2008 MTM Audi R8 Supercharged
Pay Attention to This One
The power and torque boost completely transforms the R8. Docility and good manners go right out the window as this white monster disappears on the horizon, leaving rubber strips and an incredible carpet of sound behind - the optional exhaust system is so loud that you’d better have the papers with you all the time to prove to the incredulous officers that it is actually legal. The quadruple pipes, which jut out provocatively, emit a menacing, deep tone reminiscent of an American V-8. Mayer plans to develop a variation with a higher, more 'mechanical” pitch to it.
The MTM R8 Supercharged is still very drivable; the chassis can easily handle the extra power. But it demands more attention. It’s a good thing the R8 comes with the full package of driver-assistance and stability-control systems, but know that they get less rest in the supercharged R8. It remains a balanced and essentially forgiving car, but you definitely get to the limits a lot more quickly.
You might want to skip the uplevel stereo, as the blaring composition of engine, supercharger, and exhaust sound is just about impenetrable. You are also well advised to watch the speedometer far more closely than in the standard R8. The 0-to-62-mph sprint takes an estimated 3.9 seconds versus an Audi-quoted 4.6 seconds for the standard R8, and 125 mph is settled in 12.5 seconds, according to MTM. (U.S.-spec R8s we’ve tested have reached 60 mph in as quick as 4.0 seconds and 120 mph in 14.3 seconds.) The MTM R8 will pull to a claimed 196 mph, 9 more mph than the standard R8.
It’s not just numbers. With MTM’s enhancements, this practical, everyday supercar becomes a serious contender, out to run with the best. At city and highway speeds, it seems virtually impossible to stay within the speed limit. Throttle response is exceptionally aggressive, and you merely need to look at the gas pedal to make the MTM R8 leap forward. On the autobahn, the feared Merc AMGs and BMW M cars lose their clout entirely. Push the pedal down at 120 mph, and you get a kick in the back, not a smooth massage as in the standard R8. Very few cars have impressed us more with their acceleration, and none with the sound - you’ll get to enjoy the MTM R8’s shout of triumph after it has left you behind.
An Affordable Tuner Car? Not This One
This car is not cheap. The supercharger kit from Hoppen runs $57,900, and four exhaust options start at $1350 for a set of stainless tips and go to $9345 for the full MTM exhaust with black ceramic-coated tips. Twenty-inch Bimoto wheels add $7860, and upgraded brakes cost yet another $4275. U.S. pricing isn’t yet available for the aero package or carbon seats, but you can be sure they’ll cost a bundle, too. Even though the expense is likely partly due to the unfavorable dollar-to-euro exchange rate, it all adds up to a big chunk of change. For reference, a standard 2009 R8 starts at $115,800 in the U.S.
A factory alternative is around the corner. A V-10–powered version of the R8, which we’ve seen testing, will have well over 500 horsepower and share its engine architecture with the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, which now has an Audi-derived engine. (The Gallardo spyder carries on with the previous, Italian-engineered 513-hp V-10 for now.) The identifying feature of the V-10 version will be huge twin exhaust pipes and jutting side air intakes to replace the V-8’s quadruple pipes and svelte side profile. The factory V-10 will enhance the R8’s performance, no doubt. And it will be far more civilized than the MTM R8 Supercharged.
Perhaps too civilized - but that’s where Roland Mayer comes in.
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