The Audi R8 is one of the top-tier offerings from the German manufacturer, but is it built around a V12 engine?
The Audi R8 is built with a high-powered V10 engine – and nothing else. It’s a seriously powerful piece of equipment that Audi haven’t changed much since it was introduced in 2006. There was a V12 concept R8 revealed in 2008, but this never left the conceptual stage.
Read on to learn more about the Audi R8 and its impressive history.
German Engineering, Italian Influences
When Audi was founded way back in 1909, the idea of the motor car was in its earliest phases of conception. There were numerous European competitors in the market, all vying to create the best and most capable cars.
It took just a year for Audi to reveal their first build, the Type A. They were quick to innovate and had introduced a second car, coincidentally named the Type B, later that year.
Taking strides to make history, Audi became the first German car manufacturer to put their driver’s seat on the left-hand side. They proposed that it offered a more commanding view of the road ahead, and it would come to be the defacto standard across almost the entirety of Europe.
Audi’s dominance would explode throughout the latter portion of the twentieth century. They continued to introduce more high-end vehicles to their roster, with the nineties seeing some of the most iconic models being revealed.
This decade was witness to the A4, A2, A6, A3, and TT being ushered into Audi’s rankings. The only vehicle in this list not in production today is the A2, which was defined as a ‘futuristic supermini’ car, ahead of its time and unfortunately misunderstood.
In 2006, Audi revealed its powerful competitor in the luxurious supercar market, the Audi R8. This coupe (or convertible) was one of the most revolutionary Audi designs to date, boasting sleek lines and a massively powerful engine.
Reportedly, the early R8 models were based heavily around some of the lower-end Lamborghini models, such as the Gallardo. It’s not a coincidence, considering both Audi and Lamborghini are owned by the parent company the Volkswagen Group.
In fact, Lamborghini actually sits under the Audi branch of the Volkswagen Group. There’s a review online that suggests that Audi R8 ‘shares its bones with the spectacular Lamborghini Huracán.’
Another review raised the comparison, explaining, ‘… a lot of comparisons have been drawn between Audi’s R8 and Lamborghini’s junior supercars.’ It does have to said that there are visual similarities between the R8 and Lamborghini’s Gallardo.
Best Handling Road Car, Ever
There are many critics who suggest the Audi R8 is one of – if not the – best handling road cars in history. When it was revealed in 2006, a six-time Le Mans 24 champion exclaimed that it was, ‘the best handling road car available’.
That driver was Jacky Ickx, a racer who had achieved twenty-five F1 podium finishes throughout his prestigious career. If there was one thing he knew about, it was high-performance road vehicles.
Most commonly, the Audi R8 is built around a powerful V10 engine, with a 5.2-liter capacity, producing around five-hundred and sixty horsepower. The top-tier model, the R8 Performance, can produce more than six hundred horsepower.
The Audi R8 is exclusively constructed with a V10 engine – that fact hasn’t ever changed. However, in 2008, Audi put forward a concept for a V12 Audi, powered by diesel and not petrol.
It would have been the first of its kind, a super-sports car that the world hadn’t ever seen, with an enormous, economical engine. When it was revealed at the Detroit Motor Show in 2008, Audi found themselves awash with offers to purchase or preorder the vehicle.
Ultimately, the V12 R8 would never leave the conceptual stage, with Audi claiming it was simply too expensive to research and develop. As time wore on, diesel became a shunned fuel option, owing to its intense impact on the environment, meaning Audi would never reconsider the concept.
The most up-to-date Audi R8 Coupe is still a dramatically impressive vehicle, fully-equipped and with a high specification. You can partake in an entry-level Audi R8 for around $169,000, or $195,000 for a Performance variant.
Of course, there are plenty of used Audi R8s on the market, meaning you can get a taste of that powerful V10 engine for a much lower cost.