The story
When the R8 arrived in 2007, it rewrote what people believed Audi could build. The body was low and wide, the 4.2-liter V8 sat in the middle of the car, and power went to all 4 wheels. The manual version carried an exposed metal gate, so every shift clicked through a slot in the manner of classic Italian exotics. Road & Track timed one to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds and praised how easy it was to live with, despite a test weight of 1,624 kg (3,580 lb).
That blend of pace and good manners is the R8's real gift. The clutch is light, the shift is easy, and the car is as content in city traffic as it is on an empty back road, with room for a passenger who never signed up for a race car. History has handed it a second role. When the second-generation R8 arrived in 2015, the gated manual stayed behind, and no production sports car has offered a mechanical one since. Ferrari's recent gated revival links its lever to a dual-clutch transmission by wire; the Audi's lever is physically tied to the gearbox.
