite a few classics. At the moment I have a 996 GT3 and a Turbo plus a BMW E30 M3 and a 2010 manual R8 v10 convertible. The R8 is without doubt the best car I've ever had, the noise, the fit and finish, the gear change, the comfortable ride, easy to see out of and live with and to me the best looking R8 of them all. I haven't posted to brag as many on here have had far better cars I just wanted to explain how much I love the R8 compared to some other nice sports cars.

[foxsasha]

You do need to be a certain mindset to get the older cars. I dropped mine off with my friend today, he owns a body shop. The car has a tiny paint imperfection I want correcting. I told him to go for a drive if he got time, take it for a proper run. His verdict. Needs paddles.

Heathen.

[Onehp]

Reading the article/comments, maybe I should reconsider and try a facelift V8 manual if the opportunity ever arises.

I've always thought the R8 is a bit lardy to be considered a true driver's car despite being ASF, real kerb weight seems to be between 1600 and 1700kg for the coupe, regardless if it's V8 or V10, old or new.

And being PH, aren't they too wide?

[FN2TypeR]

foxsasha said:

You do need to be a certain mindset to get the older cars. I dropped mine off with my friend today, he owns a body shop. The car has a tiny paint imperfection I want correcting. I told him to go for a drive if he got time, take it for a proper run. His verdict. Needs paddles.

Heathen.

Saying that the R8 needs an automatic gearbox, that's a paddlin'

[jakesmith]

Onehp said:

Reading the article/comments, maybe I should reconsider and try a facelift V8 manual if the opportunity ever arises.

I've always thought the R8 is a bit lardy to be considered a true driver's car despite being ASF, real kerb weight seems to be between 1600 and 1700kg for the coupe, regardless if it's V8 or V10, old or new.

And being PH, aren't they too wide?

If you’re going to be constantly taking it to car parks with narrow bays there are more suitable vehicles, I had a Smart Brabus for station and car park use last year. The R8 certainly isn’t as annoyingly wide as my old Maserati GT though that was a menace and the only car where I kept kerbing the wheels on tight bends in car parks etc

[Lordbenny]

Someone at Top Gear reads PH!

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/progress-report-2...

[Sford]

Terminator X said:

Unfortunately the game has moved on though as hot hatches are now below 4s to 60mph so as beautiful as the original is you will be regularly waving goodbye to someone on their way back from the weekly shop. The new one looks though.

TX.

And how many times do you 0-60 launch your car. That winning trait is only good for telling everyone how fast your car is. Mid engined v8 manual gearbox trumps family shopping cart every day of the week no matter how quick 0-60 is unless you spend your time in town centres launching from light to light.

[Jex]

Sford said:

And how many times do you 0-60 launch your car.

Never now that the tolls at the Dartford crossing have gone!

[Terminator X]

yonex said:

Terminator X said:

Unfortunately the game has moved on though as hot hatches are now below 4s to 60mph so as beautiful as the original is you will be regularly waving goodbye to someone on their way back from the weekly shop. The new one looks though.

TX.

I must sell the F40 and get myself into a modern hot hatch.

Said nobody, ever.

Yep don't believe I said that either

TX.

[Terminator X]

jakesmith said:

Terminator X said:

Unfortunately the game has moved on though as hot hatches are now below 4s to 60mph so as beautiful as the original is you will be regularly waving goodbye to someone on their way back from the weekly shop. The new one looks though.

TX.

Not very mature I know but I beat an A45 off the lights last week. Up to a reasonable speed too. I know he was racing as before he took off I heard a hissing noise like someone bursting an inflatable toy, that was presumably the turbo spooling up on his lovely little 4 cylinder engine, then a load of whizzing and whiring noises reminiscent of a sewing machine as he accelerated, initially next to me and then behind me. I didn't make the best change from 2 to 3 but was clearly ahead

I have had the car for 6 months and this is the first time someone has tried to race me so not really a 'regular' event as you make out

What you wrote is wrong and irrelevant, as for the last 6 months I have been enjoying a hand built aluminium framed purpose made mid-engined open gated manual supercar, whilst the other chap was in a little hatchback that you can buy with a 1.3 litre engine

I didn't write that though, have another look.

