It’s the R8 baby

We tend to dismiss the concerns of celebrities, whose lives are followed, poked and photographed, as nothing more than inconsequential rants of the famous (read: wealthy).We believe ‘they asked to be in the limelight so why are they complaining?’Celebrities are by definition special. They’re the chosen few among us lesser mortals, garnering a million Instagram ‘likes’ and constantly filling the top stories list on Channel24. It’s the lifestyle they lead, the charisma some exude and, most importantly for petrolheads, the cars they drive.I managed to get a taste of celebdom, albeit the automotive equivalent, while driving the second-generation Audi R8 in Cape Town.Everybody, and I mean everybody, loves this supercar.I think this a lot to do with the design. Clad in Dayton Grey, the R8’s steely LEDs managed to capture the attention of all road users. I mean just look at it.And then there’s also the way it sounds.On an early morning trip through Malmesbury, Wolseley and Riebeek-Kasteel, cyclists halted their journey to take a look at the car whizzing by. One man even bowed down as I passed him, a mother woke up her napping son in the backseat to make sure he saw the R8 ahead of them.It’s truly remarkable just how much attention the R8 receives. Petrol attendants became my best friend over the weekend because the R8 drinks like Lindsay Lohan. One attendant expressed: “I’ve never seen a plane fly this low.” Another said: “Thank you for blessing us with this on earth.” He genuinely thought it was something made by a deity and it’s not difficult to understand why, especially when I engaged the exhaust button on the steering wheel. It turns the R8’s exhaust note from a sporty roar to a thunderous explosion that’s out of this world. I’ve never driven a car that has drawn this much attention and I don’t think I ever will again. The R8 exposed a more human side of the test that makes a car special: the potential to capture the imagination of not just the wealthy but all road users who for the most part will never own one. And that’s a hard box to tick. Bravo Audi. – Wheels 24SEAN PARKER

It’s the R8 baby

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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It’s the R8 baby

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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