2010 R8
Audi V10 5.2 Spyder R-Tronic

We have driven this thundering, all-aluminum, all-wheel-drive Hitech 2010 Audi R8 5.2 R-Tronic Quattro Spyder with immense pleasure over the likewise immensely pleasurable seaside hills of South Africa.

The powerful V10 quattro's is related to the motor used in other Audi V10 models, but it has been updated with Audi's new FSI direct injection technology which has made its way into nearly the entire model range.

There's a reason why the 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10's signature color is white, the traditional color of Germany in motorsports. By and large, the most significant change lies with the 5.2-liter V-10 lurking behind the cabin.

The Audi V10 R8 has been rumored for months. The car's dimensions don't vary much from the V8 model — the V10 measures just 3 millimeters taller and 4mm longer since it first appeared as the Le Mans Quattro Concept at the Frankfurt auto show way back in September 2003.

Styling cues between the two 2010 quattro's cars are few. The R8 5.2 FSI Quattro also has 19-inch wheels and over one hundred more horsepower along the sides, the car's skirts have been lengthened and those sexy sideblades are now slightly longer.

While quattro's R8 may seem like a watered-down supercar judging by the widened air intakes built into the contrasting color "blades" aft of the doors the R8 V10's impending arrival in the states has generated about as many as the total number of 2008 Ferraris to hit the street in the same time period.