R8 v Gallardo

 

Choices, choices, choices. Life is full of them and some are harder to make than others, particularly when it comes to cars. The R8 and the Gallardo are related of course through their VW parentage and the two cars share a number of similar though not necessarily identical components. Sitting in the R8 reminds you of sitting in a Gallardo and vice versa. They even share that peculiar electronic whirring and chattering noise that occurs when the key is turned in the ignition or strangely a few seconds after the engine is switched off. Apparently it’s to do with the sequential gearbox jiggery-pokery. Did VW intend for the R8 to compete head-on with its Italian cousin? Probably not. After all the Lambo is at least another £30k more expensive fresh out of the factory. In the pre-owned market however it’s a bit more of a level playing field. Gallardo’s have become plentiful as opposed to R8’s which have been drip-fed into the market. The upshot is that second-hand values for each car are starting to reach parity and £70k will now buy you either one of these temptresses. So it’s one of those head or heart scenarios then. The Gallardo is vocal. Don’t plan on creeping about in one – you will always be noticed. The R8 will bark but only if you push it hard otherwise it is comfortably subdued. The Italian offers a raw driving experience and makes you concentrate hard. The German makes you feel supremely confident and that whatever happens the R8 will save you from disaster. In the looks department they will both draw crowds. The square-jawed egdy Gallardo appears as mad as a Lambo should. The R8 is an abundance of curves and curious detailing that makes you want to walk round the car all day long. So which would you buy? It’s a tough choice for sure. If it helps we have an example of each ready to be sold on behalf of their current owners. Both are in black (doh!) but at least the Gallardo is a cabriolet (and therefore a tad more expensive than the R8). Nice low miles, good specs and totally cared-for, they are in every respect very similar. Click here for the lowdown on the R8 and here for the Gallardo. Head or heart?

2008 Audi R8 R-Tronic

It’s an impressive car the R8. Even in photos the car doesn’t have bad angle. Standing there in front of one though you get the whole package of eye-candy all at once. You spend ages walking around the car looking at the detail of the design marvelling at how it all hangs together so well and then appreciating that it looks bigger and has more presence than it appears in the photographs. It’s a car that looks like it’s doing a ton when it’s standing still. The build-quality is superb too and so it should when they use lasers to scan the car’s gaps and joints during the build process. R8’s used to fetch huge premiums when they were first launched and although pricing has now settled down you will still have to join a waiting list for a speccable car. However, if you want one today with nice low miles we have just added an Audi UK supplied Ice Silver example that we are selling on behalf of the owner. This one has the sought-after Magnetic Ride Option and the R tronic sequential gearbox. The sideblades are exclusively painted to match the body colour and the interior is in matching grey Leather with Alcantara panels. With only 500 miles on the clock this R8 is barely run-in and the condition is as you would expect for a car with such low miles. For full details of this stunning R8 please click here.

The Car is The Star

Funny how some film directors either get it dead right or dead wrong when it comes to casting the part for ‘car of the future’ for their latest mega-buck movie.

Take the car featured in Alex Proyas’s ‘I,Robot’ for instance. Audi were given a brief to provide a super-cool sports car for super-cool Will Smith and along came the RSQ. The designers at Audi quite likely had this car doodled for some time before the film but happily a bit of product placement would do wonders for the up-and-coming R8 that the world has gone gaga for today. There had to be some adjustments in the design of course because no self-respecting auto artist would include wheels on a car that was to be driven on the ‘roads’ of 2035. It seems that we will be riding along on balls instead. Hmmm.

New cars….

Over the past year we have been asked on an increasing number of occasions whether we can supply new versions of sought-after or long-waiting-list cars. Well the time has come when we can emphatically say ’yes’. Through our contacts in the trade we have access to a comprehensive range of models from Audi, Ferrari, Land Rover, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Maserati and Lamborghini all of which we will be highlighting on the website as and when they become available. Because of the high demand of certain models it may be a case of first come, first served since the supply situation can be very fluid and even prices can change on a daily basis. Nevertheless if you have a purchase in mind it will be worthwhile getting in touch to see if we can help.