Final Drive: One Last Lap in the Audi R8

• Final editions of the Audi R8 supercar are all but sold-out.
• Two generations were produced across a 17-year lifespan.
• Any future Audi supercar will boast electric power.

The original Audi R8 shared many of its parts with the Lamborghini Gallardo and was offered with either a V8 or a V10 engine mounted behind the cockpit. Apparently the designer’s brief was to create a German supercar and with its unique “side blades” and organic curves, the original was distinctive. The second-generation car, which arrived for the 2017 model year in the U.S., was more angular and arguably less interesting. As time has gone on, the R8 has also grown more aerodynamic additions, detracting from the purity of the original concept. 

If the exterior grew more complex, the cabin remains a haven of elegant simplicity. There’s a dearth of gadgetry and the only screen is in front of the driver, handling the primary information. If you want to watch YouTube in an R8, pull out your phone. 

There are two R8s here, an all-wheel-drive V10 Performance Quattro with 602 horsepower and a rear-wheel-drive car with a mere 562 hp, which is what I’ve been assigned. Sadly, the tremendous stick shift — which featured a Ferrari-style aluminum gate — was discontinued for the second-generation R8, so all models have a seven-speed dual-clutch auto with paddle shifts. 

Maybe that’s a good thing today, because although I’ve driven plenty of R8s, I’ve only raced at Laguna Seca in my dreams. Kristensen is supposed to be taking it relatively easy, but he’s still a pro racing driver. He’s also supposed to be barking instructions through the radio, but I can’t hear anything beyond the howl of the R8’s V10. It’s becoming a cliché to say it, but no electric car will ever come close to matching the emotive appeal of a supercar engine, at least for members of my generation.

By any standards, this remains a ferociously rapid car — we recorded 0-60 mph in 3 seconds flat at our test track. It’s also one of the sweetest-handling. The rear-wheel-drive car was engineered to be more playful than the Quattro (and $50K cheaper) but it’s still not intimidating to drive. In other words, it remains a genuine Audi, playing the everyday supercar in the manner of the original Acura NSX. Laguna Seca's famous Corkscrew is safely dispatched and I’m summoned back to the paddock almost as quickly as I’ve begun. 

As a final fling, it’s been quick but hugely enjoyable. The R8 will be missed and the more collectible versions are likely to appreciate in value as the years tick by. In the future there’ll likely be another Audi supercar to complement the company’s upcoming participation in Formula 1 racing. It may prove to be brilliant, but it won’t be an R8. 

Edmunds says

The supercar that helped propel Audi to a new level of success will be much missed. If you want one, move fast because they’re all but sold-out.