2011 Audi R8 Spyder

How do you make a car as stunning as the Audi R8 even more of a showstopper than it already is?  That’s easy-chop off its top. And that’s just what designers did with the 2011 Audi R8 Spyder.  A supercar fit for a superhero.

The Spyder shares much of the same gorgeous shape as the coupe, minus the hard top.  In its place is a lightweight, two-layer power cloth top that can be opened and closed up to 31 miles per hour. The R8 coupe’s unique sideblade has also been removed to give the Spyder its own unique personality.

Like the Coupe, a mid-mounted 430-horsepower 4.2-liter V8, or 525-horspower 5.2-liter V10 put power through manual or automatic transmissions and standard permanent all-wheel-drive. We drove the R8 Spyder along the hilly sweepers outside of San Diego, where this drop-top showed itself to have every bit of prowess as the coupe version.  Both acceleration and cornering are at their finest. Chassis mods include extra bracing and a pair of rollover bars.

The R8 Spyder 4.2 will hit showrooms in early 2011, starting around $130,000.  The Spyder 5.2, however, is on sale now with a base price of $165,000.  If you want one, you better get in line.

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