Audi R8... the new legend?

The Audi R8 is the newest edition to the Audi line of automobiles. Based off of the Lamborghini Gallardo along with the ideals of the Audi R8 racing car, the R8 has already made its claim at the higher echelon of the sports car world.

The Audi R8 was announced in 2005. Audi claimed that the R8 would be based off of the earlier Audi RSQ concept car, which appeared at the 2003 Geneva Auto Show and the International Motor Show. The non-racing version of the R8 was put on display for the first time at the 2006 Paris auto Show. Just over a year later, the car is currently selling for 88,000 Euros.

The R8 is quite unique, as it is built by hand. The Audi factory can produce 25 R8's per day and they plan to release 400 models to the United States per year. Similar numbers are expected for Audi dealerships throughout Europe. Roughly 15% of the car is shared with the Lamborghini Gallardo as Audi owns the Lamborghini company. Some of the Lamborghini supplied parts include the chassis of the R8 along with the transmission. To top off the impressive line of technology backing the development of the R8, each car is examined by nearly 100 lasers that measure the accuracy of the car within a tenth of a millimeter of the blueprints. All of the R8's will be assembled at the Audi plant in Neckarsulm, Germany. With that being said, it will probably be a pain to acquire one of these sweet rides as they will only be producing 25 of these a day.

The Audi R8 currently comes in a two-seat coupe model. This model is already available in Europe and is scheduled to be released in the United States in the summer of 2008. Audi also plans to release an open-top version of the car (Similar to the Porsche Carrera GT) in 2009. The body structure, as previously mentioned, is similar to the Lamborghini Gallardo.

If the outside wasn't enough for you, then the interior of the Audi R8 should secure its place among the higher courts of the sports car world (at least for the time being). While, at first glance, the interior may look like nothing more than that of a typical Audi (which is quite impressive considering that Audi produces some of the best automotive interiors available in the industry), there are some hidden gems among the seats, the GPS, and the other nifty features and gadgets that will make the car feel like your second home (then again, this car costs more than many homes). For example, details are highlighted in beautiful patches of carbon fiber that add that "performance" touch to this vehicle. Another nice thing about the interior is the optional Bang & Olufsen sound system that can be equipped. Bang & Olufsen has a great history of providing excellent sounding audio to many applications, including automobiles. They have also provided sound systems for many of the other Audi models, so R8 owners will receive the same quality that has made Audi one of the premiere automotive brands over the past decade.

Audi plans for the R8 to take over the market for expensive luxury sports cars. It seems that they are doing a good job so far.