Audi is preparing to launch the R8 Spyder in South Africa this month, and we’ve managed to lay our hands on pricing for the open-top version of the German supercar.
It’s been a long wait for local Spyder suitors, seeing as the second-generation coupé model hit SA shores as long ago as July 2016 (and the Spyder was revealed in New York back in March 2016), but the first units of the drop-top variant have already arrived in local dealers (with the official market launch set down for mid-May).
The Spyder will be offered with the same powertrain as the “base” (for want of a better word) R8, which means its naturally aspirated 5,2-litre V10 (linked to a seven-speed S tronic transmission) will be good for 397 kW and 540 N.m. That leaves the 449 kW/560 N.m V10 Plus coupé as the big daddy in the local line-up.
The Ingolstadt-based automaker claims a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 3,6 seconds for the Spyder (one-tenth slower than the base coupé), with top speed coming in at 318 km/h. An electro-hydraulic drive opens and closes the roof in 20 seconds, up to a speed of 50 km/h.
And the price? Well, the Audi R8 5,2 V10 Spyder quattro will start at R2 905 500, some R170 000 more expensive than the coupé on which it is based. The V10 Plus coupé, for the record, comes in at R3 089 000.
