The Audi R8 Sports Car

Historically, Audi has a racing past. It is this history which is used in the development of the R8. The R8 has been used in some Le Mans endurance races and is noted for having a presence on other race competitions. Today Audi continues to advance on its heritage with the R8.

What makes this one of the best Audi sports cars is the design of the engine. The engine is a 4.2L V8 engine. A 4.2L engine refers to the cylinder capacity in the engine. A 4.2 litre engine is the same as 4200cc. The V8 refers to the shape of the cylinders. Essentially there are two types; straight cylinders where they are all in all line or a V shape where you have 4 cylinders on one side and 4 on another.

The engine features FSI technology which allows the car to accelerate at a faster rate. It can go from zero to sixty miles per hour in about four and a half seconds. It can be used in either a manual or automatic transmission. The manual transmission is a six speed one and the automatic transmission uses R tronic technology for automatic gear reading. The R8 can work at up to 420 horsepower at about 7800RPM. It also uses aluminium alloy cylinder heads that are more durable and powerful. Aluminium is also lighter than steel which means you get fuel economy out of the engine.

Many notable features are included in the R8. The R8 includes unique Bi-Xenon headlights that use gas discharge lamps that can be controlled electronically in terms of intensity. LED lighting is used in other parts of the car. Other exterior features include a retractable rear spoiler and carbon sigma accents.

Many technological features are also notable. The sound system uses Audio Concert Radio technology with a seven speaker output and a six CD changer. It also offers Sirius satellite radio with subscription and Bluetooth capability.

The navigation system used here is DVD based and features a 6.25 inch LCD screen to help with not only navigating the sound system but also for researching locations and directions. Cars are becoming more technology innovative and Audi is no exception. At the time of writing this article, Audi is owned by Volkswagen, who is one of the few car manufacturers that is not suffering as much as some car makers during the credit crunch. As a result, money can be spent on the development of good, quality engines.