Ravenous Audi R8 V10 has incredible engine which puts it among the very best

IF cars were judged on the engine alone, the new Audi R8 would be a contender for the best that money can buy.

In an age of turbo-this, emission caps-that, for Audi to serve up a naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 engine – without a smudge of an apology to Greenpeace – is a power move that makes me want to stand and applaud like a Sea World seal.

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You just won’t find naked horsepower like this in ten years.

And when I say horsepower, I mean 620bhp in the performance version.

There’s an R8 “light”, packing just 570bhp. Pffft. But both lean on that V10 for gallop, and it’s a glorious thing.

I had a whiff of a hangover before driving the R8 Performance on the launch this week.

It took just 200 metres of empty road to make me feel as wide awake as a Buddhist monk after his first double espresso.

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The acceleration grabs you by your shirt collar, lifts you two feet off the ground, and slaps you around the face with a wet kipper.

It’s gratuitous and glorious.

And it’s not like Audi has ignored aesthetics.

The car looks mean and hungry, like a Tiger Shark on day three of a diet.

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But if you’re squinting to see how it looks different from the outgoing model, you would be forgiven.

Very little has changed for this facelift, but I’ll run you through it. Sharper steering, new suspension, it’s a bit wider and there are two new colours.

Job done. That’s £141K please. Or eight grand more if you prefer it topless.

The lower-powered version is a snip at £128,295.

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Either way, you need to return a lot of empty milk bottles for this car.

If you’re in the one per cent though, you’ll be buying the most powerful and highest revving car Audi has ever made.

Bragging rights down the boozer, for sure.