Is the Audi R8 a good investment?

The thesis

The first-gen R8 V8 manual is the last naturally aspirated, gated manual Audi supercar and is firmly early cycle. UK prices start ~£25k for higher-mileage examples, with solid manuals in the £30–40k band—inside or near budget ceiling. The V8 (420 bhp, 4.2L) is reliable, daily-usable, and the gated six-speed is the hero: Audi dropped it for Gen 2. Recent data shows manual V8 prices surged +23% (Germany, 2025) while automatics flatlined, confirming the manual premium is forming but not yet priced out. The R8 is Audi's halo, shares DNA with Lamborghini Gallardo (liquidity halo effect), and bridges exotic and usable. Gen 2 V10-only positioning has pushed Gen 1 V8 into 'attainable exotic' space. Risk: high mileage tolerance needed to stay in budget; clutch, suspension, and magneto-ride can be costly. But this is the bargain-exotic pick pre-run.