Opinion: the Audi R8 never got the credit it deserved

It’s happened. I’ve driven my last ever new Audi R8. The final, hardcore GT model arrived on a gloriously sunny day and left a week later with one of its carbon fibre canards crumpled and hanging on by a thread courtesy of a lovely old bloke who felt terrible about the whole thing. Sorry Audi. I feel terrible, too. About the old fella’s mishap and the fact that the R8 is a thing of the past. Even that dreaded phrase “will be reinvented as an EV” hasn’t been attached to the R8 for a while. It’s over.

I swoon literally every time I see an R8 coupe. Especially if it’s an early car with that gorgeous open gated shifter. Futuristic yet understated, beautifully built but exotic in all the ways that count (to me, at least) and with a poise, fluidity and lightness of touch that seems completely at odds with Audi’s usual dynamic character.

Yet the R8 isn’t as deeply desired as it should be. To some it’s a poor man’s Lambo despite being miles better than its Gallardo and latterly Huracán twins (admittedly the very latest Huracáns are superb, too). To others it’s, well, not a 911. Maybe it needed a real halo – a GT3 RS or STO variant – to remind people of the standard car’s brilliance. Audi flirted with the idea of a wild R8 over the years, but never had the conviction to unleash its full potential.

Why? Who knows. The R8 has been an unbelievably successful racecar in the GT3 category and has won the Nürburgring 24hr race no fewer than seven times. A road-going version of the brilliantly named R8 LMS ultra? Who could resist? “You have a GT3 RS? That’s cool. I just picked up my R8 LMS ultra Straßenversion N24 edition.”

I guess Audi not taking that leap is on us, the buying public. We couldn’t recognise and appreciate greatness in our midst or, perhaps, look past the Audi badge at this price point. Not as loud and attention grabbing as a Lambo nor as below the radar as a 911, the R8 has never burrowed its way into the hearts of enthusiasts. Instead, people with a love for cars and deep pockets line up to pay over list for the latest from Ferrari and Porsche. Over and over again.

So, blame the sheep-like supercar buyer? I don’t think so. The R8’s limited impact is on Audi. The R8 should be a solid gold icon. A nameplate born at Le Mans and transferred to the best Audi road car ever made by miles. At launch it genuinely made the Porsche 911 seem slightly ordinary. What other sports car in history can say that? The R8 should have been loved and nurtured, evolved at a rapid pace to take the fight to anyone and everyone. Instead, it’s been left to fade slowly away. Why would potential customers cherish a model so neglected by its own maker?

The 612bhp R8 GT isn’t exactly fading away. But even in its death throes, Audi’s mid-engined wonder doesn’t get a fully uncorked version of the wonderful 5.2-litre V10 engine. It’s an exercise in optimisation. The press car even arrived on standard tyres instead of the hardcore Cup 2Rs and without the unique manually adjustable suspension. Porsche wouldn’t dream of speccing an RS press car without every performance item and lightweight option fitted. To the very end, Audi’s brightest star has been dimmed by the very people who created it in the first place.