By: IOL Motoring Staff
New York Motor Show - Audi won't thank us for saying this, but the all-new R8 Spyder, making its world debut at the Javits Centre this Easter, is cool because it's old school.
It has a big, hard-revving, naturally aspirated V10 engine right behind the cockpit, a 1970s-style rear transaxle with the gearbox hanging off the back, and a genuine space frame - lots of short, straight, stiff members triangulated to provide rigidity out of proportion to their weight - holding it all together. Alfieri Maserati would have been proud.
But that lean-burning 5.2-litre V10 redlines at a howling 7800 revs to deliver 397kW, backed up by 540Nm at 6500rpm. The gearbox is a seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic, feeding power to the rear wheels via a mechanical limited-slip differential and to the front via a long driveshaft and a liquid-cooled, electro-hydraulic multi-plate clutch on the front axle. It distributes drive torque as required - in extreme situations, up to 100 percent to the front or rear wheels. There's also an optional sports exhaust system with glossy black tailpipes to give it an even more hard-edged sound.
And there's nothing old-school about 0-100 in 3.6 seconds, 0-200 in 11.8 seconds and a top speed of 315km/h. Or about a space frame made mostly out of carbon fibre and aluminium that weighs just 208kg. Developed from the new R8 coupé, it forms a lattice structure with built-in reinforcements to the sills, A pillars and windscreen frame, making it 50 percent stiffer than its predecessor, while the whole car weighs only 1612kg dry.
Electromechanical power steering is standard, with variable-ratio dynamic steering as an option; suspension is by aluminium double wishbones all round, with eight-piston front and four-piston rear brake callipers on either ventilated petal discs, or lightweight carbon ceramic platters. Nineteen inch alloy rims with 245/35 front and 295/35 radials are standard; 20 inchers shod with 245/30 front and 305/30 rear gumballs are an option.
At 4426mm overall the second-generation R8 Spyder is 14mm shorter than the original, on an unchanged 2650mm wheelbase, 36mm wider at 1940mm and the same height at 1244mm.
The lightweight soft top (just 44kg including its mechanism) tapers into two fins that stretch the fabric taut when its up, and disappear s behind the seats under a large hood compartment cover in only 20 seconds at up to 50km/h, while the rear window, set into the bulkhead, can be retracted separately to create a genuine barchetta (little boat) cockpit.
The quattro all-wheel drive incorporates the four-stage (from mild to wild) drive select system, plus another three - Dry, Wet and Snow - if you go for the optional R8 performance leather steering wheel, which lets operate all the important functions without taking your hands off the wheel.
VIRTUAL COCKPIT
A 12.3 inch, fully digital virtual instrument panel presents information using 3D graphics; you can choose between three screens - the classic view, the infotainment view and the performance view - which displays data for torque, power output, oil and tyre temperatures, lap times and g-forces.
Audi's all-too-familiar MMI navigation is standard, as are seat-belt mounted microphones and a 13-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system with two extra speakers in each head restraint for clear sound, even with the top down. A new smartphone interface lets you charge you phone inductively and display content directly on the instrument panel; as of now it's exclusive to the R8 Spyder but will be available in the R8 Coupé from mid-2016.
The standard sports seats can be upholstered in diamond-pattern leather at your request - or you can opt for bucket seats for even better lateral support. More options include laser lighting with a distinctive blue strip and carbon fibre add-on components such as the front spoiler, diffuser or sideblades.
The new R8 Spyder will be released in South Africa during the second quarter of 2017.