How many times can I get up to look out the window to see this beauty in my driveway?
But we couldn't let if just sit there. So we headed south toward San Diego but then remembered it was the last day of Comic-Con and didn't want anyone to mistake the Audi R8 for the Millennium Falcon. So we stopped off in San Clemente, former home of the former worst President of the U.S.
It's a quaint old town with a little shopping district, some nice restaurants and lots of Spanish mission type of architecture. All of the buildings look like Kim Novak should jump off of them. But I guess that was San Juan Capistrano.
The ride packed the usual excitement for other drivers. It really makes me nervous when you see cars looking at you in the mirror instead of the road. There's always somebody who takes your picture, somebody who wants to race, somebody in a Prius who yells at you as you drive by because you're destroying the environment. The usual crowd.
There is something accessible about the R8 that makes people want to talk to you. I can't imagine getting the same reaction in a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Perhaps it's the newness of the R8. People haven't seen it before. And the style is exotic without being ostentatious. It makes people happy.
On the highway, the R8 is fun, fun, fun. Merging? No problem. Speeding? Can be a problem. Once the R8 gets going, its low hum lulls you into thinking you are driving at legal speeds. Until you look at the speedometer and "Whoa."
Starting off is very clunky in the lower gears, very similar to driving the Smart. No fooling. The transition from 1st to 2nd can be awkward until you learn to finesse it. Outside of the attention factor, the similarities end there. I was driving behind a friend in the R8 and he said when he looked in his rear-view mirror, he thought the R8 was going to eat him. The Smart on the other hand looks like it's about to be gobbled up by Ms. Pac-Man.
One of the interesting things about the R8 is that, although you can drive it as an automatic, it has no "Park" gear. You just put on the hand brake, notch the shifter into gear and shut her off.
Behind the seat is a handy storage area that keeps small items from bouncing around yet remain within arm's reach.
The nav system was a pain in the you-know-what. It gave me ridiculous directions and when I chose another path, kept telling me to make a u-turn. I mean, I must have passed twenty-five intersections before it finally shut up and readjusted itself. And then it still tried to re-route me back to its original course. I ended up shutting it off. The tiny map graphics were useless anyway.
Have you seen any Audi R8s on the road?
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 15,696 miles
cruiserhead1 says:
02:06 PM, 07/28/08
yes, i've seen a couple R8's on the road and it looks so awesome. the face w/ LED's in the daytime is ubercool and uber meanacing
it's a very cool looking car.
Michelle Magoffin says:
02:41 PM, 07/28/08
I did see an R8 on the road quite awhile back on PCH. I saw it few times, actually. For morning exercise, the owner liked to run up that steep sand hill behind Thornhill Broome beach.
cah11705 says:
02:45 PM, 07/28/08
I have yet to see any in the road yet but ive seen a few s5's and if it is anywhere as gorgeous as that in person it must be incredible
bryan__t says:
02:55 PM, 07/28/08
I've seen a black and grey one with Michigan plates cruising the streets of Santa Monica, pretty close to the Edmunds offices. Probably just a coincidence.
Bob Holland says:
02:56 PM, 07/28/08
"Have you seen any Audi R8s on the road?"
Yes, just the other day right near my house, as a matter of fact. It was part of a caravan that included a Lamborgini, 2 or 3 Ferraris, a Ford GT, and several other vehicular exotica. Pretty cool.
zoomzoom22 says:
03:46 PM, 07/28/08
I've seen two so far...one in my neighborhood and one in Silverthorne, up in the mountains. It was a black one and it was cruising along the Dam Road over Lake Dillon...it was a gorgeous sight. My buddy was driving behind me (a fun day of mountain biking) and I head him say very loudly OH MY GOD as the R8 drove by. It is such a strikingly beautiful car that you can't help but gawk like an idiot at it.
dougtheeng says:
03:49 PM, 07/28/08
I've seen one a couple times near my home, on the highway. It drives the opposite direction to work.
misterfusion says:
04:28 PM, 07/28/08
I saw one on the freeway, and I was quite impressed. The car is like James Bond in its understated, deadly elegance (even though Mr. Bond himself drives that *other* supercar).
