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RXBG
March 28th, 2006, 19:16
rumors surfacing around europe that R8 will sneak preview in Le Mans this year followed by full public introduction in Paris. also, the production is set for late november of this year with euro and american deliveries at about the same time in march or so of 2007. finally, it seems that audi put an RSQ-like headlight treatment on the R8 (a cue taken by acura, unfortunately, on the new MDX).

Benman
March 28th, 2006, 20:45
From Fourtitude...

http://www.fourtitude.com/news/publish/Audi_News/article_2106.shtml

Ben:addict:

AudiTumbo
March 28th, 2006, 21:17
http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/albums//Audi/R8/Test%20Mule/006.jpg
http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/albums//Audi/R8/Test%20Mule/008.jpg


yummmie

Erik
March 28th, 2006, 21:22
I am speechless.

Beyond my expectations. A TT on stereoids, Gallardo and beyond.

For 95,000 Euros, am I to dream about an Audi or a Porsche?

Julz RS4
March 28th, 2006, 21:49
Here new R8 spy pics:

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5397/r8a6kb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/1189/r8b3qp.jpg (http://imageshack.us) http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/8113/r8c1ji.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

AudiTumbo
March 28th, 2006, 22:15
Originally posted by Julz RS4
[B]Here new R8 spy pics:


Why did you post them again? We have already done that in this very thread... :boring:

Benman
March 28th, 2006, 22:26
Originally posted by AudiTumbo

http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/albums//Audi/R8/Test%20Mule/008.jpg


yummmie

Also, notice that in the above pic, you can still see the side panel edge line that was exposed aluminium on the concept car. That means, there's a slight chance that would make it to production! Sweet!:thumb:

Ben:addict:

Erik
March 28th, 2006, 22:29
Is there an IC on the first picture? :hahahehe:

I wonder if it's a 2 seater or 2+2? The rear side window seems 'hidden.'



btw The car is now officially called the RAT in Sweden.

R-atta = Rat (Swedish)

R8 = R-Eight = Rat

AudiTumbo
March 28th, 2006, 23:02
Have you noticed the pipes? I mean, compared to the concept car, they moved it to the sites, like on the Ferrari F430. Imo, they should have kept it in the middle.

http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/albums//Audi/R8/Test%20Mule/010.jpg
http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/albums//Audi/Studies/Le%20Mans%20quattro/Photos/003.jpg

eazy
March 28th, 2006, 23:05
Originally posted by Erik
Is there an IC on the first picture? :hahahehe:

I wonder if it's a 2 seater or 2+2? The rear side window seems 'hidden.'
It's based on the gallardo, so it's a 2 seater.

Qriouz
March 28th, 2006, 23:09
Thats gonna be one hell of a car, cant wait until the release so you can see the finale production....:wo:

EKaru
March 29th, 2006, 02:34
Originally posted by AudiTumbo
Have you noticed the pipes? I mean, compared to the concept car, they moved it to the sites, like on the Ferrari F430. Imo, they should have kept it in the middle.




The exhaust system was changed so that Audi could offer the towing pkg..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/EKaru/EKaru2/MERCEDES20CLS20photo2002.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/EKaru/EKaru2/asaair.jpg[/QUOTE]

Julz RS4
March 29th, 2006, 04:02
Originally posted by AudiTumbo
Why did you post them again? We have already done that in this very thread... :boring:

The boring part it's to explain to you why I posted these different pictures of the same Audi R8 test mule in RSx forum of RS6.com. :nana:

For 2 obvious reason.

1- The pix are different, they are took outside the Nordschleife Ring by KGP photography not the soccer mom Brenda Priddy.

2- There was already an opened thread which contains spy pix of the R8. It's an elementary rule of operation in a forum to post stuffs of the same subject in the same thread.

If you want to play this game with me, I wonder why you reposted the same pictures that we can easily see on Benman links ? :bye2:

--------------------------------------------------------

To stay on the topic : A know a source who works for Audi quattro GmbH and he said to me that the R8 gonna look very similiar to the Le Mans quattro concept, even the aluminium panel on the side and is gonna be bare and brushed. Keine Panik about the Gallardo wheels it's only for the brake clearance and/or testing of certain tires.:burnout:

eazy
March 29th, 2006, 16:33
Here is a new photoshop of the R8:

http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos/6060329.001/6060329.001.mini8L.jpg

tailpipe
March 29th, 2006, 18:03
I'm not sure but the R8 seems to have grown in length. This may just be a trick of the camera, but even so, it is still bound to be a strictly 2+2 design. Such a shame that LED headlights won't make into production. They really gave the front-end some pizzazz. Overall, it is an extremely good looking car.

eazy
March 29th, 2006, 20:02
A mid-engined car with 2+2 seats?

I think audi would be the first company to do such a combination.

Benman
March 29th, 2006, 20:20
Originally posted by eazy
A mid-engined car with 2+2 seats?

I think audi would be the first company to do such a combination.
I think you're right.

Nah...it will be a two seater.

Ben:addict:

AudiTumbo
March 29th, 2006, 21:20
Guys, the Le Mans / R8 has always been and will be a 2 seater.

