The article was originally produced on September 16, 2010, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Audi R8 Spyder

It is August and the Russian heat has calmed down in Sweden, the weather has rather turned and become a little worse than for the time of year. In other words, a perfect opportunity to take a cabriolet and in this case to be more precise an Audi R8 5.2 V10 Spyder to the warmer latitudes south of Europe. 

The journey begins with a car change in Södertälje and at the headquarters of the VolksWagengruppen. Even before, I knew that the R8 Spyder did not have any large spaces for packing, but I probably did not expect that it would be as substandard as it is. It was barely possible to get two bags in normal cabin format down into the space in the front. So camera equipment such as tripods and anats had to be stiffened down behind and under the seats. But if you own an R8 V10 Spyder and are going on holiday, you may be able to afford to buy your clothes at the destination instead of taking them with you.

For me, the route to get quickly and easily to the German continent is via Malmö and Travemünde, you go on the ferry at 10 pm and arrive at 7 am. Then you have saved a good 30-40 miles through Denmark and if, like in my case, you are going to pass the Nürburgring, you only have 60 miles to drive. You are also rested from the color that brooded another berth.

I have had the opportunity to drive quite a few cars at the Ring and among my favorites is clearly the coupé version of the R8 V10, fast, stable and strong. So it felt exciting in the West to see how the same car would behave without a roof. One very annoying thing that I really tried to solve by renting was not being able to bring helmets due to the poor storage facilities which I see as an unwritten law to wear when driving on the Ring. This of course meant that the horns were allowed to stay inside the forehead bone and the gas foot worked a little easier than normal. 

The V10 in the R8 develops 525 horses at 8,000 rpm and 530 newton meters of torque. You can feel it and in terms of power, you can't complain about the resources. But it feels like the cabriolet gets more kilos around with the convertible top, close to 200 kilos to be exact. And this of course affects behavior negatively. The positive thing about the crow's song, however, is the feeling of speed that comes with the roof down, the wind and the sound filling up the cabin in a lovely way.

When the journey continues south after a really fun weekend at the Ringen, I get to see for the first time what the R8 V10 spewed is capable of on the Autobahn's glorious freeway straights. And the sound that occurs at 300 km/h with the roof down is deafening to say the least. But just the coupé version, the R8 V10 Spyder is as stable as the X2000 at high speeds.

Some had a little difficulty with the boomerang-like arch on the side of the coupe version, it has now been removed and the shapes feel very complete on the R8 Spyder. Unfortunately, the roof construction has been given the neat window to be able to look down on the engine to give way. The only time you have an opportunity to look at the engine is for a short moment when the roof is folded up or down. But the engine is there, there is no doubt, it makes itself heard from low revs all the time with a wonderful sound and wherever you go, people turn to take a closer look at what you are traveling in. Audi R8 V10 Spyder A magnet is rarely shod.

+ What a wonderful sound, quick sunroof to fold down.

- Heavy compared to the coupe version?