New 2016 Audi R8 Spyder soft-top supercar spied ~ station of gear

Audi's drop-top version of the second-gen R8 supercar has been spotted out-and-about, ahead of early 2016 launch

2015-08-18 14:15

Audi's next-generation R8 Spyder has been seen for the first time on the road, spied in typical camouflage outside the firm's Nurburgring test centre. It's expected to revealed at a motor show some time early next year, ahead of release in spring 2016.

Like the outgoing R8 Spyder, the drop-top gets rid of the glass panel above the engine from the Coupe and adds extra cooling vents to the extended rear panel.The fabric roof itself is very similar in design to the old car, with two buttresses on either side extending back onto the engine bay and a vertical rear window that retracts when the roof is lowered.

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The R8 will feature the same naturally-aspirated V10 engines as the hardtop with the 'entry level' 532bhp V10, which can be seen in our spy shots, and a 601bhp V10 Plus. The R8 shares many of its components with the Lamborghini Huracan, including the four-wheel drive chassis and powertrains.

The second-generation Audi R8 Coupe, which we drove earlier this year, is around 66kg lighter than the previous model, and we can expect similar weight reductions on the Spyder. But the previous Spyder was still 100kg heavier than the coupe, due to the extra structural bracing required.

Expect the 0-62mph time to be marginally less than the 3.5 seconds of the Coupe (3.2 in the V10 plus). The top speed is likely to be reduced, too. a £10,000 premium over the hardtop, which is priced at £119,500 and £137,500 for the plus, is likely for the Spyder. A Geneva 2015 European debut is probable, but we could see the car first as early as Detroit in January next year.

Check out our full review of the new Audi R8 hard-top here...

Alex Roberton

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