Erik
March 29th, 2006, 21:51
Originally posted by eazy
A mid-engined car with 2+2 seats?
I think audi would be the first company to do such a combination.

No, they would be in good company ;)

http://www.geocities.com/mondial32sp/2.jpg :hahahehe:

tailpipe
March 29th, 2006, 21:55
Erik,

You are very cool! Actually, i think i had heard MArtin Winterkorn say that R8 would have occasional rear seats because Audi customers would demand them. I can't remember. Maybe the (n)Iceman (Hans) knows.

Erik
March 29th, 2006, 21:58
Originally posted by tailpipe
Actually, i think i had heard MArtin Winterkorn say that R8 would have occasional rear seats because Audi customers would demand them.

Well, it would differentiate it from the Gallardo.
That seems to be the biggest debate in other forums,
but I see no problem. Audi owns Lamborghini and the price range would be different.

But the rumor about 2+2 from my side comes from an article in EVO.

If it was a 2+2 it would compete more with the 911 than the Cayman.

Benman
March 29th, 2006, 22:35
Originally posted by Erik
No, they would be in good company ;)

http://www.geocities.com/mondial32sp/2.jpg :hahahehe:

Uhmm... no they (Audi) wouldn't! The Ferrari Mondial was the biggest peice of dump ever to come out of the factory! What a sled! My uncle's 88' MR2 was faster 0-60 than that terd mobile! Man, if that is the only other 2+2 mid engine, than I pray that the R8 isn't one!

Ben:addict:

eazy
March 30th, 2006, 08:58
Maybe i was wrong about that, erik. But for me, a mid-engined sportscar should have 2 seats.
But, let's see how much seats are in the final car.

Here is another pic (hope it's new ;)):
http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/albums//Audi/R8/Test%20Mule/011.jpg

P.S.:
Fourtitude made a nice comparison between the R8 and the Le Mans Concept:
http://www.fourtitude.com/news/publish/Audi_News/article_2113.shtml

They are speculating about the engines as well.

Current rumors around engine choices seem to be centered on the 4.2 FSI V8 engine from the RS 4 and the 5.2-liter FSI V10 from the S8 and S6.

Will there be any other engines? Less likely rumors abound, from a twin-turbocharged 10-cylinder as seen in the Le Mans concept to a turbocharged variant of the 4.2 FSI. These are harder to believe, as they’d make the R8 more of a competitor to the Gallardo, itself due for some power upgrades soon.

Rather, one earlier rumor in the press is one that seems to make more sense. Several months ago, it was reported that a Gallardo had been spied testing in Sant Agata Bolognese, sounding not so much like a Gallardo and more like a diesel. Considering the public relations wake left behind the new R10 racecar, market conditions couldn’t be better for Audi to build such a car. Whether or not they choose to act on that remains to be seen.

If they are considering diesel, then a quick look at current engine choices also makes things interesting. Theoretically, the common rail 4.2 V8 TDI from the A8 could fit, as could the V10 from the Volkswagen Touareg, though the latter isn’t yet developed with common rail design – technology Audi says all of their TDIs will now adopt.

More interesting is a potential V12. It’s been said that Audi had several engine choices that it could have developed for the R10 - from V8 and V10 to V12. The company chose to go with V12, and its reasons for doing so aren’t as clear. Could this have been done to segway to a new top-of-the-line V12 TDI engine bound for production cars like the A8 and possibly the R8? While the theory is pure conjecture and not based on any internal source, the idea of such a car is certainly interesting to imagine.

source: fourtitude.com

So again, we should now discuss a diesel in the new R8 ;)

greetings

eazy

freerider
March 30th, 2006, 13:19
More pics:

http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos/6060330.005/6060330.005.mini1L.jpg
http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos/6060330.005/6060330.005.mini2L.jpg
http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos/6060330.005/6060330.005.mini3L.jpg
http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos/6060330.005/6060330.005.mini5L.jpg
http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos/6060330.005/6060330.005.mini8L.jpg
http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos/6060330.005/6060330.005.mini10L.jpg
http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos/6060330.005/6060330.005.mini11L.jpg
http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphotos/6060330.005/6060330.005.mini12L.jpg

AudiTumbo
March 30th, 2006, 13:37
Oooh...thank you for the last pics!

I can't wait for the final version!!!

tailpipe
March 30th, 2006, 13:39
The Fourtitude article is very interesting.

A V-12 twin-turbo diesel in an R8 would be an expected engine choice, but so long as it delivered the goods, few people would complain. If such an engine were successfully installed in a car like the R8, then it would easily be accpeted in other prestigious Volkswagen/ Audi models, e.g. Bentley GT Continental. And of course, you have a real point of difference versus the Lamborghini Gallardo.

We all have a bit of a psychological hang-up about driving a high-performance diesel engine. it doesn't seem right and challenges our sense of what a focused sports car should be like. But is something incredibly cool about driving a car with tyre-shredding acceleration and handling that does 30 mpg!!!!

