Ingolstadt released a video, which quickly details the assembly process undergone by each R8 that leaves their Neckarsulm factory. The compilation shows small pieces of footage from the various stages of build, quickly detailing how each component is hand-placed and adjusted by eye. In fact, there are many eyes, as the team behind the car is 241 people-strong.
One thing bugs me, though. They use the word “handcrafted” to describe the R8, when in fact, it isn’t. A Morgan is a hand-crafted automobile, and one could say the same about a Pagani, but not an R8. Sure, it may be hand-assembled, but it is by no means crafted and we don’t see the sheet metal hand rolled the old fashioned way to obtain the voluptuous curves we can still observe on much older cars…
Regardless, the R8 is an impressive machine, and the most interesting of Audis. They should really promote it for what it is – a lightweight aluminum supercar with mid-mounted engine and all-wheel drive, and build on its strengths of every-day usability and understated looks.
