Proof that newer isn’t always better, we’ve regressed in some ways.

Instant classic: " the distribution of my height" 😂😂😂😂😂

Is it only me or the first-gen R8 is the best looking one of the whole lot?

The original R8 is so much better looking than these over-styled later facelift models, still good looking cars but not a patch on the original, same goes for the Mk1 Audi TT.

Absolutely nailed it, Jay. I couldn't have said it better myself. I don't know how many times I've called Audi out since this "final farewell" edition was released about how its just an AudiSport parts bin special and a RWD reincarnation of the Performance Parts Edition. There's nothing special about it. The cheesy laser etched numbering by the gear shift is just silly. No one would ever notice it unless told. ABT did the R8 justice with a proper sendoff. That XGT is what Audi should've come up with. Its a shame. Sincerely, an R8 owner and fan

Sad to see it go. Took my MKI Manual out for a spin today. Still magic to me.

I had the tt mk1 and now the tt 3.2 and it is my favorite car in the world but when I saw the r8 in person I had to have it and it’s a joy and to hear that it’s no longer being made is so sad .

ABT builds the real tribute to the R8.

The words "corporate cynicism" loomed large while watching this.

Gen1 Facelift is peak R8.

I think diesel gate continues to hinder the VAG group. Their current generation of cars are generally built to a lesser standard than the previous generation, and they seem to cut corners on cars that could be much more special on paper. Money over engineering.

17:08 i think what you mean is "more compliant". Because it can absorb the bumps better, it has more contact to the road and feels more grippy. As a car that bounces literally loses grip by flying over the surface. Given the fact it is double wishbone, there is absolutely no sense to making it so firm, as that geometry more than strut is very good at being both compliant and retaining grip, because they dont shift camber as much during suspension travel. Same can now be seen with the new F1 cars that are very close to the ground. They have firm suspension and get very easily unsettled over bumps.

As usual, excellent delivery... and l truly admire how you have brought your productions along, no big budgets ( at the start anyways), no huge production staff, just you, your staff, and cars that we can relate to, for the most part...well done, keep up the great work.. looking forward to future shows

Last of the line special. Come on audi it's a simple recipe. Fully load them with every option. 4 wheel drive 1 special paint colour Unique alloy wheel design A numbered plaque were you and your passanger can see it. A matching numbered indoor car cover and numbered framed print of the car and embossed owners manual. Job done.

JayEm with the Daytona Drip 😮‍💨

I always liked the look of the R8 but I never knew there was so much behind the varying releases. Great review Jay and one to watch if anyone considering buying any version of it. When you see one on the road it does look special. Thanks.

I think the problem from birth of the R8 is that it's always been a baby Lambo, since Lamborghini is fully owned subsidiary, I think there's always been that push and pull of making R8 the best it can be and that "...hold on there, it can't be better than its more expensive siblings", so it's always been a compromise which has gotten worse as time goes as prices of Lambos have become so high, it would mean if this got just close or as good, would probably mean it would steal sales from higher up.

You only need to look at the high cost, low quality cars that the VW group are putting out since the diesel scandal. Prior to this, Audi, Porsche, and mainstream VW cars were better value.

love my R8. Real shame they're discontinuing. Disappointing they never really made a version to compete with the GT3RS.

I totally agree with you, it's such a sad thing to see the GT just be two extra badges on the boot, and the fact that this isn't AWD, like ALL of Audi's heritage? It's a CRIME (bordering on Sacrilege)

Peak car interior. Proper buttons, enough tech and lovely switchgear

Such a pity V10 naturally aspirated ❤❤❤❤

Great takes all around. Nice to see a reviewer who understands cars more than marketing, branding, and stereotypical stuff. The Corvette C8 Z51 has the ediff system. I hate it but it does make it impossible to crash. It forces you to coast with no brake or gas into corners though. I didn’t know it was a Ferrari thing. I agree. Glad the R8 doesn’t have it but the GT should have AWD to keep the Audi confidence present.

