Local News: R8 Spyder unleashed In Singapore

The car is breathtakingly dynamic, providing a unique combination of
performance and emotion. The R8 Spyder is equally at home cruising
the great boulevards of the world with the top down as it is on the
track.

The V10 engine produces 386 kW (525 hp) and launches the open-top twoseater to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds on its way to a top speed of 313 km/h.

Featuring technologies such as the Audi Space Frame (ASF), quattro
permanent all-wheel drive, full-LED headlights and with an innovative
seat belt microphone as standard, the R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro is the new top-of-the-range Audi.

The sculptured lines of the emotion-packed, high-performance sports car are a fascinating and unique interpretation of its dynamism. Unlike the Coupé, the Spyder does not have sideblades behind the doors. The side panels and the large cover over the storage compartment for the cloth top are made of a carbon fibre composite. Two arched cowls, which extend to the spoiler lip and include large, integrated air vents, give the rear of the open-top two-seater a powerful profile.

Like every open-top Audi, the R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro has a cloth top – an uncompromising solution for a high-performance sports car. The soft top’s approximate weight is a mere 30 kilograms; it thus keeps the vehicle’s total weight and centre of gravity low. The top takes up little space when open and is a harmonious design element when closed. It tapers off to two slim fins extending to the trailing edge of the car, emphasising the elongated silhouette.

The electrohydraulic soft top opens and closes in 19 seconds, even while driving at speeds up to 50 km/h. When opened, it folds like a Z into its storage compartment over the V10 engine. The compartment cover opens and closes automatically. A glass window, which is separate from the cloth top, is lowered into the bulkhead. It can be independently raised and lowered at the press of a switch, with the top up or down. An additional net like wind deflector comes standard and can be latched into the bulkhead behind the seats in two easy steps.

The top, which comprises an outer skin of a leakproof textile fabric and the headliner, is fully compatible with high-speed driving. When driving at moderate speeds with the top up, interior noise levels in the R8 Spyder are barely higher than in the Coupé. The bulkhead includes integrated rollover protection in the form of two strong, spring-tensioned plates. Head/thorax side bags in the backrests protect the passengers in the event of a side impact. Full-size airbags stand at the ready in the event of a head-on collision. In a rear-end collision, the integral head restraint system reduces the risk of whiplash injuries.

In the version with manual transmission, the R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro
weighs only 1,720 kilograms thanks primarily to its aluminium Audi Space Frame (ASF) body. Despite reinforcements in the area of the sills, the centre tunnel, the rear wall, the floor pan and the A- and B-pillars, the body weighs only 216 kilograms – just 6 kilograms more than that of the R8Coupé. The high stiffness of the ASF body, which includes an integrated engine frame of ultra-lightweight magnesium, provides the foundation for the car’s dynamic handling and superior safety.

The availability and pricing of the Audi R8 Spyder in Singapore will be announced at a later date.

Read the full review on oneshift.com at the following link: http://www.oneshift.com/articles/article.php?artid=683

Credits: wilswong