Audis were never my thing until the R8 came out...and, since then, the brand has become very desirable. The four rings did an amazing job integrating their supercar's design langauge into building a fleet that is second to none. And it didn't hurt that the R8 was featured prominently in Iron Man. While I've seen many R8s in person over the years, this is my first time behind the wheel of one (not counting the Gran Turismo video games, of course). The interior is much more modern and exciting than my NSX...not hard to do given that Acura's supercar was styled during the late 1980's.

For me, the gated shifter is what sells me on the R8's driving experience. Though I didn't get to open her up as much as I would have liked, I get the sense that the performance doesn't feel dramatically different than my car...the R8 is a heavier car, this model is powered by the V8. Personally, I would be more excited if I had an opportunity to buy the V10 model at this price point. The seating position is a bit higher too which definitely affects one's perception of speed.

I have not had a lot of experience driving an all-wheel drive vehicle, but the mid-engine design is what I fell in love with in my NSX. I know I can drive this car like mine. And, thanks to its all-wheel drive, this car definitely should have the edge in the twisties.

The brand is another thing that gives me pause...though desirable, I have heard horror stories about Audi's reliability. I know that service and parts for German cars are significantly more expensive than those for Japanese vehicles. This R8 is out of warranty. My wife's MINI has been pretty good so far, but do I really want to risk owning two German cars?

The back-end of the R8 has a distinctiveness that gets me as excited as the NSX did when I first saw its unique design...though not quite as elegant. The R8's exhaust note is also a lot more meaty.

Aside from the being *only* the V8, I must answer two questions before jumping on this deal: 1. Do I really need to own a pair of two-seaters? 2. Will this derail my hope to replace my aging daily driven SUV with an EV?

Keep in mind, I have no plans to ever sell my NSX. The first dream car I've owned is very much a Honda. With less than 60,000 miles on the odometer after over 14 years of ownership, it will probably outlive me. And can I stomach parking one of my two seaters outside? We only have a two-car garage. Though my Pilot is younger, it has many more miles....and, though exceeding practical, I have never enjoyed driving it. And it bugs me that the car I drive most consumes as much gasoline as my weekend warrior. I would love to replace it with an EV so I can fully leverage our long term solar investment. Even though Tesla hasn't revealed Model X in production form, they have been taking reservations for quite some time. Decisions...

The owner of the R8 has owned quite a few iconic sportscars over the years. When I first met him, he drove this Mark IV Turbo Supra

After the Supra, he picked up a Ferrari F355, a Porsche GT2, a Shelby 427 Cobra (replica), another Ferrari (F430). He says the R8 is by far the best handling car he has ever owned, but he is selling it to make room for a Lamborghini Huracán!