ACHIEVING supercar status entails more than merely boasting the big numbers, whether it be for performance or price.
There’s another all-important criteria – a contender must turn heads, stop people in their tracks and have passers-by frantically taking pictures on their mobiles.
If there’s a car that certainly fits the bill it’s Audi’s R8 super coupe - and when it comes to power, acceleration, top speed, design and price, there’s nothing in the exotica bracket that can touch it.
Go for the extra wallop of the V10, as opposed to entry level 4.2-litre V8, model and we’re talking rocket ship.
The V10 Coupe is powered by a 5.2-litre petrol engine producing 525ps at 8,000rpm and is capable of reaching 62mph in a fleeting 3.9 seconds and on to a potential top speed of 197mph.
And the mid-engine configuration – the huge V10 is mounted longitudinally behind the cockpit and visible through the large rear window – along with Audi quattro permanent all-wheel drive and magnetic ride adaptive damping also ensure limpet-like handling.
Viewed from front or back the R8 looks sensational, but it’s only when you actually get behind the R8’s flat-bottomed steering wheel that you come to appreciate just how desirable this car is and feel the racing atmosphere.
Plip the throttle and a deep, almost threatening, burble assaults the eardrum; ease off and the Audi sounds sweet as honey.
Throw it into a bend and the car remains absolutely planted; potter round the suburbs at 30mph and the coupe cruises smoothly along without a hint of twitchiness.
That’s one of the two-seater’s most endearing qualities. Sure, it looks fantastic and has mountainous punch, yet it is also a very usable supercar – one that Audi claims can even stow two sets of golf clubs behind the seats.
On the down side you feel every bump on the lumpy British roads, and have to be careful not to park too close to kerbs.
In urban driving you’ll be lucky to return a dozen miles to the gallon. But what the hell, when a car looks as sexy as this, and you can afford £109,000, who cares about the running costs.
And you bank on plenty of cool kit too – like a 12-speaker, 465-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system, DVD-based sat-nav, electrically adjustable and heated seats and Nappa leather upholstery.
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