Despite the ongoing more-is-less 997 debate, the C4S still reminds me of all the things that define a 911 and make it great. That amazing size-to-speed ratio, the intensity and resolution of tactile and aural feedback (steering, suspension, engine sound), the oversteer – even if it’s especially hard to extract in the case of the C4S. And it is hard to ignore the 911’s singular aesthetic, the finely honed minimalism where the car’s envelope in space is as tight and as simple as possible. You can argue that no one needs a car that’s faster. No one needs one with fiercer acceleration, greater grip, stronger brakes, better build or more bodywork. You can argue that, at a little over £70K, the 911 C4S is, quite simply, the most complete, cost-effective supercar on the planet. At close to maximum effort, it’s the car you’d rather have on your side, though the V8 Vantage looks sexier, sounds better and is just as quick point to point.
But, in the end, purity of purpose and breadth of ability win the day, and no car here – probably none under £100K – expresses the fusion more perfectly than the R8. There are faster supercars, but we can’t think of another currently in production that takes a demanding road apart with quite the surgical precision and cool-browed composure of Audi’s incandescently rapid and hugely desirable R8.
So here’s the answer. It’s one we sometimes doubted we’d ever witness, but, for the good of the supercar’s evolution, it could hardly be better. Audi humbles Porsche. A new dawn starts today.
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