The best cars from the Paris Motor Show 2012 you'll soon be able to drive
Audi R8 at Paris 2012
It wasn’t broken but they fixed it anyway – the facelifted Audi R8
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Audi R8 facelift at the 2012 Paris Motor Show
If you're bored of looking at the Audi R8, you're either Tony Stark or quite hard to please. But it's six years since Audi arrived confidently on the supercar scene and upset the Porsche 911's applecart - which means it's facelift time.
Paris Motor Show 2012: live
What is it?
Essentially it's the same sublime Audi R8 that most of us lust after - with a few tweaks here and there to keep it fresh in the face of its new rival, the '991' generation 911. Sensibly, Audi hasn't messed too much with the R8: LED headlights, new tail lights, bumpers and grilles - minor stuff which makes it look that bit sharper.
What's hot?
Power is unchanged for both 4.2-litre V8 and 5.0-litre V10 models - though there is a new R8 V10 Plus, too. However, the big news is that Audi has ditched the awful robotised manual in favour of a seven-speed twin-clutch S-tronic gearbox. That brings lower emissions and faster acceleration, which we like...
Microsoft - Magic Car Pics
What's not?
Some might say the interior is looking a bit long in the tooth these days, with an infotainment system that's not as up-to-the-minute as some rivals. But really, you still would, wouldn't you? And here's another small caveat: the all-new R8 is expected in 2014...
How much and when?
Early 2013 is the facelifted R8's ETA. The vanilla V8 coupe is priced at £91,575, with two extra cylinders and that V10 soundtrack commanding a price tag of £112,000. Peeling the roof off adds around £8,500 to these figures, whilst opting for the S-tronic 'box requires a £2,900 premium.
Anything else I should know?
Yes - there's an R8 Plus coming. Sitting at the very top of the R8 tree, it gets a tuned 550hp version of the V10 motor which promises ballistic acceleration - 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds being the vital number. It's coupe-only for the new halo model, which costs a touch under £125,000.
Paris Motor Show 2012: live
New 2013 Audi R8 and R8 V10 Plus
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First drive: Audi R8 Coupe Limited Edition (2011 onwards)
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