It takes me two minutes on a good day to run a quarter-mile. This car does it in less than 12 seconds without breaking a sweat. It has a 10-cylinder, 525-horsepower engine provided by a “corporate cousin.” (Big wheels keep on churning and corporations keep on earning.) The 2009 model has a V-8 engine with 420 horsepower.
Combine the R8’s ultimate luxury package with the automated-manual transmission and the price has been reported to be more than $172,000.
Pit stop: The thrill of shifting gears manually is a priceless experience to many impassioned drivers, especially sports-car enthusiasts. The base price of the 2010 Audi R8 4.2 is $114,200; the R8 5.2 starts at $146,000, per Audi’s Web site.