Goodbye Z4, Hello Audi R8

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Player 1

Member
 Cornwall
Always fancied one of the first generation R8's with the manual gearbox, luckily things dropped into place recently that made owning one viable so picked up this a month or so ago having recently sold the Z4 to John.
The Z4's been brilliant but these have always been one of those which I wanted to get ticked off and owning two, two seat sports cars is a hard sell, even for myself.

So far I've put over 1000 miles on it already and have to say I'm totally smitten with the breadth of ability this car has, it'll cruise all day on a motorway quietly, smoothly, without any discomfort but can then demolish an A road like very little else with the engine roaring and the click clack of the gearbox, it's very, very addictive indeed. :evil:
Very much looking forward to learning to get the best out of it in the future!

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Lovely Car and as with others the only Audi ever on my would like list. 8)

Also it's almost identical to the one that lives around the corner from me a few doors down. Whereabouts in Cornwall are you? :wink:
 
Absolutely love the original Audi R8 and am seriously considering one When I sell the 911.

Congrats! Great upgrade to your Z4, it looks lovely 👌
 
My brother had one, I think it had the V10 engine. It has to be the quickest car I have ever been in and the grip was awesome. congrats on buying a lovely car :thumbsup:
 
Very nice that, I could see myself in one of those one day. Great engine, although I am biased on that!
 
Good shout, looks fantastic!! I like Audis, never owned one, but not a massive fan but there is something special looking about the R8.

Enjoy :thumbsup:
 
Lovely car OP - now I can understand why you were prepared so sell your 35i!

I seem to remember the R8 getting good reviews in the motoring press, generally rated alongside the 911 for everyday usability. I'd love to try one some day.
 
Many thanks everyone! Like others have said, I've never been all that into Audi's other cars either however have always been a huge fan of the R8 and the old LMP1 program this was launched off the back of.

Mr Tidy said:
Lovely car OP - now I can understand why you were prepared so sell your 35i!

I seem to remember the R8 getting good reviews in the motoring press, generally rated alongside the 911 for everyday usability. I'd love to try one some day.
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Commando_Rob said:
Absolutely love the original Audi R8 and am seriously considering one When I sell the 911.

Congrats! Great upgrade to your Z4, it looks lovely 👌
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Regarding 911 comparisons, I haven't tried the newer 991's/992's however compared to the contemporary 997's, I'd say the Porsche's are a lot more useable than R8's. There's the rear seats for extra storage, front boot is similar size on both. The Porsche's are closer in size to Z4's so significantly smaller than the R8's and therefore easier to get around in general, R8's are too wide to fit in the outside lanes in 50mph contra-flow roadworks on motorways for example.

The Audi's get a whole lot more attention than 911's as well, both good and bad. After just a couple of months I've had a huge range of reactions and interactions with people, nobody bats an eyelid at a 911 however this will attract interest, a car for those of a nervous disposition it is not.

In terms of driving, the R8 is far superior however, there's far less road and tyre noise than a 911, the ride is more composed, the cabin's more spacious, more comfortable and unless you're comparing to a 911 Turbo, its faster as well. They're both similarly engaging around corners however I'd say the R8 wins out as the chassis is more capable and the open gated gearbox is without equal, it also sounds far better than any six cylinder ever could.

I think the 911's will be cheaper to run but likely is down to the individual car and what's already been done. R8's don't have many common faults but those there are can be costly, find one with things sorted and fingers crossed, it won't throw up too many surprises. Mine does around 400 miles to a tank of fuel on a long trip and 320-350 locally however I do very little in town/cities, it's almost all A-roads plus some small country lanes to my house.
 
LeeZ4MR said:
Very nice and I love these. 8)

That gated manual must be heaven to use. :wub:

Enjoy it. :thumbsup:
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Thanks Lee!
I must say, it's the single best transmission I've ever used. The Honda S2000 gets close but there's nothing which can beat the metallic feel and sound of this thing going from 2nd into 3rd :wub:
 
buzyg said:
Lovely Car and as with others the only Audi ever on my would like list. 8)

Also it's almost identical to the one that lives around the corner from me a few doors down. Whereabouts in Cornwall are you? :wink:
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Likewise!
Oh really? There's a white V10 spyder I've seen once or twice around here but not another Grey one yet. I should update my profile actually as I've recently deserted and moved just the other side of the river, not far from Launceston. Still work in Cornwall at least and it's a right pain having to get through border control every day, I can tell you :wink:

Another Dartmoor meet would be good as I couldn't make the last one!
 
Lovely, lovely car. Had a go in one on a supercar experience day, and it was a real nice place to be. i tried the stronic flappy paddle gearbox, and it wasnt really that good if im honest. Think the gated manual is gonna be the way to go.

Personally, i prefer the looks of the original car to any of the facelifts too. and 400-odd BHP sounds like a perfect amount to be useable and enjoyable on the road. :thumbsup:
 
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