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Los Angeles Auto Show: The 2010 Audi R8 Will Only Make You Feel Bad About Yourself

Los Angeles Auto Show: The 2010 Audi R8 Will Only Make You Feel Bad About Yourself

Jim Hamel

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I am now the editor for one of High Gear Media's newest and most exciting sites called "InsiderCarReviews.com." I road test brand new vehicles each... More

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In most of the teaser footage for the new convertible Audi R8, the Audi PR department has been showing off photos of its ragtop supercar in a rather peculiar shade of 1970's brown. The one that you probably haven't seen since your Uncle Stu showed off the groovy shag carpeting that he had installed floor to ceiling in his van. To call it a trip to another time would be to put it mildly.

But somehow, as the Audi R8 is such a gorgeous design none of that matters. It doesn't matter that the convertible top ruins the cohesiveness of the design. The R8, even if you took a hacksaw to it, will still be able to make grown men cry because they know they will never be able to afford one. That is the raison dêtre of supercars like the R8. They are here to make us feel bad about ourselves.

Why else would they make supercars that are super low to the ground with body sills that counteract any attempts at maintaining your personal dignity while entering or exiting? The Audi R8 just makes you feel fat and old. And often times this is true because the people who can afford the R8 are generally at least old-er.

And what better way to see the world mocking you than from behind the wheel of a nice convertible supercar with an open top. The better for prying eyes to judge you my dear.

Supercars are essentially just devices that get you from point A to point B at a somewhat elevated rate of speed. So why did you just spend $150,000 on that R8 when the guy who just lost his job and got evicted needs a place to stay. Doesn't that make you feel bad about yourself, as if you are the cause of all suffering in the world? See! Its supercar guilt and are you sure you are ready for that responsibility?

Although personally I prefer my convertibles lightweight and with only two seats, when it comes to supercars I have always preferred the hardtops. Besides the increased body rigidity of the hardtop I also just find them more aesthetically pleasing.

That is the way I feel about Porsches and it is how I feel about the R8. I just found the original R8 to be such a strikingly forward thinking design that the thought of ripping off the roof to me just reeks of holy sacrilege. So kudos to Audi for finding a new way to make money from a striking design. Just dont be surprised if most of them get sold down in Miami Beach.