People say that this Super Bowl ad from Audi is exciting and stirs your spirits. But the only thing we liked about it was "Starman," the 1972 track by David Bowie, who died last month at age 69. It makes you think of The Martian, a movie that's too cool for Audi.
While BMW and Mercedes both skipped this year's Super Bowl, Audi unveiled a commercial titled "Commander" on Wednesday. It tells the story of a retired astronaut who's depressed and old.
His passion gets rekindled by his son, who lets him drive the 2017 Audi R8 V10 plus. One quick press of the ignition button and it's like the years have melted away.
Audi released both a 60-second and a 90-second extended cut version online. Venables Bell & Partners created the ad that will air during the first quarter of the game.
What we want to know is what kind of tax fraud the son is committing to afford that car. I mean, the R8 V10 plus is not only the fastest car that Audi has ever made but it's also the most expensive one put into series production. With options, it's about $200,000.
For those of you who don't speak fluent Audi like we do, there are a few things that need pointing out. The V10 plus model is powered by the same 5.2-liter engine as the Lamborghini Huracan, right down to the 600 horsepower output.
The previous R8 had a hydraulic coupling for the all-wheel drive system, but the latest quattro uses electronics and can shuffle everything to either end.
How do you tell the regular V10 from the V10 plus? Simple, you just look for carbon fiber. The V10 has a moving rear wing that comes up at 75mph, while the plus has a fixed carbon one. Ceramic brakes are also standard, but the premium speakers have been removed to save weight (can be added as an option).
Overall, the Huracan remains the supercar for rappers, while the R8 is something the engineers and retired astronauts will appreciate.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News