Audi R8 5.2 V10 - Interior and Exterior Walkaround

The Audi R8 (Type 42) is the first generation of the R8 sports car developed and manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Audi. Conceived in 2003 in concept form, the R8 was put into production in June 2006. The Type 42 is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo and shares its chassis and engine. Audi's parent company Volkswagen Group owns Lamborghini as well and components of both of the cars were shared mainly to save development costs. Production of the Type 42 ended in August 2015, following the introduction of the Type 4S at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show which was based on an entirely new platform.

The Audi R8 was first conceived as the Audi LeMans Quattro concept car which was presented to the public at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show, followed by the 2003 Geneva Motor Show. Designed by Frank Lamberty, the car featured many unique features such as a Jet Blue exterior colour, the front curve of the front wings shared with the TT along with Nuvolari quattro GT, 20-inch wheels, a twin-turbocharged FSI V10 engine with a rated power output of 610 PS (449 kW; 602 hp) and 750 N⋅m (553.17 lb⋅ft), a single-frame radiator grille, aluminium sports suspension with magnetic ride shock absorbers and dark interior colours. The body of the car was made of aluminium and carbon fibre in order to keep the weight low. Another unique feature of the car were its full LED headlamps.

The R8 development program began in 2004 with Frank Lamberty's design being approved and frozen for production. In 2005, Audi announced that the name of the successful Audi R8 race car would be used for a new road car in 2007. Production body prototypes began field testing in January 2006 and the car was introduced to the public at the 2006 Paris Motor Show.

The Audi R8 was initially equipped with a V8 engine. Specifically, it is an all-aluminium alloy 32-valve (four valves per cylinder) petrol engine, utilising Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI), and has a displacement of 4,163 cc (4.2 L). It develops a motive power output of 420 PS (309 kW; 414 hp) (Directive 80/1269/EEC), and generates 430 N⋅m (317 lbf⋅ft) of torque, on 98 RON 'Super Unleaded' petrol. It is basically the same engine used in the B7 RS4, but is modified to use a dry sump lubrication system. It uses two chain-driven double overhead camshafts (DOHC) per cylinder bank, and utilises variable valve timing for both inlet and exhaust camshafts. The 4 wheel drive system is biased towards the rear; it sends 30% of its power to the front wheels and 70% to the rear.

Audi AG unveiled the Audi R8 V10 on December 8, 2008. It uses a FSI V10 engine, based on the unit in the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 (which in turn was based on the 5.2 FSI V10 as used in the C6 S6 and D3 S8), but is re-tuned to have a power output of 532 PS (391 kW; 525 hp), and 530 N⋅m (391 lbf⋅ft) of torque. Compared to the V8 variant, the R8 V10's performance numbers are enhanced. Audi states the new 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) acceleration time as 3.9 seconds, 97 to 200 km/h (60 to 124 mph) in 8.1 seconds, and a top speed of 316 km/h (196 mph). Other changes to the V10 version of the R8 include some aesthetic differences: such as all-LED headlights (a world-first), "V10" badging on the front fenders, interior enhancements such as Bang & Olufsen 465 watt sound system, a more aggressive body styling, larger rear brakes, a dual outlet exhaust system and different wheels.

Although it was rumoured by the automotive press since the announcement of the production variant of the R8 in 2006, it was only in August 2008 that spy shots of a convertible R8 "Spyder" from filming scenes of the movie Iron Man 2 were published online. The photos showed a clearly visible soft-top roof and the absence of the distinctive "sideblades" found on the V10 FSI coupé. The R8 Spyder was formally unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. Compared with the coupé model, the convertible had extra chassis support, a pair of roll-over safety bars, as well as minor changes such as the location of the fuel filler cap. It was powered by the same uneven firing 5.2-litre V10 engine as the coupé.

On April 11, 2011 automotive magazine Autocar reported that Audi has made the 4.2-litre FSI V8 engine available on the R8 Spyder, alongside the 5.2-litre V10 engine initially fitted. The 434 PS (319 kW; 428 hp) (an increase of 14 PS as compared to the coupé), 430 N⋅m (317 lbf⋅ft) unit now completed the R8 Spyder range alongside the V10 Spyder offered. The V8 Spyder has a 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) acceleration time of 4.8 seconds and could attain a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph). Like the V10 model, the V8 Spyder features an aluminium spaceframe with carbon composite construction and an automatic retractable folding cloth roof.

Introduced at the 2010 Wörthersee Tour, the Audi R8 GT is a high-performance variant of the of the R8 V10. The GT utilises a 5.2 L (5,204 cc) V10 with the quattro four-wheel drive system.