WE FOUR RINGS OF AUDI R…8

Okay, I tried this a few years back with the new Rolls-Royce Phantom, but a quick, unscientific survey (country clubs, Buffalo Bills’ employee lot, a chat with the valet parkers at the annual plumbers’ union picnic) told me that no one took my simple suggestion: a $320,000 car as the ultimate Christmas gift. So this year I set my price limit a bit lower and came up with a car that’s not only more fun than the Rolls but has a “much lower” base price—a mere $114,200.

Audi R8

The R8, if you can’t tell from the photo, is Audi’s answer to a multitude of Porsches, Ferraris, and other machines favored by the jet set. And like any good sports car (sorry, Porsche lovers), the R8 has its engine amidships, just behind a small storage compartment (big enough, says Audi, for those all-important two golf bags), but ahead of the rear axle. Where the back seat in your boring familymobile is. And if that ain’t enough, there’s another whopping three-and-a-half cubic feet of “trunk” space up front under what we’d normally call a hood; if it’s luggage space, I guess it’s a trunklid.

There really isn’t a hood on the R8, as the engine is accessed via the rear hatch. In that hatch is a shield-shaped window where you can see the engine from both the outside and the inside of the car, enhanced by LED lighting. Why, you ask? Why not, I say! You’re paying big bucks for a supercar, why not watch the engine at work? After all, it’s one of the big selling points of the car. For the record, it’s a 4.2-liter V-8, rated at 420 horsepower, connected to a six-speed transmission in either manual or R-tronic (shiftable automatic) form. Now before you get all “Why’s he writing about a car like that in this economy with gas prices being what they are?”—check this out: The British magazine Car recently ran another of their “great drive” articles on the R8. They picked one up in Munich and drove it to Morocco and back, a total of seven days and more than 4,500 miles. The trip took them through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, across the Strait of Gibraltar to the port city of Tangier for a loop around Morocco, and then back again to Munich. (And I thought writing this column was exciting!) They averaged 22.5 miles per gallon, which is higher than the EPA estimates for the car.

I’ll pause here while you Ferrari drivers untangle your hair weaves.

And here’s the real kicker: while most drivers of this type of car garage their precious babies for the winter, the R8 is equipped with Audi’s famed Quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. Snow? Bring it on!

Here are a few other goodies you get for a hundred grand or so: electromechanical steering, magnetic ride adaptive damping system, all-aluminum body, and heated seats with leather/Alcantara surfaces. (Full leather is an option—an option on a $114,000 car? According to alcantara.com, “Alcantara® is the only material beautiful to live every day, that gives an invaluable sensation of comfort.” Apparently the Italian firm’s English copywriter had the day off when the Web page went up.) The sideblade (that contrasting color swatch you see behind the door, which contains a grill for engine air intake) can be had in a contrasting color ($650 or more, depending on the finish) or painted to match the body color ($650). Either way, you pay.

Speaking of paying, good luck trying to buy one for the sticker price. The R8 is a low-volume car, and a popular one at that. Those two things usually spell trouble. Check out the going prices on eBay.

Happy holidays from the YAK staff (me)!