Some may beg to differ, but from where we sit, the acquisition Audi made of Lamborghini back in 1998 was a good thing, and remains as such. The resulting supercars to roll out of Sant'Agata Bolognese have been better than those made under prior owners by leaps and bounds. But who would have thought the relationship would benefit Audi as much as it has?
Not only did the partnership give Ingolstadt the sweet-revving V10 engine that powered the RS6 and S8 (until recent pressures necessitated a switch to a twin-turbo V8 instead), but it also gave Audi the underpinnings for the R8 ... and a page or two out of the Lamborghini playbook.
The R8 has since grown to include two different engine specs, a convertible version and the hard-core R8 GT. But as if all that weren't enough, it led to the crême-de-la-crême R8 GT Spyder. The limited-edition roadster packs the 5.2-liter V10 engine tuned up to 560 horsepower and unburdened of 187 pounds of excess weight, all without a roof to get between driver and the wind rushing rapidly by.
The hard-core, tire-burning attitude, however, is not all the R8 GT Spyder got from its Italian cousins. It also picked up a Lamborghini's price tag, as Audi USA has just announced the sticker on the exclusive roadster: $210,000. That doesn't include the $1,200 destination charge, taxes or optional equipment like carbon-ceramic brakes or Bang & Olufsen sound system.
That may seem mighty steep, but if you've got the cash to burn, don't hesitate for too long, because with only 333 units to be built in total and just 50 earmarked for the United States, they're bound to go fast. Like, Lamborghini fast. Follow the jump for the full press release, and seeing as how Audi has released a whole mess of new photos since the car's initial launch, we've put those together for you in a fresh high-res image gallery.
Audi prices R8 GT Spyder at a top-dropping $210,000*
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