Audi R8

Audi R8

Audi R8

The R8 has been a phenomenal success for Audi, simultaneously raising the company's profile and allowing it to compete in the rarefied air of the supercar segment for the first time. Certainly in its latest V10 guise, the coupe's Porsche-like top speed of 194 mph — not to mention rapierlike handling — gives Audi sporting credentials it had not previously enjoyed.

But in the end, it won't be the 10 pistons, 525 horsepower or even the scant 4 seconds that it takes to accelerate to 60 mph that will sell the new convertible version of Audi's supercar. Mere numbers, technical specification or performance data, no matter how impressive, fail to capture what is required for the Spyder to reach the pinnacle of exotic car lust.

That missing piece is style, an attribute the coupe version of the R8 possesses to the point of waste. Park an R8 in any exotic sports car parking lot and the Audi will attract every bit as much adulation as a Lamborghini Gallardo or Ferrari 458 Italia. So, like the younger brother who has to follow in the footsteps of his team-captaining older sibling, the R8 Spyder has some mighty big shoes to fill.