Oh, and "All of the buildings look like Kim Novak should jump off of them" is officially the best line I've ever read in this blog.
wasaabi92 says:
07:49 PM, 07/28/08
I've only seen two. One was back in February (I know because it's a pic on my phone!) and it was black with the lava sideblade. It was also a manual. Lovely! I only recently have seen another and it's an all white one with the mustang brown interior. The guy must live in my town (20 mins south of Boston), as I've seen him a few times in the past couple of days.
jetpilot317 says:
10:12 PM, 07/28/08
I'm sorry... I thought this was a car blog not a political one. I won't claim sides, but I think out of respect for all we should stick to the vehicles not jabs at past or present Commanders in Chief. As far as the R8, I am still lacking the pleasure of a sighting.
sgude says:
03:47 AM, 07/29/08
Surprisingly, given the car-crazy DC metro area, I haven't seen one yet. I have seen a few S5s, and that LED stare is incredible! Dang -- now, much like the way the dirsal fin antenna has been copied by everyone, all the carmakers will try to give their cars a "stare."
dougtheeng says:
05:45 AM, 07/29/08
"I saw one on the freeway, and I was quite impressed. The car is like James Bond in its understated, deadly elegance (even though Mr. Bond himself drives that *other* supercar)."
Aston Martin DBS > Audi R8
no comparison.
ahightower says:
06:58 AM, 07/29/08
I've only seen one. It was black and looked totally awesome in person.
I thought the former worst lived in NY now? Oh wait, that's the worst former.
corollasman says:
10:56 AM, 07/29/08
I have yet to see an R8 on the road. By the way, thank you for prompting me to go to my "trusty" wikipedia to find out which former president you were referring to.
Albert Austria says:
11:18 AM, 07/29/08
Clinton is from San Clemente?
stingray454 says:
11:22 AM, 07/29/08
"I saw one on the freeway, and I was quite impressed. The car is like James Bond in its understated, deadly elegance (even though Mr. Bond himself drives that *other* supercar)."
Aston Martin DBS > Audi R8"
Everyone has their opinion, I suppose. While the R8 is a nice looking car (except for that carbon fiber strip on the side), an Aston Martin DBS is a better looking car, inside and out.
skierx420 says:
01:29 PM, 07/29/08
I didn't know they grew peanuts in California.
athens says:
07:51 PM, 07/29/08
You speak of the former President that began normalization of relations with China, which 40 years later, benefits the U.S. with a market for high tech technological exports and a source for cheap goods keeps inflation low in the U.S.. The same President who instituted talks which led to end of the arms race between the US and Soviet Union, and which led to the demise of the latter.
The same President which ended the Vietnam War.
Who resigned from office to spare the political office which he occupied from any further tarnish over a recording device in an opposing political party's campaign office.
What meets your standard for a good President?
athens says:
08:41 PM, 07/29/08
Among at least three R8s I spotted in and around Athens (Greece) while vacationing there a couple weeks ago, I saw a new Euro R8 on the Athens ringroad. It sported the new LED headlamp assembly. While it was loafing (under 110 kph) at least it was in the middle lane.
The car is more impressive up close than in photos.
Elegant, sporty, understated.
kurtamaxxxguy says:
07:25 AM, 07/30/08
No visible R8's up here in Oregon but our roads would make them very unhappy. I do see a ton of Outbacks, though.
As for Nixon being the "worst" president, there are several others (including the current one) that could also be considered "worst" for specific reasons.
mrnewsguy says:
07:42 AM, 07/30/08
Keep politics out of these posts.
06stang says:
07:58 AM, 08/ 3/08
Saw a silver R8 around St. Cloud, Minnesota yesterday. Stunning cars.