The original Audi R8 offered something that has largely disappeared from the modern performance-car landscape: a naturally aspirated V8, an open-gate manual gearbox and quattro traction, all within a lightweight aluminium structure. The manual was the less frequently selected transmission when new, with most buyers favouring the automated R tronic, making manual examples considerably harder to find today. Its performance remains serious, but the greater appeal lies in how directly the car involves its driver.

Finished in Brilliant Red, this example stood out to us for both its specification and exceptional history. It was ordered with the key options we would want to see on an early R8, including Audi Magnetic Ride, Bang & Olufsen audio and distinctive Carbon Sigma sideblades, while the 19-inch Titanium-finish alloy wheels complete the exterior particularly well. More importantly, it is accompanied by an outstanding service record with 14 Audi main dealer stamps, 13 of which were carried out by the same supplying dealer, Audi Southampton. Combined with the way the car presents today, it is exactly the sort of carefully maintained, well-specified example that makes the first-generation R8 so appealing.

Early manual R8s now occupy an appealing position between modern usability and genuinely analogue interaction. The exposed gearshift mechanism, snarling V8 and relatively compact proportions deliver high involvement, while the bold exterior colour and considered carbon details give this example a distinct identity. With fewer buyers having chosen the manual from new, it is this configuration that now best represents the original R8 at its most engaging.