ROADTEST AUDI R8 V10:WE ARE driving through the port tunnel in Dublin. The windows are down and the cabin is filled with the most glorious sound this side of "sir, here is your National Lottery cheque".
Audi’s R8 V10 has been in our custody the last few days, the object of admiring glances – and probably a few jealous ones too. Then again, €217,000 supercars are rare enough on Irish roads these days, never mind ones with a 2010 plate. Under my right shoe is 525bhp and 530Nm of torque. It is an exercise in self-restraint.
At low speeds the R8 has been docile and comfortable. We get 25mpg if we use cruise control on the motorway. But if you press down on the accelerator, all hell breaks loose.
We are headed to Midleton, Co Cork, on the hunt for the car that started all this, the reason the R8 is the car it is today. We want to find an original Audi Quattro, a car which celebrates its 30th birthday this year.
The idea for an all-wheel-drive Audi came about much earlier than that – in winter 1976/77 during the test drives Audi developers were conducting in Sweden.
The camouflaged prototypes with their 170bhp five-cylinder engines put in a worthy performance. But they were left standing when compared to a high-wheeled vehicle with a 75bhp engine, equipped with driver-engaged all-wheel drive – the Iltis military off-road vehicle Audi was developing as the successor to the Munga.
The project got off the ground in the early part of 1977 as “Development Order 262”. It was masterminded by three young engineers, one of whom – technical director Dr Ferdinand Piëch – is a grandson of Ferdinand Porsche and has since gone on to run the VW empire.
The end result was a car derived from the Audi 80 Coupé but clad in a body with angular edges. The Audi quattro made its world debut in March 1980 as something of a supercar. It was powered by a five-cylinder turbo engine installed longitudinally up front.
The two-valve power unit had a displacement of 2,144cc; it delivered 200bhp and 285Nm of torque. The Quattro went from 0-100km/h in 7.1 seconds and had a top speed of around 220km/h. The search for an Ur Quattro in Ireland began online. After posting a plea on an enthusiast website, a reply came back at 2.30am to try Alan in Autowerks in Cork. “He might know of a couple,” was the optimistic post.
Alan Lomansey provided this welcome response in a musical Cork lilt: “Sure I have one here in the back.” On the way to Cork, the cruise control is on to save fuel – money doesn’t grow on trees, even for those able to shell out €217,000 on this car. Is it worth an extra €50,000 or so over the V8? Yes it is. It is magnificent: that sound, that acceleration.
Few supercars give the same sense of both being in charge and allowing the driver sit back and cruise. There is no feeling that it will bite you on the hand at any point. The grip is amazing. The gear change from the manual transmission is easy and that metal gate looks and sounds brilliant. The Bang Olufsen sound system never distorts, no matter how loud you play your music, and despite the fact this car is in the same league as a Porsche 911 Turbo, Lamborghini Gallardo or Ferrari 458, it’s as easy to drive as a family saloon. The motorway dissolves under the 295/30 tyres.
Lomansey has owned the black 1988 Quattro since 2000 and got the car after a long search for that specific model, in black. He has been working on old Audis and Volkswagens since 2003.
“There were guys around with old Volkswagen and Audi cars and they weren’t getting much joy from their local dealers because in many cases the mechanics are now getting younger and don’t have any experience of working on older cars like the Mark I Golf GTi. In many cases they are looking for somewhere to plug in their laptop!”
Now it is time to do what we came for. Alan hands over the keys of the beautiful Quattro, which sparks up first time without grumble. The dash has an orange digital display – very 1980s – and there are acres of black plastic. It is a world away from the leather and carbon sitting room we just left behind.
The steering is nicely weighted; there’s a delay in the acceleration as you wait for the turbo to do its job, unlike the instant thump of the R8’s V10. The grip is outstanding and the power and noise hypnotic, even by today’s standards.
Back in the early 1980s this car must have felt like it came from another planet. Sure, it takes a whole three seconds longer to get to 100km/h, but back in those day there wasn’t many to better it. The brakes are no match for the anchors fitted to the R8 and this is something we find out as we brake hard into a corner. Having enjoyed the awesome grip of the R8’s ceramic brakes for the last few days, any car would seem lacking in stopping power, never mind a 22-year-old supercar.
These cars leaned more heavily on the skill of the driver than any car let out of a factory today. There is no ESP to nanny you if things go wrong, which can happen.
Airbags were yet to feature widely and the A-pillars are thinner than you would find on a modern supermini. Crash this at speed and they might be identifying you by your dental records.
The thing is, despite spending the last few days with more than twice the horsepower, I’m more overawed by the Quattro: this was a car that was on my bedroom wall as a kid, probably in the same way the R8 V10 will adorn the walls of a wide-eyed 12-year-old today. Even in the hands of a relatively experienced driver, the Quattro could be a handful, whereas the R8 could be driven at breakneck speeds by your grandmother. The R8 stands proud among most supercars on sale because of the fact it is so good-natured – where the Quattro almost certainly wasn’t. Yes, evolution has made cars faster but also more forgiving and more accessible.
If you want a good Quattro it will cost from about €12,000 but Lomansey says you should budget this much again in repairs and upkeep, such is the rarity of parts. Our R8 V10 is wearing options totalling that much. If you want the R8 V10 itself you will need 18 times that amount. For most it will remain a dream.
The last word goes to Alan Lomansey, who thinks Audi’s latest car remains true to the original ethos of the Quattro born 30 years ago: “They certainly are keeping the spirit of the whole thing going. Obviously they have moved away a bit from turbo-charging in the bigger stuff lately, but the handling, the roar, the feel is all something where you can see where it all came from.
“It is like the grandfather and the grandson. You can appreciate the common bloodline from the moment you take to the road.”
Factfile
Engine:5204cc V10 engine with six-speed manual transmission putting out 525bhp @8,000rpm and 530Nm @ 6,500rpm
0-100km/h:3.9 seconds
L/100km (mpg):urban 22.6 (12.4); extra-urban 10.2 (27.7); combined 14.7 (19.2)
CO2 emissions:351 g/km
Tax:band G – €2,100
Specifications:19" alloy wheels, LED headlights, leather upholstery, navigation system plus, Concert radio system, six-disc CD-changer, autofolding door mirrors, cruise control, Audi park assist, dual zone climate control, front sports seats, retractable rear spoiler, light and rain sensor
Options fitted to test car:Lighting package, inlays in carbon sigma, side blade in oxygen silver, Audi parking aid plus, Bang Olufsen sound system, Bluetooth
Price:€217,995
Options Price:€12,270
Price of test car:€230,225
The '80s Rival
Rival:1988 Audi Quattro
Engine:2,226cc 5-cylinder 10v turbo-charged petrol engine putting out 200bhp and 285Nm of torque
Performance:0-100km/h 6.7 seconds,
Top Speed:222km/h
Fuel Economy:13.4 l/100km (21mpg)
CO2:Nobody cared about CO2 back then
Price:About €16,000 for a good one these days
