BMW i8 vs Audi R8 Spyder - The Strangest Supercar Rivalry?

It's a rivalry stretching back decades. But when it came to developing and designing their flagship supercars, the German brands couldn't have differed more. The i8 is a rolling showcase of everything that's brilliant about modern supercars. In fact, the i8 debuted a new type of drivetrain; essentially two drivetrains in one car. An electric motor powering the front wheels, and a petrol engine in the boot powering the rears. And there's no mechanical linkage between the two - it's all cable and computers. The R8 on the other hand is decidedly old school. It raises the middle finger to downsizing and turbocharging, converting petrol into power and noise using a naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10. The result is simply glorious - made all the more enthralling in the drop-top Spyder version. In this video, we take both cars to a beautiful road outside Cape Town to get under the skin of this odd but electrifying rivalry. See what we did there. 0:00 Intro 1:09 Exterior 1:22 Syncing electrical and petrol engine 2:01 Power 2:27 What is the mechanical purpose for the BMW i8 3:02 Opinion about the sound of the car 3:13 Sports mode 3:51 Audi R8 engine rev sound 4:14 Engine analysis 4:26 Same engine as the Lamborghini Huracan 4:54 Power specs of the R8 plus compared to the i8 5:25 Pricing 6:29 Comparing the i8 to the R8 8:31 Outro -- Directed by Warrick Le Seuer and Ciro De Siena Written by Ciro De Siena DOP: Warrick Le Seuer Offline edit: Jaco Roussow and Ciro De Siena Colour and online: JJ Jordaan Production manager: David O'Connor