When I first stepped foot in the door at Poole Audi, the first thing I really remember of my experience was being mesmerised by the phantom black R8 that was sat on the plinth in the showroom. I was so spellbound with this car, that at that moment I knew where I wanted to be and that just made me even more determined. I remember members of my family saying that the novelty will wear off and that after working with Audis for a while, they will just be ‘just another car’.
Every brand has strengths and weaknesses, Audi is no different. However, they have managed to create such a desire and developed their products so effectively, that I honestly don’t believe they have a car in the range that I would not purchase, funds permitting of course! Every model in the range (even the most seasoned) looks modern and stylish, all thanks to subtle, regular enhancements to the design and specification.
So what has prompted me to turn my enthusiasm into a blog this morning?
It may have something to do with this:
Standing proudly on that same plinth that used to house the phantom black R8 that inspired me on my first visit, is a misano red R8 Spyder. Roof down, V10 engine begging to be started, light glistening off the new high-gloss design alloy wheels. Priced at £122,475 you would expect it to be nicely finished, but with this particular car, we have attempted to build something rather special and the specification of the car is truly unique.
The misano red, pearl effect paint is not normally available on this model and so has been carefully selected from the Audi exclusive range. The theme has been carried on inside the cabin, with red stitching around the exclusive alabaster white leather door inserts and red piping around the edges of the R8 embroidered floor mats. Carbon fibre has been added to the door sills, inlays and mirrors cars making this car a real one-off.
Even the standard specification of the R8 Spyder is impressive, standing above that of the V10 Coupe and over £13,000 of options on the V8 actually come standard on the Audi R8 Spyder. We only needed to add a few more options to make the car complete. These include wonderful 19” high gloss alloy wheels and the Audi parking system advanced with reversing camera, after all we wouldn’t want to damage those alloy wheels.
I haven’t had the pleasure of driving this truly beautiful car, but on paper the performance is equally impressive as the breath-taking design. It will go from 0-62 in 4.1 seconds, making it only a fraction slower than the lighter V10 coupe and has a top speed of 194mph, way too fast to be going with the roof down! It is worth taking some time to highlight the roof here. The innovative Z-fold design (first seen in the A3 cabriolet) allows the roof to open or close in only 19 seconds and at speeds of up to 31mph. The material and unique design of the fabric roof is so advanced that this car, with all of its added complexity and structural reinforcement, is actually only 100kg heavier than the Coupe – a real victory for German engineering.
What do I think about the latest addition to our range? Inspiring.
For more information on the new Audi R8 Spyder, please call 01202 775050 or visit our website www.pooleaudi.com
