R8 Coupe and Spyder Production Numbers

[RNB]

Does anyone know what the recent annual production numbers are for the R8, separately for the coupe and the Spyder? The R8 is a substantially hand built car and I believe production numbers are much lower than a Porsche 911 4S for example, which is a comparable car. Anyone have this info?

[willyjp]

IIRC, in the early (v8) only couple of years the annual projected build # was about 5000/yr., world-wide; I seem to recall threads on here where, based on VIN #'s, we figured that the actual build #'s got up at least into the 4000's; what it's done since I got my early 2010 (in late '09), I have no idea. But it's NOT a "rare" car in the sense that it's going to have "collectable" status sooner than 25-30 years, IMHO. And with it's all alloy, non-rusting construction, maybe they won't suffer the attrition that steel bodied cars always have done!

[RNB]

Thanks willyjp. The numbers you quote were approx what I guessed might be the case. Its interesting that many of the forum discussions here compare the R8 with different Porsche models but annual Porsche production numbers would be probably (I'm guessing again) 10 or 15 times those of the R8. I'm looking at a R8 Spyder V10 demo car right now. Before making the decision its been interesting learning about the car in this forum and elsewhere. I have alot of respect for the R8 and the design approach Audi brought to the model, and I get the sense its smaller production numbers enable a higher quality build.

[Jessjandu]

Hey RNB
I am selling my 2011 R8 V10 Spyder Black on Black with Titanium wheels. Less than 4000k.
Call me if you are interested.
0400 221 631
Brisbane

[M3R8]

Jessjandu, now I know why you've owned so many cars. You don't like keeping them around too long

[willyjp]

A further recollection was that, at the outset, Audi was shooting for 25 cars/day at the Neckarsulm plant (where, I believe, all the Audi cars with significant alloy content are built). I recall that it took them awhile to ramp up production, because, as you imply, they were taking great efforts with quality control. I believe I have read since, and after my '10 was built in June '09, they intended to significantly expand that capacity to something up in the 30's/day.

I recall, after I'd received my VIN # (000551 of the '10 model year VINs), reading that the restart after model year changeover was in "early June." I was figuring "how long will it take them to build 551 R8's?" When I got my progress report from my dealer, I had a start-build date of 26 June, which fit pretty close with the "25/day" number if you assumed mine was built 22 working days after the start of 2010 production.

Obviously, I haven't paid NEARLY (any) attention to those kind of details since I got my car. That kind of fact digging and figuring was the product of having waited 20 months from the time of my deposit to my "start-build" date!! Seems kind of unbelievable when you can now pick one up with a few days of shopping the 'net.

One interesting minor detail was that the v10 was introduced into regular production with the 2010 model year. My interesting observation was that a fellow I know here locally had a v10 on an order written a little after mine. His VIN is a higher # than mine but his car was shipped and delivered almost a month before my v8, suggesting to me that they were anxious to get the v10s "out there," and pushed v10 units ahead in the line.

With the kind of #'s were talking here, there could easily be about 6000 R8's, more or less, out there in each of the, at least later, model years. According to Wikipedia, Porsche built a little over 34,000 "911" models in the "2007-8 financial year." So, not "10 or 15 times", but maybe easily 5 or 6 times as many "911s" in the same era.

[ignomini]

Allowing that the 911 moniker covers a lot of generations, the ratio of "some form of 911" to R8s in SoCal must be about 50:1.

[willyjp]

Allowing that the 911 moniker covers a lot of generations, the ratio of "some form of 911" to R8s in SoCal must be about 50:1.

I could easily believe that. Can't find a number right off, but I seem to recall reading that there have been many years in the history of Porsche since the '50s when around HALF of all their production went to the state of California!

There's definitely a reason why both Ferrari and Porsche have targeted models specifically at California (the Speedster being a creation specifically at the urging of Vasek Polak, if I recall)

[RNB]

Thanks all. I feel we have a broad concensus here on production of around 6000 cars a year, which sounds about right. There would be a split between V8 and V10's of course and between coupes and spyders. Has there ever been a questionnaire in this forum about who owns which particular model? I thought I found something a few weeks back and now I can't find it!

[FredBMOC]

I have been told that, during the real hard times of this recent and ongoing recession, production numbers for the R8 were way down due to lower demand and Audi not wanting too many R8s sitting unsold and diluting the image and value of the vehicles and reflecting on the overall image of the company. From memory I was told that production went to an all time low of 2 cars a day at some point but has since been upped again but to what levels I don't remember. Whatever the true number is I can tell you that here in Florida the ration of 911s to R8s is in the 50-1 range as well. Even Ferraris are a lot more common..
All these figures could be a fruit of my imagination as well ;-) as I have 2 bad problems in life:
1 - my poor memory
2 - I can't remember what it was but it was something bad! ;-) LOL