Audi have a long tradition of fantastic sports cars; they have broken records on the race track and yet have always kept that premium brand element when it comes to their sporty road cars. The R8 supercar is no exception.

You may be thinking why write a review of a £117,715 road car? Well, cars like the R8 may soon be a dying breed. In the press conference the Head of UK PR hinted that the R8 may go turbocharged in the future. We have already seen many manufacturers such as Ferrari and Porsche go down the Turbo route on their sports car range.

The last of its breed
The Audi R8 is currently pure and untouched, the last of its breed. The V10 in its rump is what’s known in the business as ‘Naturally Aspirated’, meaning it’s just a pure engine, no turbos or superchargers. A pure 5.2-litre V10 with 610ps and plants its power down on the road through the iconic Audi Quattro system.

It’s a stunning piece of kit; climbing in there are all the controls you need on the driving seat to find the perfect driving position. The layout seems really familiar, as it does in all Audi road cars. However, the stop start button for the R8 is on the steering wheel. Once pressed the aural sounds of the V10 hit your ears as it bursts into life. The drama begins.

Driving out on the road the R8 is as tame as a normal everyday Audi. The steering isn’t heavy, pedal weights are lovely. It could easily be an everyday driver. This is a modern supercar.

Find a piece of straight road, slow down a touch to first, knock the auto box across to manual and press the accelerator. The R8 smoothly shoots forward, the V10 roaring, bang, you hit the upshift paddle to second, again to third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh – the speed and sound is incredible. The shifts are as quick as you can hit them through. Then you relax and soak in what just happened and that is driving the Audi R8 in a nutshell.

I love hot hatches and thought “can you drive a supercar like you would a hot hatch?” And you know, you can. The R8 is so capable and happy with all styles of driving. It’s quick, nimble and equally at home as a motorway cruiser, as it is on a country B-road and you know with Audi that the German reliability is always there.

A superb everyday driver
Would I buy one if I had the money? The answer is yes. The servicing will not be silly money and it could make for a superb everyday driver. The looks have matured beautifully and to top it off someone even let me out of a side junction, so there is a gentlemanly respect factor when you drive one!

I just hope Audi leave perfection as it is – the R8 is a beautiful place to be.