TX.

[hyphen]

yonex said:

I must sell the F40 and get myself into a modern hot hatch.

Said nobody, ever.

LFA Pete on here, who owns a hell of a collection of special cars, says his favourite his car is his Fiat 500 Abarth 595!

[pride23s]

[quote=Hol]
Not owning one, actually IS one my regrets. I would love one of the last manual V10's.

I have no excuses, I just couldn't get past the thought of £50k sitting in the garage Monday to Friday.

I kind-off justified it last time, by agreeing to a house extension, but that's all paid for now.



just go and get one and enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!

[jakesmith]

Terminator X said:

jakesmith said:

Terminator X said:

Unfortunately the game has moved on though as hot hatches are now below 4s to 60mph so as beautiful as the original is you will be regularly waving goodbye to someone on their way back from the weekly shop. The new one looks though.

TX.

Not very mature I know but I beat an A45 off the lights last week. Up to a reasonable speed too. I know he was racing as before he took off I heard a hissing noise like someone bursting an inflatable toy, that was presumably the turbo spooling up on his lovely little 4 cylinder engine, then a load of whizzing and whiring noises reminiscent of a sewing machine as he accelerated, initially next to me and then behind me. I didn't make the best change from 2 to 3 but was clearly ahead

I have had the car for 6 months and this is the first time someone has tried to race me so not really a 'regular' event as you make out

What you wrote is wrong and irrelevant, as for the last 6 months I have been enjoying a hand built aluminium framed purpose made mid-engined open gated manual supercar, whilst the other chap was in a little hatchback that you can buy with a 1.3 litre engine

I didn't write that though, have another look.

TX.

All I can see is where you wrote

Terminator X said:

Unfortunately the game has moved on though as hot hatches are now below 4s to 60mph so as beautiful as the original is you will be regularly waving goodbye to someone on their way back from the weekly shop

I took this as meaning that you will be waving goodbye to them as they out-accelerate the driver of the R8? Which is why I followed by explaining that only 1 person has attempted to race me in 6 months in a hot hatch, and that I beat them.

[RSbandit]

Whatever your thoughts on the original or the current one the fact that Audi persevere with a naturally aspirated monster of a V10 should be applauded in an age when every other competitor has gone with turbocharged engines. I find pistonheads quite a funny place these days full of whingers and people finding fault with a V10 supercar.

[cpfcfan]

I have a tuned TT RS myself but would absolutely snap your arm off for the old shape R8 V10 plus. To me those cars look lovely and sound AMAZING. Whilst performance will be similar up to the limit there's something special the R8 V10 plus that one can't put a finger on. As James May says it will give me the fizz.

[RSbandit]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

My point is that people cant seem to just appreciate it for what it is in an age when every other manufacturer has gone away from naturally aspirated big capacity engines, some guys think it looks like a TT (seriously) others how a mapped RS3 will keep up with it...tiresome drivel. Anyone who would say with a straight face that if they had a choice they would take a mapped hatchback over any R8 is a little hard to believe tbh. And I appreciate turbo cars like a 570S on their merits I certainly don't take to internet forums to complain that they're not naturally aspirated. Loss of a manual well sure it'd be nice if it were available (they'd sell about 3) but with that much power on tap dual clutch gearboxes make more sense. On the last GT3 how many manuals were sold vs PDK?

[b16ugg]

Love my R8 V8 manual it is a 2007 model and has 48k on the clock, it has all the extras I wanted in fact the person who bought it new spent about 15k on extras. I bought it three years ago and unfortunately straight away had to have the manual gearbox rebuilt,clutch, flywheel, clutch release bearing and one of the cats replaced this came to about 10k some of which the warranty paid for but thats life, bottom line is great car but its not too keen on B roads the suspension is just too hard and it starts to bounce.

[Prime_al]

Bought an immaculate low mileage R8 v8 LE 4 years ago love it for all the reasons mentioned, store and use sparingly and expect it to be continue to be pretty collectible over time - not something I’d have said about an Audi before never mind gambled myself on - time will tell ...