Audi R8 Spyder news - R8 Spyder: now in V8 flavour - 2010

Need an R8 Spyder on your immaculately raked driveway but simply won't stretch to the £110,000 asking price for the V10 version?

Good news, you parsimonious convertible enthusiast! Audi has just announced that the Spyder will be made available with the quite excellent V8 engine from the R8 coupe.

We've always been big fans of the, ahem, base spec R8, and we suspect we'll be just as keen on the V8 convertible. At 415bhp, it's 103bhp down on the V10, but still plenty quick: with Quattro four-wheel drive as standard, the Spyder will hit 62mph in under five seconds and top out on the exciting side of 180mph.

It won't be cheap, exactly: although Audi has only announced Euro prices, we'd expect it to tip the wallet-o-meter somewhere between £90,000 and £100,000.

And you can still spec plenty of expensive goodies including the big Bang & Olufsen stereo, carbon brakes and the R-Tronic ‘box if you really must.

At which point you'll have a V8 Spyder that's more expensive than the V10. Oops.

Tom Harrison