Along came a Spyder

Audi Spyder The interior is first class for the quality of construction and the clarity of design while the accuracy and response of the steering and gearbox builds immense confidence in the driver. All of which means the Audi R8 Spyder has the motive power of a true supercar

If Audi was an old school friend, it would be one that you catch up with on Facebook after 20 years only to find that they've done annoyingly well for themselves. Slick, successful, desirable and as a result impossible to hate, even though you want to. The truth is that the German firm knows how to push the buttons of potential car buyers.

But its greatest trick is doing that for someone spending £15,000 just as well as for someone spending nearly ten times that amount. The R8 broke the rule that supercars have to be made by tiny, specialised manufacturers to be taken seriously. And then they went and made it even better by adding a spunkier ten cylinder engine.

And now there's even more. Say hello to the R8 Spyder, which adds fresh air fun to the V10's thrills. Turning the R8 Coupe into the Spyder hasn't sacrificed its good looks either. Arguably better looking than the original, the Spyder does without the prominent side blades and instead flows neatly into the curvaceous rear.

It's hard not to be a little flash in a low-slung two seater with this much presence, but the Spyder avoids being over the top. You're more likely to meet respect and enthusiasm than outright jealousy - it's a thing of genuine beauty after all.


    Article continues in this month’s issue of So Tunbridge Wells magazine.