QUEENSLAND’S insatiable appetite for exotic motor cars is set to continue with Audi poised to take more orders for the history-making R8 supercar when the Brisbane International Motor Show starts on Friday.

The first mid-engined production car from Audi has been a massive hit with Australian buyers, with demand quickly outstripping supply.

Audi has managed to secure 30 R8s in the first allocation for the car which is being launched internationally in the Nevada desert in the US this week but won’t arrive in Australian showrooms until later in the year.

All those in the first allocation are already spoken for with cash-down deposits, even though final specification and pricing is not confirmed.

The R8 is powered by a screaming 4.2-litre V8 engine mounted directly behind the two front seats, with estimates on price at close to $300,000.

It is the first car built directly from Audi’s phenomenal success in the Le Mans 24-hour race which has netted the German car maker five wins and is so named after the R8 prototype racer that scaled the heady heights of the La Sarthe circuit in France.

Swimmer Grant Hackett, an Audi ambassador, along with model Lise Coulon, were among the first to slide behind the wheel of the low-slung two-seater in Brisbane yesterday.

“I currently have an A8 (large saloon) but I wouldn’t mind having one of these,” Hackett drooled.

The R8 is Audi’s first serious shot at Porsche’s fabled 911, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Ferrari F430.

Brisbane International Motor Show, Convention Centre, South Bank, from Friday until February 11. Information: www.brisbanemotorshow.com.au

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