Comparison Tests
We have here a trio of extraordinary automobiles that defy convenient semantic packaging. Sports cars? Yes, but that's pretty tame. After all, a Mazda Miata is a sports car, too, and we're obviously way beyond Miatas here. Supercars? That doesn't really work, either, because what about genuine supercars—the Koenigsegg CCX, for example, or the Ferrari Enzo. If we call the Audi R8 a supercar, what do we call them? Superdupercars? Same problem with the word exotic. If a Bugatti Veyron is an exotic—and who would argue otherwise?—then an Aston Martin is a subexotic? What would James Bond have to say about that? Not that his opinion counts, since the last movie made it clear he shouldn't drive anything faster than a Toyota Prius.
But if this threesome resists handy one-word descriptors, it's clear that these are rare rides, far enough beyond the ordinary to stimulate the envy glands of just about anyone who sees them. Cars for the fortunate few, but for all that, just close enough to the realm of mortals to be reasonable candidates for everyday transportation. Well, almost reasonable. Reasonable if you happen to have a mid-six-figure income and live in a two-season climate.
Let us scrutinize the players.
The rear-wheel-drive V-8 Vantage combines traditional Aston Martin virtues—elegantly swoopy sheetmetal and an isn't-that-James-Bond persona—with dynamic elements that are wholly contemporary, yielding the first Aston in recent memory that seems capable of competing with the perennial benchmark of the supercar-wannabe class, the Porsche 911.
C/D regulars will recall that in three recent comparo appearances, Porsche 911s have been found wanting in one way or another, first against the V-8 Vantage ["Working Exotics," March 2006], then against a Corvette Z06 and Ferrari F430 ["The Sports-Car World Cup," September 2006], and finally versus the R8 ["Incestuous Infighting," April 2007].
For this confrontation, we altered the mix. The all-wheel-drive Turbo is the largest-caliber weapon in the 911 armory (at least until the brutish GT2 makes its appearance this fall) and more luxurious than the GT3, which seemed to make it a more appropriate opponent for the R8, which also has all-wheel drive.
Named for the race car that was unbeatable in five appearances at the Le Mans 24-hour race, the R8 represents an ambitious step up for Audi, a mid-engined two-seater offering enough speed to get you arrested within a couple city blocks and looks-like-a-supercar-to-me styling. The message is clear: Audi is not content with its role as third among Germanic equals, and the R8 represents a formidable bid for unconditional performance parity. We are talkin' serious strudel now, liebchen. No more Herr Biedermeister (German for "Mr. Nice Guy").
Would the R8 measure up? We gathered the contenders and headed for the California high desert and Willow Springs International Raceway to find out.
