Watch the new Audi R8 melt tires on track - GQ.com
Lots of car companies like to factor in circuit time during their new baby's launch. So Audi 's not lacking in cojones by inviting GQ to the Portimao track in Portugal, a vertiginous jewel in the Algarve that definitely separates the men from the boys. Then again, this is the new R8 we're talking about, the successor to the mid-engined superstar launched back in 2007 that almost single-handedly jettisoned Audi's rep for building beautifully engineered but generally rather inert cars. With the element of surprise gone, Audi has elected instead to evolve the R8. Like its thrilling little TT brother, the visual overhaul cuts deeper than it first appears. Having set such a thrilling template with both cars, revolution is largely impossible, but the new R8's face is more aggressive, the various air intakes and vents on the front and side both functional and visually more powerful, with the head and... The bad news is that the old one can still turn heads while parked in a different postcode, and you don't need £135,000 to land a decent used one of those (we found a handful for sale from as little as £45,000 though we'd recommend spending a bit... The previous "entry-level" V8 has gone: you choose between two versions of Audi's fabulous 5. 2-litre V10, the gentler of which runs 532bhp, while the V10 Plus makes 602bhp. Source: www.gq-magazine.co.uk
