Recently I had the opportunity to drive and shoot the new Audi R8 RWD V10. Audi UK was kind enough to let me borrow one of their press cars for the week to shoot some promotional material, and where better to test it out than the Scottish NC500. Being an Automotive photographer has its perks.
Scotland has a special place in my heart from the first time I visited when I was 16. I was fascinated by the ever-changing views and vast landscapes which looked old and weathered. It's no secret that Scotland is home to some of the best driving roads in the UK or even world, with a continually changing surface and width of the road it keeps you on your toes, one moment you're flying down a perfectly smooth wide flowing turns into a single track bumpy bit of tarmac straight over the grass, it's fair to say you never really know what's coming next (unless your a local or a regular)
The R8 was a pleasure to shoot, as an automotive photographer its important to find a car best angle and focus on how best to shoot it. Still, I soon found the Audi looked great from pretty much all angles its a very photogenic car, and I'm a massive fan of the Ara Blue, crystal effect with black trim spec.
Being based in Sheffield has its perks with some fantastic roads in the Peak District - literally on my doorstep. However, for a car like this I feel you need more space to be both creative with the camera and stretch its legs a little on the open road, it's not much use in the tight and twisty lanes, but once the road opens up, that's where the fun begins. The new RWD system has made the steering much more pleasant it feels a little light for my taste, but that said it's very accurate and easy to put the car exactly where you want it. The V10 was pleasant with plenty of power in most of the rev range, but I was a little disappointed with the sound. The lack of sports exhaust and the new Fuel particulate filters seemed to tame this engine which was a little disappointing, to be honest, but it pulled like a dream a little too much for the road in my opinion. With 540PS you merely felt like you were tickling the surface the majority of the time, and not often you drive a section of road to its potential with the car in the higher rev range without being a little irresponsible should we say.
The R8 is well known for being an everyday supercar which I agree after 1377 miles with camera gear a suite case with clothes for the week for the 2 of us its defiantly got enough luggage space to be used as a GT car. However, I would defiantly spec Audi Magnet as this spec car without adjustable dampening was a little firm when cruising to your next destination. The ride height was great, and despite the questionable Scottish road surface in places and potholes, we had no issues with ground clearance, I was more worried in my lowered camper-van the week before. Averaging 25MPG on the motorway up and down from Sheffield I was impressed with the economy considering we had a V10 behind our heads. It's defiantly a car you can spend some time driving.
We probably spent more time eating than we did driving or shooting on this trip, but it would be rude not to enjoy Scottish seafood. Below are a few photos from the trip, we enjoyed five days 1377 miles and lots of seafood.
