R8 IS Audi's foray into the world of supercars. In its sights are the likes of Porsche, Aston Martin, Mercedes and BMW who, collectively, should be worried.

That said, Audi can only assign three of its best workers to hand-build each of these 80K monsters. That limits production to just 15 cars a day, or 750 a year, a third of which will come to the UK, one of Audi's most profitable markets.

Place an order now and you will have to wait until 2009 for the car. Audi's VIPs were tipped the wink that it was coming and got in early - expect to see the R8 parked in front of a few Premiership club grounds, if you know what I mean.

Other hopefuls can either wait or head for Ebay, where buying a place in the queue can cost you £10,000.

So why the big fuss? Well, R8 boasts Le Mans-winning heritage. One of the family came third on its first outing in 1999, first, second and third in 2000, first and second in 2001, first, second and third in 2002 and first in 2005.

Road-going versions possess the most powerful engine in its class - 420PS from the mid-mounted 4.2 V8, the highest revs, the highest top speed of 187mph, the best acceleration of 4.6 seconds to 62mph, and the best power-to-weight ratio, 269PS/tonne.

It also looks marvellous and sounds truly awesome with a deep, throaty growl coming from the quartet of exhausts.

From the front the R8 is 21st century modern, sleek, aggressive and low slung.

It could have come straight from the set of i.Robot.

From the side it becomes more retro, kind of 70s supercar, a theme which continues at the back. What is certain is that it is no shrinking violet and its aesthetics are as loud as the fruity exhaust.

Inside it's like a supercar version of the TT. It is beautifully designed and constructed and the flat-bottomed steering wheel and retro alloy gearlever are joys to behold.

On the road the R8 is every bit the supercar and in many ways more. This breed of car is normally difficult to drive, with temperamental, slow-running, heavy-action gearbox and clutch. Not so the R8, which is as well-behaved as any in the Audi range.

Normally I would opt for the automatic, with its associated paddle shift. On this occasion the R8 bucks the trend and the better of the two is the manual, which is also a lump cheaper.

The auto is fine but the six-speed manual is superb. Like some mythical beast the gearshift pokes tongue-like from milled alloy jaws. The action is magnificent and it slaps and snicks into any of the six ratios.

Clutch and gearshift are perfectly weighted and the sound and feel are addictive, making cog-swapping bliss. Heel/toe the throttle and the experience is complete.

Ironically, the big V8, on display through the back window, is so tractable there's almost no need to change gear at all - but you do just for the fun of it.

Performance is strong and the handling typically secure courtesy of Audi's legendary Quattro all-wheel-drive system.

Steering and brakes are sharp as nails and the ride amazingly comfortable and forgiving, even at 140mph around the Paul Ricard circuit.

In years to come the R8 is expected to be seen in many guises, more powerful still, less powerful and more affordable, possibly even diesel-powered.