I’m willing to bet, oh, the price of a nice Mk1 Audi R8 V10 Spyder that most of you reading this would be delighted to have one of Audi’s drop-top supercars in your garage. Okay, so it’s not a LaFerrari, but being a cousin of the Lamborghini Gallardo it’s got supercar cred, and it’s fast and cool. But not cool enough for one South African R8 owner, who decided to turn his R8 into a LaFerrari.
Cutting up an old Fiero, Toyota MR2, Peugeot 406, or Ford/Mercury Cougar to pass off as an Italian supercar, as has often been done many times over the years, is one thing. But butchering a car like the R8 V10, that’s basically a supercar anyway, is a different matter, particularly given that even the least expensive beat-up donor is probably going to set you back over $60,000.
Of course you might consider it worthwhile if the result was a completely convincing facsimile of a Ferrari that would cost you over $2.5 million. And unlike many Ferrari lookalikes, this R8-based car offers suitable levels of sound and go thanks to the 525 hp (532 PS) 5.2-liter V10 engine. But this conversion isn’t completely convincing.
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It’s certainly not the worst conversion we’ve seen, and from some angles, you might even say that if it drove past you when you were sitting outside a bar a good six beers in, you might even be fooled for a moment. While not an exact copy, the rear end looks good, and the front is only spoiled by the wrong-shape lights. But it all goes to hell in a V10-powered handcart when it gets to the profile view. The wheels and windows are totally wrong, and the wheelbase looks too short, which is odd, because the Audi and Ferrari measure the same 104.3 inches (2.65 m) between axles.
And, of course, you’ve got that perennial replica bugbear, the interior. Slapping a prancing horse logo on the steering wheel hub won’t fool anyone, but at least the basic Audi R8 cabin is a good one. The seller does say though, that the interior needs some work, as do the door hinges, which are apparently too weak to support the butterfly doors.
It’s easy to hate on a car like this, but I don’t think it’s as ugly as some commentators seem to think, and as always, I can’t help but admire the effort taken to get this far. At least it should be fun to drive. But here’s something else that might make you pause for thought. The car is being advertised on Facebook Marketplace for 650,000 South African Rand, which equates to just $41,577, and that is way below what you’d pay for a real R8 V10 Spyder. It’s also less than some people ask for Ferrari replicas made from much less exotic donors.
