Audi R8 Spyder 4.2 FSI quattro Review
New Sensation

The French Riviera is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in the world. Nice, St. Tropez, Antibes, Cannes and Monaco are some of the familiar names situated on the Cote d'Azur. With such scenic beaches, the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean and a tax haven (in the case of the Principality of Monaco), you can find plenty of both beautiful people and the rich and famous residing here. Naturally, members of the affluent society here cruise around in nice, million dollar supercars to match their spanking seaside villas or yachts. A car that definitely suits their needs is the new Audi R8 Spyder.

Four years after the R8 first made its transition from the Le Mans quattro concept to Audi's first mid-engine supercar, the topless Spyder version makes its debut. We recently took the R8 Spyder through its paces at its international media launch on the magnificently beautiful Cote d' Azur.

The R8 hasn't lost its sleek profile despite having its roof sliced off. In fact, the Spyder looks every bit as pretty as the coupe, if not prettier. Cynics might say that it has lost a signature R8 styling cue - the customizable side blades that feed air into the engine but the Spyder fights back with a matte aluminium windscreen surround (a detail it shares with the A/S5 cabriolet) and a unique looking rear deck. The latter features two rows of matte aluminium coloured louvres for engine cooling. The new rear deck means the coupe's glass engine cover is also gone though - the Spyder's motor can only be accessed by a small opening on the rear deck - it's a pity especially when the engine compartment is lined with plenty of carbon fibre.

Without a fixed roof and sloping glass engine hatch, the Spyder somehow manages to accentuate its width when viewed directly from the rear, hence giving it a somewhat more muscular stance than the coupe.