A more refined Lamborghini? The V-10 of this R8 isn’t identical to the raucous unit the Italians use in the Gallardo. It’s toned down and refined like the car itself. This German exotic is high-tech with low-tech character. Its gated shift lever is borrowed straight from Italy. The clink-clink of each shift is a familiar sound that we’ve grown to love, having racked up thousands of miles in our long-term R8 test car. The addition of two cylinders doesn’t change the car’s disposition but it does smooth out the power delivery, almost to the level of the Aston Martin, and is far superior to the V-8 shake or flat-6 shimmy.

 

The 2010 New York International Auto Show is rife with swoon-inducing rides. There are more than 25 sports cars on display, whose sole purpose and existence is so counter to the current obsession over environmental awareness that one wonders if it's all just a farce. We say, "Who cares?" Give us sports cars and make them sexy as hell — we want 10-mile-per-gallon Lamborghini Gallardos and 510-horsepower Aston Martins all the way. Sure, the Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible can run on ethanol and the Lotus Evora gets great gas mileage, but in the end it's their sex appeal that makes them what they are. So let the politicians and environmentalists belabor alternative fuels and exhaust emissions. We'll gladly occupy ourselves with the 10 cars on this list.

 

The 2010 New York International Auto Show is rife with swoon-inducing rides. There are more than 25 sports cars on display, whose sole purpose and existence is so counter to the current obsession over environmental awareness that one wonders if it's all just a farce. We say, "Who cares?" Give us sports cars and make them sexy as hell — we want 10-mile-per-gallon Lamborghini Gallardos and 510-horsepower Aston Martins all the way. Sure, the Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible can run on ethanol and the Lotus Evora gets great gas mileage, but in the end it's their sex appeal that makes them what they are. So let the politicians and environmentalists belabor alternative fuels and exhaust emissions. We'll gladly occupy ourselves with the 10 cars on this list.

 

The 2010 New York International Auto Show is rife with swoon-inducing rides. There are more than 25 sports cars on display, whose sole purpose and existence is so counter to the current obsession over environmental awareness that one wonders if it's all just a farce. We say, "Who cares?" Give us sports cars and make them sexy as hell — we want 10-mile-per-gallon Lamborghini Gallardos and 510-horsepower Aston Martins all the way. Sure, the Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible can run on ethanol and the Lotus Evora gets great gas mileage, but in the end it's their sex appeal that makes them what they are. So let the politicians and environmentalists belabor alternative fuels and exhaust emissions. We'll gladly occupy ourselves with the 10 cars on this list.

Regardless of the frequency, our pulse still races every time we fire up a ten-cylinder engine. It's not just the unique sound or the warbled vibration that gets the blood flowing – it's the anticipation. Whether the badge says Gallardo, Viper or M5, a V10 under the hood promises intoxicating power and frenzied excitement.

Photo Gallery: Audi R8 e-tron

News on the next-generation 2015 Audi R8 has been spilling forth for a bit now, but a report in Autocar has begun to put them into a single package. We knew that next R8 wouldn't offer a manual option, only a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and that the monocoque would be a lighter, aluminum and carbon affair. Audi has apparently pegged a target weight of under 1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds), meaning it will shed more than 135 kg (305 lbs.) versus today's 4.2-liter V8 manual.