Audi R8 Coupé

With horsepower emerging from their stable at an unrelenting pace over the past decade in what Audi called a "ballistic expansion", the Vorsprung durch Technik people delivered a defining moment in its history back in 2006, when it unveiled the game-changing R8 to universal acclaim.

The all-aluminium R8 is a showcase of Audi's engineering advances - Quattro all-wheel drive, FSI engine and what it calls magnetic ride to name but three - brought together to form a benchmark lightweight champion in the sports car segment.

Over the past seven years there have been quite a few changes to the R8, the most significant of which was the introduction of the choice of a 525PS V10 engine and later a 550PS V10-plus and a spyder version alongside the engine choices. But these modifications aside, it remains largely the same car as that which first stunned its audience at the Paris Motor Show.

Limited editions in the form of a GT version and the LMX, which introduced laser lighting for the main headlight beam, have added to the allure. A V12 TDi concept never made it into production, and the e-tron version is still in development but already producing remarkable results concerning range and acceleration.

There are new alloy wheels, a slight re-design of the grille, revised air inlets in a new bumper, sweeping indicator lights, but to the untrained eye the R8 in 2014 is the same beast as that in 2006.

Indeed, for my final road test before Audi introduces the next generation, I chose the R8 with the V8 engine matched to double-clutch S tronic transmission. This is just as it was when I first sat behind the wheel of an R8 in 2007, except the transmission then was single-clutch R tronic automated manual transmission which was slightly inferior to the manual version.

It is also still available with six-speed manual transmission through a gated gearbox that slightly hampers acceleration (by 0.3 seconds in a 0 to 62mph sprint), but the S tronic transmission is so effective that it largely negates any need for a manual version.

The R8 V8 Coupé - the R is a reference to the racing origins and the 8 aligns it with the A8 as the top model in the Audi portfolio - has a modified mid-engined 4.2-litre V8 unusually on show beneath the rear window. This was a delicious touch of showmanship.

The positioning of the 420bhp engine gives it a low centre of gravity and near-perfect weight distribution.

Compared with its rivals in the so-called D sector of sports cars, the R8 V8 fitted with S tronic transmission fares exceptionally well in the acceleration and top speed stakes. It will shoot with an almighty roar (even louder in the V10) to 62mph in 4.3 seconds and for those able to explore its full potential there is an upper speed capability of 187mph.

The emergence of a rear spoiler serves as a useful reminder that you are reaching the upper legal limits. It is deployed only when sensors detect that composure at higher speeds would benefit from additional downforce.

The secret of the glue-like grip, even at high speed, is in part due to Audi's magnetic ride damping system (a must-have optional extra I would think for UK roads), which constantly adjusts the dampers according to the road surface and the driving situation. Matched with the quattro all-wheel drive system and Audi Space Frame rigid aluminium, it gives the driver the ability to carry out virtually any manoeuvre in comfort and with confidence.

This is a controlled ride, with the sweet-sounding, high-revving V8 devoid of the sort of grunts and growls one might expect through the four tailpipes. There is an almost total absence of wind noise and, when needed, the electronic aids and powerful brakes will keep you in check.

Design-wise, there's a touch of the TT in the lower sweeping lines of the R8. It is carried along on 19-inch five spoke alloys, the front end made more dramatic by a string of a dozen LED daytime running lights beneath each headlamp. It was one of the first cars ever to display the now ubiquitous LED daytime running lights, with Audi being the first car manufacturer to introduce them on the A8 in 2003.

Side blades that direct induced and cooling air to the engine effectively divide the bodywork.

Inside, the driver is enveloped by a vast arc, which also frames the steering wheel and connects the displays and controls. The three-spoke flat-bottomed steering wheel is a beauty, trimmed in fine nappa leather and with a magnesium core for optimum strength.

The automatic comes with a console-mounted joy stick and steering wheel paddles, thereby offering a choice of three methods ways of driving, plus the option of a Sport mode.

As a practical motor, the R8 is severely limited. Audi claims you can get two golf bags in the space behind the driver, and there's another 100 litres of room under the bonnet, but a full shop at the supermarket is not really on, and anyway, can you imagine the fuss you would cause in the car park?

Largely hand-built at the company's Neckarsulm factory in Germany by only the very best and most experienced workers, the R8 remains my favourite car to drive, a work of automotive genius. It's been a magnificent seven years.

At a glance

Audi R8 Coupé

Price: £94,900 (R8 range from £93,735 to £128,000)

Engine: 4.2-litre V8 petrol developing 420PS

Transmission: Seven-speed S tronic

Performance: 0 to 62mph in 4.3 seconds; top speed 187mph

Economy: 22.8mpg combined

CO2 emissions: 289g/km