By now, you've heard that the Audi R8 is going away. There will be tributes and retrospectives, though few will focus on the second generation. Pity.
It's not hard to understand why the second R8 isn't as beloved as the first. The first was a revolution, the second was an evolution; the first was priced to compete with the Porsche 911 Carrera, the second priced in 911 Turbo territory; the first offered a manual, the second was dual-clutch only. The second also arrived in an explosion of supercar options, with Acura's NSX and McLaren's 570S vying for buyer attention.
The critical and commercial success of the first R8 doomed the second. The original was a left-field car from Audi that changed the trajectory of the brand. The second couldn’t do that same trick again. Pick a reason — the second-generation R8 is overlooked and/or under-appreciated. It deserves more love. It's a supercar like no other.
I've driven two R8s, both second-gens, this yellow rear-drive car, and an all-wheel drive red one a few years ago. I got into that first R8 with no specific expectations. I expected a nice car, but not something I would ever take over a McLaren 570S or a Porsche 911 GT3. Yet, that R8 stormed into my heart. And those R8 charms are amplified in this V10 Performance rear-driver.
Last year, on an early winter day, I pointed the R8 towards many of the roads used in our Performance Car of the Year (PCOTY) evaluations. The ride out of New York City was as painless as it could be in a supercar. You sit more upright than in the R8's platform-mate, the Lamborghini Huracan, and the view over the hood is superb. The seven-speed dual-clutch is well behaved, and despite a redline in the 8000's, the 5.2-liter V-10 is content mooching around well below 3000 rpm, snarling a subtle growl in the process. A Huracan isn't this easygoing, nor is a McLaren (that might be different with the new Artura).
The ride to the PCOTY loop was uneventful. The R8 disappears underneath you with surprising touring abilities. Using CarPlay is clunky with the R8's digital gauge cluster, though I'm not bothered because the car eschews the now de rigueur central screen. It gives the R8 a unique feel. High-tech, but not annoying.
After a couple hours drive and a stop for a sandwich—any trip to the Catskills isn't complete without smoked trout—the roads around the reservoirs feeding NYC are a welcome sight. All the fall foliage is long since gone by this point, but that just means there's fewer people on these already low-traffic roads.
Even though the R8 RWD is down 40 horsepower compared with its all-wheel drive brother, it still has 562 hp to move a claimed 3571 pounds, and that places it in the category of cars that are probably too fast for the street. Still, it's easy to revel in the smooth power delivery and blade-sharp throttle response of the V-10 without being totally irresponsible. Though the serrated noise of the V-10 just behind the rear bulkhead is always tempting you to push towards the 8700-rpm redline, and marvel at the way the dual-clutch keeps gears coming seemingly without any interruption of forward progress.
I know I would love a manual R8, and one can imagine what a pair this engine would be with a six-speed and a clutch pedal, but that shouldn't get in the way of praise for this gearbox. It's a perfect partner to the rev-happy V-10 in all environments, and the precision of the downshifts alone will convince any dual-clutch skeptics.
The running gear of the Audi R8 is as gorgeous as the aluminum bodywork.
The chassis setup of this particular R8 is more of an acquired taste. It's one of the few cars of its type to use passive dampers, and there's very little suspension travel, plus short tire sidewalls. All of this does mean the R8 isn't "comfortable," though the damping is superb. I accidentally turned down a road that needed to be resurfaced at least five years ago, and while I was bounced up and down quite a lot, the R8 wasn't fazed. The R8's double-wishbone suspension deals with everything, and the grip is superb. What is the value of all-wheel drive when the rear-wheel drive car gives so much?
This firmness runs counter to the R8's mission of being an everyday supercar, but at least for this suspension-nerd author, it's wonderful and impressive. It also gives the R8 a unique feel. A Lotus or McLaren, for their parts, prioritize long-travel suspension in the English tradition. That's an asset for them. And the Audi is still, less harsh than most versions of the Huracan.
Context is necessary to try to understand cars in terms of their rivals, their creators, and their time. But context isn’t doing the second R8 any favors. On paper, it doesn't make total sense; on some of the best roads within a day's drive of the R&T office, it's wonderful. This isn't to say that we should divorce the second R8 from the world it occupies, it's more to say that sometimes, it’s best to just shut up and drive.
On the way back home, I got wistful for the R8. I realize that the opportunity to put miles on this car, and get paid doing it makes me far lucky, and while I'll drive plenty more mid-engine supercars in my time, I may not get to drive one of these again. It's a singular take on the supercar genre, and that V-10 is unforgettable.
Time will, eventually, be kind to the second R8. It is, after all, a gorgeous supercar with a brilliant chassis, a unique interior, and one of the all-time great naturally aspirated powertrains. People will wake up to it.
Chris Perkins
Senior Reporter
A car enthusiast since childhood, Chris Perkins is Road & Track's engineering nerd and Porsche apologist. He joined the staff in 2016 and no one has figured out a way to fire him since. He street-parks a Porsche Boxster in Brooklyn, New York, much to the horror of everyone who sees the car, not least the author himself. He also insists he's not a convertible person, despite owning three.
