What's the news?
Fancy listening to a 540hp V10 engine without any metal panelling between you and it? Well then I have good news - Audi has just given the new R8 V10 Spyder a global debut at the New York Auto Show.
As you'd expect, it's an R8 with a folding roof - a cloth item (Audi seems to have shunned entirely the idea of a folding hard top) which powers up or down in just 20 seconds and at speeds of up to 50km/h.
The glass rear window remains part of the car, not the roof and retracts away when you don't need it and can be used as a wind-break too. In spite of the extra weight of the roof mechanism, the R8 Spyder clocks in at a relatively trim 1,612kg thanks to being made from lashings and lashings of aluminium and carbon fibre. There's a lattice frame of aluminium reinforcing structure in sills, a-pillars and windscreen which Audi claims has improved the structural rigidity compared to the previous R8 convertible by as much as 50 per cent.
The engine isn't the full-house V10 Plus model, so you'll have to make do with 'just' the 540hp and 540Nm of torque. That's good enough for 0-100km/h in just 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 318km/h assuming your name is Speedy McAutobahn. Fuel consumption and emissions? If you can afford one you won't care but for the record they're 11.7l/100km (24mpg) and 277g/km.
Drive goes to all four wheels, natch, through a seven-speed S-Tronic sequential dual-clutch transmission. As much as 100 per cent of the engine's power can be sent to either set of wheels, and there's a dry, wet and snow pre-set switch to allow you to tweak the setup for the prevailing conditions.
Inside, you get the full-size 12.3-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit digital instrument panel, and there's a new option, which allows you to wirelessly connect your phone to the car's aerial for better reception as well as inductive charging. Just to make sure you can hear the radio over the engine, there are Bang & Olufsen speakers built into the headrests. LED and laser headlights? Of course...
"With its spontaneous throttle response, quick revving-up and inimitable sound, the 5.2 FSI naturally aspirated engine in the new Audi R8 Spyder delivers undiluted emotion," remarked Dr.-Ing. Stefan Knirsch, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development. "Compared to the R8 Coupé, the engine sound in the open high-performance sports car now delivers an even more intense experience."
Sales start in the summer and the price will be lots.