I can already see the Jeremy Clarkson film for Top Gear: he takes on the Trans Siberia Express in the R8 V-12 TDI - and beats it!

eazy
March 30th, 2006, 14:30
@tailpipe
Yes that would be a nice option.
And one of the main-problems of normal diesel cars don't exist, an diesel-r8 wouldn't be nose-heavy ;)

eazy
March 31st, 2006, 20:00
After that arguments of an 2+2 seater R8 on rs6.com, George from Fourtitude made an small article about that, and he found something on the pics that looks like an additional headrest.
But look yourself ;)

http://forums.fourtitude.com/zerothread?id=2531120

Nevertheless, i don't believe it. For me there is not enough space for an person, maybe a half child or a dog but no average man ;)


greetings

eazy

RXBG
April 19th, 2006, 17:22
anyone?

Mr Balsen
April 19th, 2006, 18:31
I definitely confirm the R8 is a 2+2.....

And don't ask how I know....

Cheers from Paris,
Frederic

RXBG
April 19th, 2006, 18:35
UNpossible. can't fit a rear seat into that car. and if there is a seat it would be smaller than that in the original TT- more like shelf to put shoes on.

Benman
April 19th, 2006, 19:34
Originally posted by Mr Balsen
I definitely confirm the R8 is a 2+2.....

And don't ask how I know....

Cheers from Paris,
Frederic

If this is true (which I'm not saying it isn't) than that is both good and bad news. Good if you have tiny little kids (which might fit back there and therefor be an option for families with midgets...

And Bad cause the car is now in Modial compromised company!:nono:

Ben:addict:

Mr Balsen
April 19th, 2006, 19:50
One very good reason for the 2+2 is that the R8 will not compete against the Gallardo.

Cheers,
Frederic

nene
April 19th, 2006, 20:02
I can only speak for USA insurance laws, thus unsure if it is applicable to Europe and other continents.

In USA, it is cheaper to insure a car that is considered 2+2 than it is to insure one that is a 2 seater only. Even if you can't fit anything back there, if car is claimed as 2+2, the savings can be quite large, thus buyer appeal/demand may be higher.

So, whether it has back seat or not....what is the big deal if it seems useless anyway?

Leadfoot
April 19th, 2006, 20:40
When you look at the Lambo and the R8 side on there doesn't look to be much of a difference in body shape. Maybe the cab in the R8 is a little taller, but no tell tail signs of a 2+2 layout, but who knows.

Remember Audi is a mainly a saloon/estate manufacturer and sales are most likely to come from it's current client base. People currently driving RS4 and RS6, people use to roomy interiors. What is it completing with - 997, M6, SL and XK8 etc. All with the exception of the SL are 2+2 and all with rear seats unsuitable for adults. If it's a 2+2, I reckon it will have less space than even the new TT, rear seats nothing more than a token.

It's just a thought, but if it is using the Lambo chassis, does it allow for 2+2?

RXBG
April 19th, 2006, 20:51
i would feel very uncomfortable with the gas conduit next to my head if i sat back there- if that is the case.

Mr Balsen
April 19th, 2006, 21:57
Originally posted by Benman
If this is true (which I'm not saying it isn't) than that is both good and bad news.

Ben:addict:

Trust me....

http://www.mtm-france.com/R8.jpg

Cheers from Paris,
Frederic

tailpipe
April 20th, 2006, 01:00
Mr Balsen is right. Audi R8 is indeed a 2+2.

(Admittedly, there's only room for Handsome Prince, Snow White plus Grumpy and Dopey, because the rear space is so cramped it really stretches the concept of 2+2. Think first generation Audi TT.)

Martin Winterkorn has already revealed this fact. In his last 7 press releases he has nver said anything that wasn't true.

sturs6
April 20th, 2006, 23:06
Originally posted by Mr Balsen
Trust me....

http://www.mtm-france.com/R8.jpg

Cheers from Paris,
Frederic
Hey that image is photoshop'd! LOL
I love this car it would be fun!!!

Benman
April 21st, 2006, 01:13
Originally posted by sturs6
Hey that image is photoshop'd! LOL
I love this car it would be fun!!!

Maybe your next ride Stu!:thumb:

Ben:addict:

audi713
April 21st, 2006, 05:23
Holly molly looks so good!!!! Its gonna sell so well

Mr Balsen
April 21st, 2006, 07:41
Originally posted by sturs6
Hey that image is photoshop'd! LOL
I love this car it would be fun!!!

Yes it is so nobody can see where was located the car when I was inside.

Cheers,
Frederic

sturs6
April 21st, 2006, 14:54
Originally posted by Mr Balsen
Yes it is so nobody can see where was located the car when I was inside.

Cheers,
Frederic
Good I was hoping you would understand the humor there and not think I was saying you put yourself in the car. So what did you think of it...? Can you give an idea of interior size?


Originally posted by Benman
Maybe your next ride Stu!:thumb:

Ben:addict:
Hey Ben thats not even funny!!! :confused: :incar: ;)

RXBG
May 1st, 2006, 14:59
any info on R8 preview website or anything ? i am surprised that if audi is going to introduce it in le mans (6 weeks away) there isn't a teaser site of some sort....................