And as its engine note howled out below the spectacular landmark of the Defense arch, with the Arc de Triomphe in the distance, it drove to its own christening with a slice of history already in place. Because Audi’s first ever mid-engined road car, the R8, takes both its name and some of its philosophy from the original R8 that only recently ended its reign as the most successful endurance racer of all time.
Through six years at the pinnacle of the sport, the R8 racer that has given the production R8 its name won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times, and the 12 Hours of Sebring six times, took a catalogue of championships on both sides of the Atlantic, and ultimately retired with an astonishing record of 63 outright wins from 80 starts – including its 50th win in the American Le Mans Series in its farewell race, at Lime Rock in July.
Now, three years after Audi unveiled the Le Mans Quattro concept, the mid-engined, all-wheel drive, aluminium-bodied R8 road car is on the verge of production for a launch early next year – and it looks fantastic.
The backdrop to the unveiling took the theme of Le Mans-to-Paris, driven across country by six-times Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx. And after Tom Kristensen (the man who finally broke Ickx’s record with his own seventh Le Mans win) drove the new diesel-powered R10 TDI Le Mans winner onto the stage, it was Ickx himself who brought the new R8 under the spotlight, watched by virtually the entire Audi AG board.
That’s one measure of how big a deal this car is to the fastest growing of the premium brands. And it’s very clear that it’s more than just another new Audi - it’s a major statement that rivals like BMW and Mercedes, and perhaps Porsche in particular, won’t be able to ignore.
The R8 just might frighten even the invincible 911 with its combination of looks, performance, technology, and what appears to be astonishing practicality for a two-seater car that claims a top speed close to 190 mph and 0-62 mph in just 4.6 seconds.
On stage, Ickx showed off the four cases packed into the front luggage compartment – and two full sized bags of golf clubs behind the seats. In the beautifully trimmed cabin the mixture of driver-focussed ergonomics, sports car breeding and impeccable Audi quality are obvious. And under the glass tailgate the 420 bhp 4.2-litre V8 FSI engine – with direct fuel injection just like its racing R8 namesake – is fantastically framed by naked carbon fibre in a remarkable display of design detail.
What you don’t see, but what underpins presumably outstanding chassis dynamics, is the lightweight construction of Audi Space Frame aluminium body technology, and the security of quattro permanent four-wheel drive – underlining the fact that the R8 is deeply, seriously about engineering as well as style and practicality.
Naming it after an icon was a bold move, but its broad shoulders look is capable of carrying the weight. It’s hard to see how it can’t be the star of this show, and a star far beyond today’s unveiling. The order books open now, and a lot of other sports car makers will be watching closely.
