2009 Audi R8 4.2 Quattro
- 23k Original Miles
- Rear Mounted 4.2L V8
- All-Wheel Drive
- Daytona Gray Pearl

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 2009 Audi R8 4.2 Quattro Coupe on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of this vehicle due to website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 100 photographs, please go to our main website: GarageKeptMotors.)

“Just took delivery of my 2009 R8 and was immediately transformed back into childhood. It is the most exhilarating and exciting automobile I have ever driven. I traded an M6 for it, and boy, am I glad I did. What a great vehicle. Love it.” – AutoBlog Review, 12/187/08

As the old adage goes, “Ask the man (or woman) who owns one.” The rave reviews penned by owners of the Audi R8 Quattro (as above) over the years are matched by equally ecstatic raves from the automotive press. The R8 has been recognized four times by the World Car Awards as the World Performance Car. It has also received that group's World Car Design of the Year recognition. As Automobile magazine recently put it: “The R8 is among the very best of the supercars….”

With looks that always turn heads, it's hard to believe this design is now almost 14 years old. Introduced as a 2007 model, and named after Audi's string of Lemans-winning entries, the R8 entered the market at the high end. Porsche, Lamborghini, and Ferrari were among the competitive target. The R8's styling was striking, and immediately identifiable. Perhaps even more remarkable was the combination of Audi's legendary build quality with ride and handling characteristics that made this sports car reliable, comfortable, and a pleasure to drive on a daily basis. “Unlike so many of its counterparts, the R8 isn't hard to drive, or awkward to get in and out of, or prone to unpredictable mechanical and electrical problems….” said Nelson Ireson, the Automobile magazine writer.

At just under 23,000 miles---roughly 2,000 miles per year--the 2009 R8 offered here is a documented low-mileage car, carefully maintained by its prior owners. It features the tried-and-true 4.2-liter V8, but unlike no other Audi, it's mounted amidship, ahead of the rear axle and beneath an expansive glass hatch. Just about every walk-around viewer of the car stops to take in the sight of the 420-horsepower powerplant. “Automotive artwork” fairly describes the view. And when the engine revs, the throaty V8 delivers its own music, a short sample of which can be enjoyed on video at the GarageKeptMotors site. The combination of the car's bespoke aluminum frame (an internet YouTube search for “Audi R8 manufacturing” will provide fascinating video of its fabrication) and double-wishbone suspension—together with the mid-engine layout and Quattro all-wheel drive—gives the R8 a planted, but comfortable ride quality.

This car's striking exterior styling is complemented by the understated marriage of Daytona gray pearl-effect exterior paint and the carbon-fiber “side blade” treatment on the car's flanks. One criticism of some R8s, namely that the side-blade contrast is too jarring, does not apply here; the dark-gray carbon fiber provides a perfect combination of subtlety with distinctiveness. This gives rise to another visual advantage: allowing the exterior black trim and the polished, split-spoke 19-inch wheels and large, drilled brake rotors to stand out. Be sure to check out the more than 100 high-definition photos of the car available at the GarageKept Motors site.

Inside, the black premium Napa leather upholstery shows off Audi's attention to detail and industry-leading build quality. Every surface exhibits virtually no wear. The sport-designed seats are comfortable yet supportive. Overall, there is an absence of the cramped feeling in many high-end sports cars. Befitting a driver's car, the R-Tronic auto-manual shifter and gauge cluster are the interior focal points, with the center console oriented to the driver. Absent is the over-done, video-game-like presentation found in some competitors' dashboards.

This R8's condition is exemplary overall. It shows no sign of abuse or lack of care. Of course, an investment in a car of this quality should be preceded by an in-person inspection. We encourage appointments to visit our showroom for just such a purpose, and would only caution that we do not expect this R8 to be gracing our showroom for very long. Soon, someone is bound to embrace the U.K.'s Car Magazine judgment: “If you want a supercar that rides well, and won't wear you down on a long motorway drive, the R8 is your car.”