Audi R8 Spyder – V8 in the pipeline?

The unveiling of the Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro at Frankfurt. Is there to be a V8 version?

Audi are reported to be planning to produce an R8 Spyder with a V8 engine. Will they use the setup from the new RS5 complete with DCT ‘box?

We finally got the Audi R8 Spyder at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year. And it was worth the wait. Audi decided that as a halo car it would come with just one engine option – the rather wonderful 5.2 litre V10 with 525 horses just waiting to be unleashed. Of course, with such a stonking lump nestling in its hind quarters the R8 Spyder came in at a less than bargain price – £111,955. And if you started to spec it up you’d be heading towards £130k before you knew what was happening.

So the news coming in that Audi are considering a second R8 Spyder with the original 4.2 litre V8 is welcome news for buyers for whom the price tag of the V10 was a step too far. Or for buyers who are more interested in the pose than the power.

But if Audi are to go this route and make a de-caff  R8 Spyder will they stick with the current engine setup that’s in the R8 V8 Coupe? Because there is now a much more appealing option – the V8 in the new Audi RS5. That lump has a bigger set of lungs and manages to wring 450 horses from basically the same engine as the current R8 V8. But – and far more appealing – is the inclusion of the DCT ‘box instead of the rather dodgy R-Tronic ‘box.

It’s a nice thought. An R8 Spyder at a price point nearer to £90k with a deep-breathing V8 and a DCT ‘box that would manage 0-60mph in around 4 seconds. The problem is, that setup would put the R8 V8 almost on a par with the V10 R8. Which might well hurt the V10’s sales instead of complimenting them.

The word is the Audi R8 Spyder with the V8 lump will happen next year (2011). We’ll have to wait and see.