This is the first undisguised picture of the new Audi R8 Spider, taken during the filming of Iron Man II. Look clearly at this grainy, low-resolution image and you can see the ‘Stark 11’ licence plate, although Robert Downey Jr. – who plays Tony Stark – is nowhere to be seen.
How does the Audi R8 Spider differ from the regular coupé?
The lack of a hardtop roof is a start – there’s now a folding soft-top on the R8 and it tucks away between the seats and mid-mounted engine. Just like on the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, the entire rear deck is thought to hinge from the rear and open to swallow the fabric hood.
The extra bracing on the open-top R8 Spider will add at least 100kg to the kerbweight, according to our estimates. Visual changes? The Spider has a repositioned fuel filler cap and does without the R8 coupé’s distinctive side blades.
It’s thought that the new R8 Spider will only be available with the 518bhp/391lb ft 5.2-litre V10 engine, but this car scooped here retains the V8’s alloys and twin oval exhausts.
This leaked photo was posted by dealer Stafford Audi as part of a classified ad on Pistonheads.com, which estimated the price at £105k.
>> Click here to read CAR’s review of the Audi R8 coupé