5 Great Exotic Cars

The R8 is everyman's supercar, because the price isn't atmospheric and its performance is so accessible. We went to the R8 launch at California's Infineon Raceway, and later drove it at Willow Springs, Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, plus road time in Sonoma wine country and Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. We can't get enough.

Audi's 4.2-liter V8 makes 420 horsepower, but it feels like significantly more. It's compact, mid-mounted under Lexan and LED lighting, and emits a big roar at high RPM.

The styling shouts supercar. It has an aluminum body with carbon fiber touches and an aluminum space frame. The handling is sublime in true mid-engined style, yet incredibly forgiving of mistakes (not exactly traditional mid-engine behavior). There are two 6-speed gearboxes available: a sequential manual with paddle shifters, and a traditional manual with shift gates (go for the manual!).

Zero to 60 time is 4.4 seconds. The car has racing-bred aerodynamics, with an underbody diffuser creating downforce to keep the car grounded at 187 mph. A little old lady could still drive it on the street. Luxury, legroom and luggage space!

Check out our Audi R8 video Quick Test.