Driving around the beautiful streets of Gran Canaria, Spain, Supercar Blondie’s Sergi Galiano had the most appropriate ride: the Audi R8, the Performance version. What does he think? That it’s the coolest R8 ever made.
When you get your hands on a car for the first time, you need some space, and Sergi Galiano and his team got just that. While they were in Gran Canaria, they had the famous Circuito Maspalomas all to themselves to test out the upgraded version of Audi R8. He didn't acknowledge that, though.
With 19-inch light-alloy wheels at the front and 20-inch on the rear axle, the car came in Ascari Blue Metallic, and it’s as beautiful as powerful. It’s powered by a 5.2-liter V10 engine which delivers 562 horsepower (570 ps) and makes it flash its way from 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) in just 3.8 seconds.
While Audi is known for its four-wheel drive, one of the most notable features of the R8 Performance is that it comes with rear-wheel drive, a feature introduced in 2018 wit the RWS version and continued to the R8 RWD in 2019 and 2021 Performance version. It's something Galiano fails to mention in the over eight-minute video.
The next generation, however, will see a substantial change for the Audi R8, if there is even one. Similar to other famous automakers, the German brand will also switch to all-electric starting 2023.
Coming back to Sergi Galiano’s testing, he gives us a tour of the inside of the supercar, which comes with beautifully sewn outlines on the two seats, and a lot of carbon fiber inserts all across the dash, the center console, and a/c vents. The Performance version has a steering wheel with four control satellites for the Audi drive select, and a button to activate the performance mode and control the screen that is part of Audi's virtual cockpit.
As he drives it, he shares he doesn’t want to get to the “danger zone,” so he keeps it almost casual with some donuts in the coupe version, and trying out the Launch Control option with the Spyder with the top down, which he absolutely loved. Nathan, his camera man, also jokes that, after sprinting from zero to 62 mph (0-100 kph) in the 3.8 seconds, he has a “broken rib.”
While filming, Sergi and Nathan were interrupted by a fan who wanted to take a picture with the R8 Performance, because, who wouldn’t? The car enthusiast also politely asks Galiano to turn on the engine to hear it roar, but he was in for a surprise because the Supercar Blondie host offered to let him do that. It really looked like Christmas, Easter, and New Year’s Eve all in one for the lucky fan who got to sit in the Performance version of the supercar. He wasn’t allowed to drive it, just turn on the engine, but hey, it’s still an achievement.
Imagine a Wenn diagram for cars and celebrities. At the intersection you'll find Monica, putting her passion for these fields and English-Spanish double major to work. She's been doing for the past seven years, most recently at autoevolution. Full profile
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