Toss-up between a Maserati and Porsche?

Look to the 2010 V-10 R8 Audi Race Car I

nstead
On one hand are the green advocates who push hybrids, plug-in hybrids and now al
l-electric vehicles to help you make peace with your conscience, and on the othe
r is the raging and snorting brute, the R8 Audi race car, a shattering blend of
German precision and Italian pizzazz, all held together with a little brutal pow
er. The Italian part comes, if you remember, from Audi's acquisition of Lamborgh
ini eight years ago. Actually, Lamborghini's influence goes farther than skin de
ep; the Gallardo lends the R8 its basic underpinnings - the suspension, and powe
r train. The way it all comes through, though, is distinctly no-nonsense and Ger
manic - extravagant and impractical, married to the precise and calculated.
First for the extravagant and the impractical part. This 2010 Audi race car runs
a 5.2-liter V-10; when the engine's 8700 rpm shrieks and growls, understandably
, any environmental responsibility should evaporate from your horizon, or any fi
scal responsibility, for that matter - the sticker reads $150,000. With the resp
onsibility out of the way, let's look at what the German part of the equation br
ings in. To begin with, to those who forever find it hard to forgive Lamborghini
for the price in physical discomfort they have to pay for that kind of performa
nce, Audi's indulgence should be refreshing. They couldn't do enough about the l
egroom, but there are luxuries such as a great 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound
system with an iPod dock, and decent luggage space out front (you do realize, of
course, that the engine is in the middle of the car). The headlights are all-LE
D, and you get optional satellite navigation.
Before we get into writing about its performance, might we linger at the transpa
rent cover over the engine that shows off the power-train lit by LEDs? Now, Aud
i Race has raced this car and won five times at Le Mans, and at 62 endurance rac
es around the world. It might cost nearly $100,000 less to buy than the competin
g Ferrari F-430, but it still runs rings around it. Its top speed is close to 19
0 miles an hour, and it accelerates to 60 mph in under 5 seconds. But Audi made
it manageable unlike what Lamborghini likes to do. If all you ever want to do is
cart your children around to school and the local Dairy Queen's and take your m
other to her dental appointment, this car would probably manage it better than a
minivan. But when you want to take the gloves off, this supersonic, all-wheel d
rive Quattro will strictly be the beast within whose existence you always suspec
ted.
The beast is definitely a bit domesticated on this Audi race car. It does roar a
nd it does bullet you from here to eternity. But somehow, it isn't as visceral a
s on a Corvette or a Ferrari. The exhaust note is more rasp than a rumble. The R
-Tronic transmission is overkill for anything but a racetrack, and the automatic
shifts could have been smoother for daily use. There is a bit of a thunk each t
ime. Nevertheless, in its category of supercars, there really is no competition
to touch R8. The creature comforts are spectacular, and the performance is extre
mely visceral. It is a winner.