Introduction
Critical Knowledge:
R8 is the name of Audi’s five-time Le Mans 24 Hours-winning racecar, and it is the designation for Audi’s flagship 2-seat mid-engine sports car. Featuring a lightweight Audi Space Frame (ASF) aluminum body, a choice of mid-mounted race-bred engines and quattro permanent all-wheel drive (AWD), the R8 demonstrates Audi innovation and experience learned from years of involvement in motorsports. The 2-seat coupe looks, and handles, like nothing ever seen in an Audi showroom—from the forward-mounted cabin for optimal weight distribution, to the dual “side-blade” air deflectors feeding and cooling the engine.
Audi chose the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show to debut its all-new R8 Spyder 5.2 V10, a convertible variant of its popular sports car. Unlike most manufacturers, whose coupes closely mirror the styling of their convertibles, Audi has chosen to significantly update the styling of the Spyder with new side panels (removing the distinguishing “blades”) and new front and rear fascias. The top itself is an electro-hydraulic folding soft top with a heated rear window which, according to the manufacturer, opens and closes in 19 seconds (at speeds up to 30 mph) at the touch of a button. Its material is a leak-proof textile fabric with a headliner that has been designed for high-speed driving, Audi says.
For More Information:
2011 Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 V10 Preview
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