To help celebrate the arrival of Audi's incredible R8 sports car, the German carmaker launched an unprecedented trip across Canada on September 12th which concluded in Victoria, B.C. earlier this week. The trip allowed select members of the Canadian news media an opportunity to drive the machine in relay from its starting point in St. Johns, Newfoundland.
Starting at $139,000 with a six-speed manual transmission, the R8 comes powered by the same highly-tuned 4.2 litre, 420 horsepower V8 engine used in the RS4. Power is sent to the ground through a permanent Quattro AWD system, meaning this is a performance car capable of tackling any sort of driving conditions Canadian drivers might expect.
The trip saw the R8 drive a whopping 12,399 kilometers in just 22 days.
"We encountered zero problems with the vehicle which is commendable
considering the fact that it was probably subjected to years of abuse in just four weeks," commented the R8 Trans-Canada Performance Tour Manager Garry Sowerby.
"The journey was a great look at Canada and a wonderful way to introduce the Audi R8 to a wide swath of Canadians. It was impossible to stop anywhere without drawing a crowd. It was like traveling with a rock star".
R8 is on sale now, if you can find one- as numbers are extremely limited.
photo:Philippe Champoux
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Starting at $139,000 with a six-speed manual transmission, the R8 comes powered by the same highly-tuned 4.2 litre, 420 horsepower V8 engine used in the RS4. Power is sent to the ground through a permanent Quattro AWD system, meaning this is a performance car capable of tackling any sort of driving conditions Canadian drivers might expect.
The trip saw the R8 drive a whopping 12,399 kilometers in just 22 days.
"We encountered zero problems with the vehicle which is commendable
considering the fact that it was probably subjected to years of abuse in just four weeks," commented the R8 Trans-Canada Performance Tour Manager Garry Sowerby.
"The journey was a great look at Canada and a wonderful way to introduce the Audi R8 to a wide swath of Canadians. It was impossible to stop anywhere without drawing a crowd. It was like traveling with a rock star".
R8 is on sale now, if you can find one- as numbers are extremely limited.
photo:Philippe Champoux