Photo: superrenderscars/Instagram
Ever since the C8 Corvette came out, people are no longer sure where the engines in their cars are supposed to go. Is it okay for a sports car to stop having a long hood? How about a Lamborghini with the V12 at the front, is that still a supercar?
We've been moved back and forth by waves of renderings. First, the Corvette inspired every American muscle car to be imagined with the V8 at the back. After that was done, artists went after the long-nosed sports cars and GTs, turning them into exotics.
This latest batch of images from Israeli artist superrenderscars focuses on a car that many have missed, the Audi R8. While the original R8 was available with a 420 horsepower V8 and was thus a sports car, the generation that came out five years ago has more in common with Lamborghini than any other Audi model.
The quattro AWD is different, and so is the aluminum chassis. Meanwhile, the 5.2-liter V10 engine sits behind the driver, doesn't have the usual turbochargers, and can't be found under the hood of any RS model.
Sadly, Audi isn't selling that many supercars and the R8 will thus be pulled from production in a few years, its place likely being taken by an all-electric halo car. But what if the four-ring brand just developed something with the 4.0-liter twin-turbo in front of the driver?
They might use the Bentley platform or collaborate with Porsche. Just based on this rendering, the front-engined R8 would still be different from all the other Audis. But copying the homework of the Mercedes-AMG GT doesn't guarantee success.
By contrast, the Nissan GT-R has always been described as a Japanese supercar, but never had the right engine layout. We've been eagerly expecting a new model for many years, and with the company in deep financial trouble, it's unlikely to arrive soon. Still, maybe this mid-engined rendering will inspire the engineers to put the V6 at the back.
This latest batch of images from Israeli artist superrenderscars focuses on a car that many have missed, the Audi R8. While the original R8 was available with a 420 horsepower V8 and was thus a sports car, the generation that came out five years ago has more in common with Lamborghini than any other Audi model.
The quattro AWD is different, and so is the aluminum chassis. Meanwhile, the 5.2-liter V10 engine sits behind the driver, doesn't have the usual turbochargers, and can't be found under the hood of any RS model.
Sadly, Audi isn't selling that many supercars and the R8 will thus be pulled from production in a few years, its place likely being taken by an all-electric halo car. But what if the four-ring brand just developed something with the 4.0-liter twin-turbo in front of the driver?
They might use the Bentley platform or collaborate with Porsche. Just based on this rendering, the front-engined R8 would still be different from all the other Audis. But copying the homework of the Mercedes-AMG GT doesn't guarantee success.
By contrast, the Nissan GT-R has always been described as a Japanese supercar, but never had the right engine layout. We've been eagerly expecting a new model for many years, and with the company in deep financial trouble, it's unlikely to arrive soon. Still, maybe this mid-engined rendering will inspire the engineers to put the V6 at the back.
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