Most adaptive dampers seem to have a floaty or bobbly setting - sometimes are a well setup passive setup is better.

Sadly the Gen2 car has never done anything for me; indeed….the “glance quickly and it’s a TTS” appearance underwhelms. Like the TT, the original R8 is a classic shape….

That original V10 advert they did of it just sitting still and going through the rev range was the best bit of marketing I’ve ever experienced. To this day it sends goosebumps over me and makes me always want an R8 as much as the rear lights do on a 12C. To see it bow like this is heartbreaking, simply because it makes every other R8 look good, more expensive and, ultimately, unaffordable.

The only thing I don’t like R8 is the fake vents. I wish it doesn’t have a family big grill (more than half of it is fake).

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Epic! 💪💪

Interesting video, and I’m inclined to agree. Audi could’ve out Lambo-ed Lamborghini with special run out editions, but it’s like they couldn’t be arsed. I’d still be inclined to get a Mk1 GT, or one of the original V10 plus models for nearly a third of the money.

What do you think of the honda accord coupe 6th gen manual? and would you make a review on it?

TY J 🙏🙏

So Jay; what band is your flamboyant brother in then? 😉😄

I hope that this is the last car to wear the R8 badge. I do not want to see it turned into something electric.

Is it just me or are Audi not that good at celebrating themselves? Their special edition cars seem to be nothing but tribute liveries on their runout models

would have been cool had they made one with the style of the 1st gen mixed with the latest for a final edition. Smooth out the rough edges.

Started looking for an R8 debunk. Stayed for Jay in the hawaii shirt. Damn, I love it

If you want RWD, Lambo Hurracan Balboni...this one sounds WAY TOO stiff: Sounds almost DANGEROUS!? Seems like Audi are almost embarrassed by it...Great vid though Jay!👍🏻

For me, the first (MK 1) R8 is the best looking and the one I would have had. All of the 'follow ons' got squarer and lest distinctive, as with most Audi's.

Love the content, but way too many comercials on this video. I appreciate you have to monetize and I hope you can find a good balance. Thanks again for the content! :)

The lower seat side bolster =flattening within a few months,interior options look to be rather scarce in this model,externally are they're matrix headlights?no blind spot recognition either 😢

Jay if you had to choose to buy an R8 would you go for V8 or V10? Assuming it would be gated mnanual

Sad to see the R8 go......especially that V10 wail. But, lets talk about the most important thing in this video.............James' shirt! I want one. No, I NEED one 🙂

love my current r8 spyder - also, why are you reviewing this like its meant to be a daily car?

Audi did the same with TTRS....they were just emptying their parts bins,my favourite R8 being the MY18 pre opf R8 performance

Hi Jay, I’ve been following your channel for sometime now and I think you’re definitely becoming one of the great automotive KZfaqrs. Your writing, your screenplay and your packaging is just so good. Exactly what fellow petrol heads like me want to see. Thanks for all the hard work. It’s paying off!

What is the name of the website you check real curb weight?

Don't worry, they're saving the quattro badge for the upcoming front wheel drive electric crossover!

This 1-2 year post covid period is where Audi was really half assing their performance cars

From the rear side profile thst has echoes of the Noble M600

S.O to the parts bin share buddy S3 8P making an appearance at 11:15

Love the look of the 1st gen Much more.

What you have found with this R8 GT is what Audi now does with ALL of it's models now, just look at the RS6 GT (which is £50k over an RS6 Performance for carbon front wings, some spoiler splitter bits, some stickers, parts bin wheels and carbon buckets but no extra power). They're all marketing rather than engineering exercises to produce a number of 'limited' cars but that won't upset the VAG pecking order, i.e. something quicker / better than a Lambo / Porsche and charge an extortionate amount for some 'exclusive' parts because they have customers who will buy them. They've been doing it since I bought Audi's over 20 years ago, all the way back to selling Avus wheels which at the time were 'exclusive' to the S3/S4 to ever A3/4 SLine model. The last really exclusive model was the Type 42 LMX after the GT. Such a shame.

