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GLENELG, Md. (MarketWatch) -- It all started in 2007 when Audi took the wraps off a supercar that it called the R8. That made sense when you consider the car had a midship-mounted 420 horsepower V8.

The critics went wild over the new entry, but then there was this rumbling that didn't come from the engine room, and it went something like this: The R8 is a great car but needs more power to get into the same playpen as the Ferraris and Lambos.

Since Lamborghini is part of the same family it was relatively easy to find a V10 engine to up the ante. Now consider this: 525 horsepower @ 8,000 rpm and 391 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 rpm. The maximum rpm is a wild 8,700 at which point the sound was difficult to differentiate from a Formula 1 racer.

For someone who loves driving, that is enough to get a rush going of rather intense proportions. Zero to 60 races up at 3.7 seconds and top track speed is electronically limited to just 196.4 miles per hour. It will complete the quarter mile in less than 12 seconds.

However, there is one thing you should know. All that power is accessible virtually throughout the rpm range. Just exercise your right foot and this puppy takes off with the sweetest sounds this side of the 24 hours of LeMans.

This does something to guys. In the parking garage at work there is an older attendant who takes great pride in his place and customers. He was in the booth as I left one day after enjoying the thunderous sounds of the V10 echoing off the concrete walls. Upon exit, he cracked a big smile and waved smartly. He knew what this was all about.

Handling is supercar quick and the feedback is racetrack positive. You know what this car is up to at all times. Audi's excellent all-wheel-drive certainly aids the effort. Body lean is virtually non-existent; the seats keep you solidly in place and the rather large 235/35R19 tires up front with the 295/30R/19s to the rear are good anchors too.

When it comes to slow it all down, perforated and ventilated disc brakes do a great job. At first, the brake pedal may seem quick to react, so go easy the first few miles.

Power, performance, luxury

A few road tests ago, I wrote about how manufacturers work hard to blend the right combination of power and performance into a car, along with luxury touches to make the owner not only feel at home but also that his hard earned dollars were well spent.

In this Audi, there is a fine-sounding Bang & Olufsen sound system with 465 watts and a dozen speakers here and there. The tuning dial is part of the navigation system, but it was easy to figure out.

While the navi was easy to program, it did not give much information about side roads when the view was set at a wider dimension.

The test car had high-quality leather seats; there was lots of carbon fiber spread around the high-class interior and the engine compartment, a $3,600 extra. The headliner was black Alcantara for a well-worth-it $1,300.

Other nice interior touches were a storage shelf and net behind the front seats, and smack dab in the middle of the center console, one of the best 6-speed manual transmissions I have ever experienced.

Some drivers may be put off by the aluminum shift gates that are kind of a throwback to earlier times, but I thought it was a jazzy touch in such a modern car, and very easy to get used to.

While Audi's rearview camera was a good idea, the parking sensors are not. I am convinced you could park the R8 in the middle of the desert without so much as a cactus within 25 miles and this thing would beep. You can easily turn it off, but that move is required every time you put the car into reverse.

The R8s are hand assembled in a special factory in Neckarsulm, Germany, so we are not talking mass production here. The test car, with a few other options, sold for $169,050 including a $3,000 gas-guzzler tax. This kind of power, performance and artistry never comes cheap.

Yet for those who can afford it, the Audi A8 with that V10 under glass and just inches behind your head, is one of the world's great cars. You will turn heads, you will smile just getting into it, and it is a car that you won't see coming the other way.

If you do, revive an old sports-car tradition: Flash your lights or wave!

Hubcaps

I recently put a few hundred miles on the new Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback GTS. We will have a full review in the near future, but I found it to be comfortable with an ample dose of refinement -- something not found in this brand before.

Ford announced it would put seat-belt-mounted air bags in the rear seats of its Explorer starting with the 2011 model. The air bag fits inside a pocket and Ford claims it will inflate more gently than a front air bag, thus making it safe for the children who are likely to sit there. Safety officials said it would also reduce accident injuries to the elderly.

Toyota posted its first profit in six months -- some $242 million. Nissan was also profitable for the last six months and cut its full year loss forecast.

Auto analysts are scratching their heads about the robust sales forecast included in the just-announced Chrysler turnaround plan. It would seem the idea is for the company to hang on until Fiat arrives here in force. Yet, if the price of gas goes up sharply, Fiat Chief Sergio Marchionne will look like a genius. Remember folks, how Ford was criticized when it took risks to turn the company around and, now, Ford and its leaders look like the smartest people in the biz.

Vehicles tested in this column are on loan from the auto companies through local distributors.