Let us rejoice that something like this exists: a ten-cylinder engine with 570 horsepower and no turbocharging. Only the back wheels are operated, and the power derives from displacement and speed: The Audi R8 V10 Performance RWD welcomes you.
At Audi, they vow that the ten-cylinder is far from completed. In the next years, we still have a lot of work to do. The maiden trip with the new Performance RWD Coupé and Spyder models demonstrates how much we may anticipate.
Rear Wheel Drive is the shorthand for – you guessed it – rear wheel drive. The performance version of the mid-engine sports vehicle gains 30 horsepower and 10 Nm, bringing the total to 570 horsepower and 550 Nm, without the brand-defining all-wheel drive.
The LMS GT4 racer, among other things, demonstrated that Audi works just as well with rear-wheel drive.
The Spyder now stands in front of us, painted in a crisp ascari blue and with a recessed top. Of course, the missing front drive train isn’t visible in him. The hood is already folded in the tub behind the two chairs, a mild breeze from the sea blows, and the temperature is 25 degrees, a taste of summer in the Canarian winter.
We’re off and running with only one click of the start button, Drive Select to Comfort, and the two control knobs on the steering wheel. On the Virtual Cockpit display, the route appears. It winds along a few pass roads in the west of the island, promisingly meandering and relatively unspoiled during the off-season.
As a convertible and coupé, it’s a great car.
The R8 V10 Performance RWD comes in coupe and convertible versions.
For the first few kilometers, the ten-cylinder is quite peaceful and quiet; after that, it frequently switches to economy mode and works as a five-cylinder. The Select button is then changed to Dynamic: Damper, dynamic steering, dual clutch gearbox, and accelerator pedal to roll call.
Friends, what comes after that is something we will most likely miss in the not-too-distant future: The open two-seater is catapulted from one curve to the next by a freely breathing naturally aspirated engine with compact cylinder units with a nominal speed of just under 9,000 and a transmission with two clutches that smash the drive from one gear to the next. It’s now obvious.
The whole affair is complemented with passionate load-changing bollards and ten-cylinder full-load wailing. Your head is being blown by a breeze that smells like the sea and tropical air.
Although the latter is unlikely to apply in places like Altmühltal or Hunsrück, everything else does. The steering allows you to experience the pure grip of the front wheels, and the optional dynamic steering with superposition gear eliminates the need to maneuver around the numerous tight corners. Turn in, slam on the brakes, then move on to the next braking spot. That’s how it works.
Of course, the V10 Performance RWD is also available as a coupé. The next morning, you may test it out at the Circuito Maspalomas, a meandering airfield track. Frank Stippler, an Audi works driver, is ready to assist you in finding the line fast and not driving too slowly. He’s won multiple 24-hour races in the R8, and he cautions of deep holes in the gravel and sand away from the racing line.
60,000 euros cheaper
The coupe will set you back at least 149,000 euros, while the Spyder will set you back 162,000 euros.
Keyword: Audi R8 V10 Performance RWD: 570 hp rear-wheel spin