Audi R8 and TT RS will be truly missed when they are gone in 2023

LET’S have a moment’s silence, please. Today we mourn the loss of two of Audi’s greatest creations.

The Audi R8 supercar and the Audi TT sports car. Two absolute giggle machines.

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Both will be killed off by the end of 2023. Why?

Because there is no business case for them anymore. Mixing petrol and air is dead. Horsepower is dead.

The future is electric and kilowatts and plug sockets.

Thankfully, between now and then Audi will give us one last hardcore R8 GT.

Power hiked to 600 horses, rear-drive, fixed rear wing, carbon everything.

Pure fun. The ultimate R8. Or in other words, a race car with numberplates.

There will also be a TT RS Final Edition, which will be just as pleasing for much less money.

When the electric R8 replacement does come along in 2025, I’m sure it will be beautiful to look at, crazy fast, and have fun buttons like drift mode.

But it won’t make your neck hairs all tingly like the sound of a naturally-aspirated V10 in full assault mode. Not much will.

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Rocket-heeled

Interestingly, word is the Lamborghini Huracan, the R8’s sister car, will go hybrid - keeping a big petrol engine and the glorious soundtrack that goes with it.

As for looks, maybe the PB18 concept car - shown at Pebble Beach in 2018 - gives us a glimpse at Audi’s first e-powered supercar.

Right, that’s enough about the future.

Let’s talk about the R8 you see on these pages today. This is what makes Audi cool.

Every time you stop in one, it is live on Instagram. It turns heads like a supermodel bereft of clothes.

And it is instantly recognisable. You’d know that silhouette under a silk sheet. As you would a TT.

The standard R8 is quattro, meaning four-wheel drive and super sticky.

This test car is the R8 Performance RWD, meaning rear-wheel drive and less sticky.

It’s lighter, more playful and rocket-heeled – top speed is 204mph - yet it is impeccably well behaved in traffic and at normal speed.

The cockpit is typical Audi. Clinical. Tech-rich. And surprisingly comfy.

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There’s room for a flight bag under the bonnet. It wants for nothing.

Without doubt, the R8 and TT are two of the coolest cars Audi has ever produced. We’ll miss them when they’re gone.

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