Performance cars that went out of production in 2023: Part two

Audi R8 (2006-2023)

The sun has finally set on Audi’s flagship two-door supercar for the past 17 years, the R8. Launched in 2006 at the Paris Auto Show, the production-spec R8 was based on the Audi Le Mans quattro concept car designed by Frank Lamberty and Julian Hoenig and shares its name with the brand’s five-time Le Mans-winning race machine, the R8 LMP. It also has a couple of significant ‘industry firsts’ to its name. For example, it was the first production car with full-LED lighting and it was also the first known sports car to have a diesel-powered derivative – the R8 V12 TDI, which later got renamed the Audi R8 TDI Le Mans – that never made it to production.

The R8 might go down in history as one of the most practical sports cars that money could buy (we’ve all seen it win Top Gear UK’s comparison test with the McLaren MP4-12C and the Ferrari 458 Italia Spider). Yet, it could match up to the likes of the Porsche 911 in terms of performance; it’s safe to say that it put Audi on the supercar map. Though it shared the underpinnings with Lamborghini stablemates – the Gallardo and now the Huracan – it looked nowhere near as manic as them. In fact, one of its biggest draws, apart from its unparalleled dynamic capabilities and performance, was its styling – subtle and subdued. Interestingly, despite its understated looks, and with way more exciting options available at the time, the R8 was picked by filmmakers as Tony Stark’s preferred set of wheels in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In October 2022, Audi announced a 333-unit R8 V10 GT RWD as the swansong to the sports car. With more power, less weight, and a quicker gearbox than the standard R8 V10 RWD, the GT version was meant to offer top-notch performance without the handholding of the brand’s famed quattro AWD system. However, in December 2023, Audi followed it up with a new Final Edition exclusively for Japan, which seems to be the ultimate goodbye to the R8. According to numerous rumours, the R8 nameplate might make a comeback in the future in an all-electric avatar, but it’s more of a hope for now.

Fact: The name ‘R8’ holds a sentimental value for Audi. The supercar was named after the brand’s Le Mans race car from the early 2000s, the R8 LMP. It is touted as one of the most successful racing cars of its class, as it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in five of its six outings in total. Thus, the R8 serves as a reminder of one of Audi Sport’s most remarkable successes in motorsport.

McLaren 720S (2017-2023)

The McLaren 720S debuted at the 87th Geneva International Motor Show in March 2017 as a replacement for one of the brand’s core models, the 650S. It was the second all-new car in the McLaren Super Series, claimed to be 91% new compared to its predecessor. Powered by an evolution of the 650S’ 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (M840T), it develops 720PS and 770Nm, giving the car its name. Thanks to a dry weight of 1,283kg, the 720S has exceptional performance figures, capable of accelerating from zero to 100km/h in 2.9 seconds to reach a top speed of 341km/h.

In April 2023, McLaren blew the covers off the 750S – the lighter, slightly restyled, and more powerful version of the 720S. In fact, the 750S took home the title for becoming the lightest series production McLaren to date, tipping the scales at 1,277kg (dry). Anyways, by the time McLaren opened its order books for the 750S, the 720S’ production had ended, with numerous reports confirming the same sometime at the beginning of last year. The 720S will be remembered for its mad-looking and hard-to-live with double-skinned dihedral doors, the illuminated engine bay, tasteful looks, and most importantly, its P1-rivalling performance figures.

Fact: Back in 2004, the £840,000 Bugatti Veyron ($1.096 million as per the current exchange rate) was claimed to have an estimated 0-100 km/h time of 2.5 seconds. In 2017, the 720S arrived on the scene with a 0-100 km/h time of 2.9 seconds – 0.4 of a second slower than the French hypercar but also about $785,000 more affordable!