After driving many exotics, I think this R8 GT is phenomenal….this is the only review that doesn’t love it.

Have you had a gen 2 v10 plus on the channel?

Nowadays, a "dated" interior is a selling point!

That v10 sounds amazing 😅

Shape-wise it reminds me of a Noble

I like the "Green Hell" R8.....some sort of "special"......and greeeeeeen

Always the best review on KZfaq. Carbon canards - really? Makes it looks like some mouth-breathers Halfords special. The only ones I ever see are driven around Cheshire towns at 4mph by women with lips like spitting image puppets. They’re doing away with it simply because no one buys them, not a great surprise TBH.

Audi could have easily leaned into their famous quattro history and created a final run out off-road car, a la 911 Dakar/Huracán Sterrato. An 'R1 Sport Quattro S1' or something equally celebratory.

I'm not so sure that the Michelin PS 4 is the ideal tire for conditions where the maximum temperature is 10 centigrade/50 fahrenheit and wet. Michelin recommends not using the tire below 45 Fahrenheit because its grip is compromised below 45 degrees. And the rubber compound is so soft that most of the inlets/pattern on the tire surface is worn off within 3,000 to 5,000 miles, so it really looks like a street slick, even though there is plenty of treadwear left. Not really ideal for cold and wet conditions.

I'm an Audi fan but given the substantial extra cost of this car - can't see the point.

The lasts outweigh the firsts by a significant amount 😢

If you could get an old R8 with the new R8s interior that might be the most dailyable supercar ever

Imagine buying this over a 992GT3 or a GT4RS. It's realistically for people who want others to think they take their car on track when actually they don't.

This R8 is not the only example of something I've felt for a while, now. I really like Audis. But, even without the price difference as a factor, I would still prefer their models from one or two generations ago over their newest offerings. That feeling I mentioned? It's that Audi doesn't understand what made its cars so appealing. I suppose it's going to be kinder to my budget that I see things that way, at least!

Now they have to make Q version

Great Video of a Sad Swan Song!!!

It is a bit of a mish mash spec. Maybe the development brief was "OK, we've got a lot of bit that no-one ordered sitting around the the warehouse. Put those on the final edition". It's a run out special, so it should be sold at a discount not a premium. Audi and other manufacturers get away with this kind of malarkey because of speculators who more interested in the value of the car than in the car itself.

When the shifter goes gear up to the front and gear down to the back you're not in a supercar .

It’s a problem when you get the design spot on in the 1st place, where do you go from there?! Think mk1 TT, R53 mini. Subsequent versions just get worse

Seems like audi is taking the approach of "I'm gonna celebrate it within our small community", just like how the iconic edition TT was mechanically inferior to an RS3, which is a saloon/hatchback that is also more practical. Or is this a case of last gen M4 GTS, where a company tried really hard but it failed miserably?

Audi stopped doing mag ride as standard on the RS/R8 because the track guys didn’t like it. The preferred set up is traditional one setting. Less maintenance and personally I prefer it as well. Still, sad to see Audi flop on this car’s suspension. Typically a strong suit for them. What happened ? Steven Reidls retirement probably. Hard to replace a mega talent like that.

I never understood why they called the stiffer cars that are less comfortable "GT" considering a GT car is designed for long distance comfortable travel. Modern "GT" cars are more track cars not actual GT cars.

ABT did a way better job. With the XGT. That car is an actual Audi racecar converted for road use.

Audi + most other Euro car makers have always given the UK a limited choice on their products. From engine choices / models across to options and even paint choices. Is it the dealer margins or the usual Euro approach towards Brits? Disappointing either way. Good review and sad end for an iconic car from my favourite brand.

GPF has killed the sound of so many cars. So glad we don't have them here.

