Following months of rumors and spy shots, it looks as though a convertible version of the Audi R8 supercar has been officially green-lighted for production. Insiders say the open-air R8 should begin production sometime in 2011.
Previous reports suggested the R8 convertible would adopted a targa-style top similar to the one seen on the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport, but WhatCar suggests the car will do with a more conventional soft top. Audi engineers reportedly nixed the idea of a retractable hardtop setup due to the R8’s mid-engine configuration.
In production form the R8 convertible will likely be called the R8 Spider.
It remains unclear if Audi plans to offer the R8 Spider with a V8 or V10 powerplant, although it remains likely that both could be offered in the drop-top variant. At any rate, the addition of the convertible model should help the R8 better compete against rivals like the Porsche 911.
