This special edition model costs £45 – a real one costs £78,195

You don’t have to be excessively extravagant to give a little piece of Vorsprung durch Technik this Christmas. This R8 sports car, configured specifically with stockings in mind, has been designed to make a reassuringly modest dent in the festive budget – at £45 it represents a saving of exactly £78,150 over the standard R8.
The rare and highly sought-after Audi sports car of the moment has been immortalised in zinc in 1:18 scale, enabling its fans to bypass the current twelve month waiting list for a full-size example and park one on the mantelpiece almost immediately.
The meticulously finished model is faithful to the much admired design of the full-blown original right down to the detailing of its windscreen wipers. 750 examples of its all-aluminium, mid-engined and quattro-equipped big brother will find homes in the UK in 2008, thrilling their drivers with a mighty 420PS output, 4.6-second acceleration from rest to 62mph and, for those lucky enough to be visiting an Autobahn next year, a 187mph top speed.
The diminutive R8 is now available from Audi Centres nationwide, details of which can be obtained by calling Audi Customer Services on 0800 699888 or by visiting www.audi.co.uk and clicking on ‘Find Centre’.

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The model gift from Audi – This 1:18 scale die-cast model of the critically acclaimed Audi R8 sports car may not quite match its big brother’s 187mph performance, but at £45 it compares rather more favourably where impact on the turkey and baubles budget is concerned!