The R8 Spyder V10 Plus is Audi’s Most Powerful Convertible Ever

[See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com]

The summer driving season is finally upon us, and what better to celebrate than with the fastest series production convertible ever produced by Audi, the R8 Spyder V10 Plus?

European order books have just opened for the new soft top supercar fitted with Audi’s naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 producing 610 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque, just like in the hardtop version. Unlike the hardtop, the Spyder is available with an exclusive color, micrommata green (pictured).

As with the regular R8 Spyder, Audi has opted for a cloth top, for when the weather turns. Made with aluminum and magnesium ribbing, the top only weighs 97 lbs, despite pitching and packing in just 20 seconds at speeds of up to 31 mph.

Rather than trying fit a window in with the folded roof, Audi here has chosen to make it go straight up and down into the bulkhead. Two spring-pretensioned steel sections, meanwhile, keep your melon in one piece in the event of a rollover.

Losing the hood does impact performance, but only slightly. Instead of the 3.2 second to 60 that Audi reports for the hardtop V10 Plus, the Spyder gets there in a glacial 3.3 seconds. The top speed, meanwhile, is a lackadaisical 203.8 mph to the hardtop’s 205 mph.

Outside of the engine bay, meanwhile, the R8 Spyder V10 Plus benefits from the same race car-inspired suspension as any other R8, with a lightweight Audi Space Frame keeping the car rigid and light. The suspension, meanwhile, is an aluminum double wishbone set up, just like you’d find on track.

Up front, the Spyder comes with optional laser lights, a gloss black grille, and a low-lying carbon chin spoiler.

Built at Audi’s Böllinger Höfe factory, the cars are largely handmade, so customization options are nearly limitless. Audi recommends a selection of 11 colors, but you’re free to choose basically any color in the visible spectrum and from matte finishes, too.

Doors sills and sideblades can also be customized with just about any logo you like. Inside inlays, upholstery, and colors are also a source of near-limitless customization.

Set to hit the streets in late summer of this year (in Europe), has just opened European order books. In Germany, the base price for the R8 Spyder V10 Plus is 207,500 euros ($235,000). No indication of if or when it will be offered in the US has yet been given.

This story first appeared on Fourtitude

The post The R8 Spyder V10 Plus is Audi’s Most Powerful Convertible Ever appeared first on VWVortex.

from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2t27G8M
via IFTTT