Along Came (Another) Spyder: Audi R8 Spyder 4.2 FSI

When Audi introduced the stunning R8 in 2006, it instantly rose to the upper echelons of the sports-car world as a cutting-edge, visually striking high-performance road machine. But because Audi takes its corporate motto—Vorsprung durch Technik, or Progress through Technology—so seriously, the automaker’s engineers didn’t rest on their laurels.

Soon came the R8 5.2 FSI, which leveraged the same advanced Fuel Stratified Injection engine technology as the original R8, but swapped that car’s responsive V8 for a monster 5.2-liter V10 that could erupt for 525 hp and 0-60 times of under 4 seconds. Building on that powerful beast, Audi then introduced a Spyder iteration of the R8 5.2 FSI, featuring a retractable soft top that brought the thrill of open-air driving to the inimitable R8 experience. And now Audi is coming full circle with the introduction of the R8 Spyder 4.2 FSI, offering the same kind of top-down excitement to a wider range of potential Audi enthusiasts.

Slated to debut at select U.S. dealerships in the first quarter of 2011, the R8 Spyder 4.2 boasts the same 430-hp V8 as the R8 4.2 proper, and delivers similarly breathtaking performance. With that mill mated to a standard R-tronic sequential manual gearbox, drivers can run the R8 Spyder 4.2 from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.8 seconds, then keep right on going to a top speed of more than 185 mph.

A key enabler for this kind of performance, as well as the car’s impressive road-handling abilities, is its standard quattro permanent all-wheel-drive system. A hallmark of the automaker, this advanced AWD system has been tailored specifically to the R8’s mid-engine configuration to further improve traction, stability and cornering.

However, Newport Audi reports the true differentiator on the R8 Spyder 4.2 is its precision-engineered, three-layer soft top. This lightweight unit was designed to have a minimal impact on the car’s overall mass, weighing in at just 93 lbs. thanks to its die-cast aluminum and magnesium frame. But the top is also robust enough to ensure the R8 Spyder 4.2 remains a capable all-weather performer. A leak-proof textile fabric was used for the outer skin of the top, which integrates with a heated glass rear window that can be lowered or raised independently of the top itself.

With a total performance package like this, you can be sure the only people who will be bugged by this new Spyder are those who drive the competition.