Greatest Drives

Drive an R8 and you’ll learn what it’s like to be a celebrity. On public roads, crowds followed us. And when we stopped, cameras clicked. Right now, the R8 is the hottest sports car in the world.

As a runner-up finish here proves, it’s one of the best, too. But it’s not only about the driving. Of the 20 models we tested, only the Lamborghini – which costs twice as much – managed to better the R8’s sense of occasion.

Although those side blades break up the flow of the flanks, when combined with the LED headlights and the glass panel – which provides a window on to the V8 engine – they ensure people stop to look.

Open one of the wide doors and another treat awaits: the adventurous, low-slung cabin. The switchgear is familiar Audi fare, but the angled windscreen, cosseting seats and swooping layout set the interior apart from that of a TT. The best detail by far, however, is the open-gate gearlever. As beautiful to use as it is to look at, it’s light and precise, and shifts are accompanied by a metallic ‘clack-clack’.

The rest of the car follows this philosophy: it appears intimidating, but is actually as light and easy to drive as the Mazda MX-5. Being so accessible and unflappable makes the R8 less challenging than some cars here, so ultimately it isn’t as rewarding. But that’s when it’s being driven on a track...

As a road car, however, the mid-engined machine is near-flawless. The gorgeous gearbox hints that this Audi has personality as well as presence and, on the roads of North Wales, the R8 did nothing to dispel that notion. The 4.2-litre V8 proved more tuneful than the guttural flat-six in the Porsche 911, and nearly as loud. It’s great fun to drive at any speed, and the Magnetic Ride dampers (a £1,350 option) are simply one of the discoveries of the year – the ride is absolutely brilliant.