The final Audi R8 has left the factory, bringing down the curtain on an iconic vehicle for the German manufacturer.
The times, they are a-changin’ and – for car people – that’s often bad news.
The latest supercar to join the growing list of retired icons is the Audi R8.
Yep, the yellow Audi R8 you see in this article is the last model that’ll ever be built.
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After two generations and less than 20 years, Audi is retiring its beloved supercar to make room for – you’ve guessed it – an electric equivalent.
Audi’s decision makers haven’t decided whether the R8 nameplate will live on, but the car itself is unfortunately dead.
It’s sad news because the R8 – which by the way is now of ‘legal age’, having just turned 18 – started out as an underrated car before becoming a true icon.
When Audi announced they wanted to build a supercar loosely based on the Lamborghini Gallardo, eyebrows were raised, chiefly because many struggled with the idea of a proper supercar sporting the Audi badge.
But then Audi unveiled it, and everyone loved it, because it looked like a supercar, drove like a supercar, but didn’t really cost as much as a supercar.
In the early stages of production, back when inflation wasn’t really a topic of conversation, a brand new R8 would cost just five figures in certain markets.
Through the years, Audi launched a V8 and a V10 model, and the latter is what powers the ‘Vegas Yellow’ model you see here.
Under the hood, you’ll find a Lambo-sourced 5.2-liter V10, delivering 612 horsepower and propelling the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds.
Audi – like nearly every other major car brand – wants to expand its EV line-up while simultaneously killing the internal combustion engine.
We’ve often seen legendary nameplates ‘recycled’ for cars that are potentially very different when compared to the original.
The original Hummer, for example, isn’t exactly the same as the Hummer EV, and not just because of the new electric engine.
Ford went even further with the Mustang Mach-E, which is a Mustang-branded vehicle that’s an SUV, which was unthinkable just a few years ago.
With that in mind, we fully expect an R8 that’s an electric supercar, or an Audi R8 that’s maybe a luxury SUV.
It’s probably going to be a great vehicle, just like the current R8, but possibly not as iconic.
