price: 125K v. 200+K (forget list price on a F car)

performance: F430 - a little faster than R8, (F430 is a little slower than 997tt)

handling: slight advantage F430

steering feel: advantage F430

brakes: equivalent

exterior: advantage R8 (don't need my flame suit on this board, I hope)

interior: advantage R8

exclusivity: equivalent (both will be rare compared to Porsche)

engine/exhaust sound: advantage F430 (G-d Himself gave Ferrari's their voice)

Could be a fun comparison and an even more impressive showing for the R8 vs. the one against the turbo

has improved massively!

how'd our boy do against the 430?

The magazine tied it in nicely with Ferdinand's Type 114 Auto Union racers. The view forward is Porsche-like, and the view out back more like the Ferrari. They liked the long doors for ease of entry. They noted that some materials that looked like metal were not - such as the shift paddles on the R-Tronic (they are plastic so as to not be too cold to the touch on cold starts). They noted that the sun visors do not hinge over to the side (they don't in my F355, but do in the F430 I think). The switches around the shift collar were also a bit easy to hit accidently.

They slag the R-Tronic - mentioning the brain comes from Bosch rather than Magnetti like it does in the Lambo, but it makes no difference. The F1 system being far more civilized. 6th gear was too short for their tastes, humming at 3200rpm at 75 (Ferrari 3400 and Porsche 3000), which made listening to the stereo quite not as special as it might be. On the other hand, folks outside enjoyed the sound of it going past very much! A mix of European technology and American muscle car. They call the engine "lustier than the cylinder deprived 911 but never as heady as the F430's nominally larger and more potent V8..."

In the handling dept they noted that all 3 cars understeered to begin, but in each case the rear end could be brought out using different techniques. Pitch the Porsche, which causes first one end to slide, then the other. The R8 is noted for feeling heavier on it's feet due to the awd system, but trail braking gently into a turn to weight the nose and swing the tail out worked. The F430 simply requires you switch it past the "race" postion, and sideways action can be had all day.

Steering was the one area where the R8 was not on par. They call the 911 cat-quick, and the F430 steering is "compelling." There is no dead zone in the R8 steering, just somewhat muted feedback (note they still felt it, just not as much).

In the end, they commended the R8 for doing well in stiff competition. "What the R8 lacks in Ferrari intensity, it makes up in kick-back comfort and all season versitility. Compared with the 911 Carerra S - the sports car world's coca-cola - the R8 is a brash crusader rushing in with sideblades flashing. Those who dare take the Audi taste test will come away well refreshed." Whatever that means.

They hit 180 and knocked off a bunch of 0-60 times in the 4.5 second range. The Carrera S about the same times. The Ferrari in 4.1. 0-120 was 14.9 for the R8, 15.0 for the Porsche, and 12.0 for the Ferrari.

More telling was the 30 to 70 dash in top gear, where the R8 did it in 5 seconds flat, the Porsche 6.6, and the Ferrari in 4.6 second.

In lateral acceleration, the R8 pulled about 1.06 G, with the Porsche managing 1.03, and the Ferrari .99.

owe you a beer.

"....the R8 is a brash crusader rushing in with sideblades flashing. Those who dare take the Audi taste test will come away well refreshed."

WTH?

Methinks the writer got a bit carried away, or perchance influenced by "The Truth About Cars".

;-)

"she felt his passion rising and her nostrils flaired as he nuzzled her downy neck"

See, I can write for Automobile too - I right reel good

I used to just like Automobile for the pics, and almost unsubscribed, but the recent writing is changing my opinion.

<ul><li><a href="http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-neil14mar14,0,262460.story?coll=la-home-highway1">this stuff is divine!</a></li></ul>

Here are some choice words he had for my next car, which is scheduled to be assembled tomorrow actually. Pure poetry :-)

"Under the carpeted and soundproofed hillock between the wheels is the car's 3.4-liter, flat-six engine, a fervent bit of machinery that in the throes of aggressive driving swamps the cabin with a bright, metallic resonance. Imagine the sound of someone cutting up Zildjian cymbals with a Husqvarna chain saw. I'll wait."