Does anyone have a source for the aluminium/carbon fibre graphic used at 8:23? Cheers

I don't know too much about this model line but, from what I have gleamed through the years and the reviews and tests, it was a massive missed opportunity for Audi. Why? Because it was the ultimate every day supercar, even more so than the Porsche 911 and yet, instead of making it better for the road, they kept pushing the performance figures until it became a stiff mess, culminating with this disappointment. Nowhere does it seem 200k, this car.

You're getting hair gel on your sunglasses.

James, do avoid the word factoid; a factoid is an "untruth" - a fib - that has become so ingrained that it is now seen as canon... That Audi says there is 20kg difference, is not a factoid even if it is not strictly correct.

Is this kind of thing still a long overhanging legacy of Dieselgate?

Why don't you try summing up your reviews eg favorite cars of the year or some top 10 list?

R8 is just a small segment of Audi and hence they are not paying enough attention to their sport car segment!

Hey ppl just thinking how we keep hearing about all cars going electric but they dont mention the OBVIOUS which is there isnt a grid to support a nation of majority EVs

This is why I prefer American Muscle you get value for money, 200 grand in UK and not everything on it. 1st Audi R8 was best looks wise , and agree should be Quattro. But would not say no to it

Save some dosh. Get a TT quattro. It even has a boot.

Audi found a liking to "special editions" that are based on a 6 year old car and slap a much higher price tag on it. TT RS Iconic Edition, RS4 Performance, RS6 Avant GT, you name it. The fact that this R8 is almost as expensive as a Huracan Performante was a few years ago is insane.

an R8 tribute would have been a 2023-2024 model with a v8 and a manual gearbox. this is just a badge job for a quick cash.

Love the 👔

How many RWD cars Audi has produced?

Never liked them and never will now!

This guy looks like he's been sleeping on a couch for week in the same clothes after too many Buds.

The problem with R8 is that the original car and its first facelift with V10 were the best blend of all therefore any further change has been departure from perfection and in some way a compromise to originally well balanced GT. Because what they did with further generations was leaving GT philosophy behind and re-engineering R8 into Porsche and Lambo competition making it stiffer, nervous, hysterically unnatural and showy toy for spoiled brats.... R8 would always do better to be rear-engined alternative to BMW M8 than bootlicker of Gallardo and Huracan but who of marketing fanatics in Audi would ever consider such perspective.... With R8 Audi had and omitted great opportunity to create new clas of modern GT with classic specs like regular suspenssion or vice versa allroad version [just like Porsche and Lambo did later, how ironic....], manual gear box, or removable accessories like transparent&tinted T-top conversion for coupe, composite hard top for Spyder or aerodynamic composite heat resistant capsule for transporting luggage above the engine....This car had potential growing into cult of something else.... And why it couldn't happen? Because Volkswagen corporation must sacrifice all disposable profit to amortize one big famous superior devine debt called Bugatti that in spite of absolutelly insane prices never become profitable......

don't agree with suggesting to money hungry manufacturers that they should remove basic things to save weight

Even the gt3 racecar of the old r8 looks better.

When VAG took control of Lamborghini, they could not let the R8 be cheaper than but as good as the Huracan, and so Audi continued to nobble the R8 throughout its life

At this point, might as well buy a Corvette.

I wanted to like the new R8 GT RWD. I think it looks really good, and the idea of RWD version of R8 GT is mouth-watering. But seeing how they cobbled it together... yea Audi did not try hard enough. Where's the fixed bucket seats? The engraved dedication plaque? If this was not a limited edition car, I can kind of forgive it. But it is not. I feel like whoever Audi's CEO now (or maybe then, which means Markus Duesmann) looked at the R8 and said 'Well, time for you to go to retirement. Shoo, go away.' Also the colour option: Suzuka Grey, Tango Red, and Daytona Grey. Where's Samoa Orange? Merlin Purple? Vegas Yellow? Any interesting colours? I feel like the R8 has been done dirty by its own parent. It is one of Audi's most successful racecar, yet they cancelled the program in a 2-weeks notice after Spa 24 Hours. ABT did a better tribute but the XGT is GBP650k so... not for everyone, I guess.