FOLLOWING A GALLERY of spy photos posted in June of the production-ready Audi R8 Spider, official promotional images of the all-new convertible R8 have surfaced online.
The Spider features a number of aesthetic and functional design changes in its leap from hard-top to soft-top - the absence of the R8’s signature ‘blade’ panels and the new engine cover being perhaps the most obvious.
Audi has not revealed any technical details for the R8 Spider, but reports suggest that Audi has opted to pass on the 4.2 litre V8 that powers the regular hardtop R8, skipping straight to the 5.2 litre V10 that powers the R8 V10.
While lacking the outwardly-flared side intakes of the R8 V10, the intakes of the R8 Spider appear noticeably deeper than those of the ‘regular’ R8, indicating that a V10 may well be on the cards.
Other reports have suggested that Audi will skip Frankfurt for the R8 Spider’s unveiling, aiming instead at the Detroit Motor Show. With these official images surfacing so close to the Frankfurt event, however, it seems a German debut may not be out of the question.
