If it hadn't been an Audi, Michael McAleer, Motoring Editor, might have stayed indoors
Flood warnings filled the airwaves, leaden clouds filled the skies and the determined tapping of torrential rain on canvas resounded through the makeshift marquee at the side of Mondello racetrack.
As several people mentioned on the day, if it had been anyone else but Audi, we'd have been sent home by lunchtime. This was Quattro weather.
Audi spends a great big dollop of their total marketing budget promoting its four-wheel-drive technology. So the Gods had deigned to offer up the perfect opportunity to put it to the test.
Lined up in the pitlane were a choice of Audi's high performance variants: the 5.2-litre 450bhp S8; the 5.2-litre 435bhp S6 Avant; the 4.2-litre 420bhp RS4; and the less dramatic but generally more eyecatching 3.2-litre 250bhp TT.
They were gathered here for the Audi sportscar experience, a week-long customer event that provided 32 participants per day with the chance to learn about the features of the range-topping models in the morning and then spend the afternoon testing them out during hot-laps on the track. We just popped along for the drive.
First up for us were eight laps of the national track in the S8. At €137,600 it's not cheap, though it's surprisingly not the most expensive A8 derivative on sale; that honour goes to the 6-litre 12-cylinder version which starts at a bargain basement price of €169,300. Given that both have 450bhp on tap and the S8 has a marginally lighter engine, you do have to wonder why anyone would opt for the extra weight. Yet on paper the 6-litre version has the equal of the S8.
The A8 has always been one of the better executive cars when it came to driving fun, but it's not the first car - not even the 50th - that you would opt for to head around a partly-flooded racetrack.
Yet here we were, wipers at full tilt. Inside, it's bedecked in the sort of luxury finish one would expect from a car of its price, including a Bang and Olufsen stereo with a dinner-plate sized speaker dominating the rear parcel shelf that would put any modified car fan to shame. The sound quality is superb and it's the first hint that the S8 is about much more than simply raw power.
First corner, down to second gear and it's only at the extreme of the apex that the car starts to hint at a slide on the sodden track. It's only a hint mind, for everything stays in line and though our right foot stays on the power, the car steadily pulls through and into the next left-hander. The only limit to the grip seems to be coming from our own head: the car seems to be pushing us on to go faster into the bends but our brain keeps telling us that it's suicidal to do so. When we do put our trust in the Audi over our own logic, it doesn't let us down.
Audi's expertise in four-wheel-drive really comes into its own in these conditions and despite its size and two-tonne weight, the S8 manages somehow to remain nimble and agile, surprisingly so even in tighter corners. Of course, a car this size is at its best on the long straights and faster corners, but the 60/40 split of power between front and rear wheels keeps to the sporting theme.
Audi has made much of the Lamborghini link to the S6 and S8. That's been a marketing mistake, for if that is what wins you over then you are probably set for disappointment. The initial criticism of both cars in the motoring press has centred on these cars not meeting the hype.
The rebored 5.2-litre engine is the same unit that features in the Gallardo, but here it offers 450bhp - 435bhp in the S6 - compared to the 520bhp in the Lamborghini. It's worthwhile not getting caught up in the statistics of course, for the real difference is in the very ethos of these sports saloons compared to outright sports cars. Audi has realised that most owners are not looking for the level of raw power Lamborghini is offering - if they were then they wouldn't opt for such large saloons.
Instead, most owners will be seeking out the sort of performance that devours hundred kilometre stretches of unrestricted German autobahn in a single bite; Continental mile munchers that get you comfortably from Bonn to Berlin without a visit to the airport.
The S8 - and to a lesser degree the S6 - are a blend of high performance and comfort. They don't wow you with their performance and they don't outrun their rivals, such as the Mercedes S55 AMG or the more passionate BMW M5. Instead performance is just one part of the recipe, where limousine comfort and ride quality are just as relevant to owners. It's just a pity the marketing departments didn't pick up on this nuance before they made so much of the Lamborghini links.
Handling remains direct if still a little lacking in feel on the wet track, but it's the traction that won us over to its charms. The transfer of power between engine and wheel, particularly in such inclement conditions, is truly impressive. Even in the most treacherous corners and at times when our speeds in such conditions would normally warrant a quick visit to the bodyshop, this great big luxury saloon managed to tuck into the apexes and challenge not only the laws of physics but also a few principles of chemistry as well.
Somehow wet rubber and pools of water were mixing to form some sort of glue that stuck the car to the track. When either of these two large family cars did step out of line, it was more because the limitations of our driving ability had been exceeded.
The S8 is not the ultimate sporting saloon. It doesn't catapult you into the horizon. Nor does it bury you into the headrests as you accelerate. It's more refined than that, and perhaps that will disappoint some. If it does, then it's really because they should have been looking somewhere else. What they may have been looking for is an RS4. For all the impressive metal on show at Mondello, this remains the most mouthwatering of the lot. At €104,130 for the saloon version, it's not a cheap proposition, but it's the most entertaining by far.
Audi sets its stall out as a rival to BMW and while the M5 has the beating of all its performance cars so far, the RS4 is the car that finally leaves the Bavarians - and its direct competitor the M3 - in the shade.
From the moment you wrap your fingers around the chiselled curves of the S-line steering wheel, you know you're in for a treat. With 420bhp on tap but a significant weight advantage over the S8 and S6, it offers a far more passionate package.
In the longer faster corners - and despite the slippy track - you get the impression that the rear of the car ends a couple of inches behind the base of your spine. There's no question that it's the most nimble and energetic in the pack. Even in these atrocious conditions it stuck to its line with so much enthusiasm you'd confidently think it could conquer a vertical wall without falling off.
Inside it offers all the levels of comfort and refinement one needs, though obviously lacking the limousine feel of the S8. The most enticing trait of the RS4 is that it doesn't require you to sacrifice everyday comfort yet makes no compromise on power. For that reason it's the best car Audi has to offer so far - with the qualifier only there because of the as yet unknown potential of the new R8.
For those lucky enough to be able to choose, the choice is clear: S8 is limousine luxury with long distance mile-munching ability; the S6 is the mid-range model that's more refined than competitors like the M5 - perhaps a little too refined and as a result less fun; and the RS4 is simply phenomenal.
As for those shopping around for more affordable Audis, the one lesson to be learnt from our track day was that Quattro technology should not simply be considered in terms of snow and ice. In the wet roads of Ireland, this sort of traction has real definable advantages over regular two-wheel drive. We certainly wouldn't have ventured out on the track without it.
New R8 tests here
•Audi's new R8 was spotted outside the Lake Hotel in Killarney last week.
The car - not yet on sale - was in Ireland undergoing final suspension testing. It's not the first time Ireland has been used by car firms to test new cars. Porsche is a regular visitor to the west of Ireland - particularly Co Mayo - while Lexus has used our roads to improve suspension settings. It seems that for all our complaints about the poor roads, the car firms do appreciate their uneven surfaces.
The new R8 has a mid-mounted 4.2-litre 420 bhp V8 FSI engine along with quattro permanent four-wheel drive and Audi Space Frame aluminium body. The R8 will come in a six-speed manual or sequential shift auto, with a maximum 8,250rpm. Torque is expected to be in the region of 430Nm from 4,500 - 6,500rpm. Prices are expected to start in the region of €160,000.