Since it first appeared as the Le Mans Quattro Concept at the Frankfurt auto show way back in September 2003, the Audi R8 has lived up to its hype and then some. Audi has been telling us that the R8 would become a glorious combination of German practicality and Italian exuberance and the 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI Quattro shows us that the Bavarian company has delivered on this promise beyond our wildest expectations.

There’s a reason why the 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10’s signature color is white, the traditional color of Germany in motorsports. This is more than just a fast car; it’s a statement about Germany, about Audi. All that stuff about engineering with spiritual purpose? The hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of millions of dollars Audi has spent racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the last decade? To enter this month’s competition to win the Audi click below:

The 10-spoke wheels are lightweight, forged pieces with a Y theme, but their impact is really meant to be primarily visual. And in conjunction with the car’s pronounced rocker sills, they help give the Audi R8 V10 the right touch of evil.

Not surprisingly, the power and torque delivery for this V10-powered Audi is just as sensational as it is for the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. The aggressive 15 percent front/85 percent rear torque split between axles for the R8’s all-wheel-drive system works magic, combining the traction of all-wheel drive with the handling characteristics of rear-wheel drive.

Quattro GmbH has been cranking out the R8 at maximum capacity — the aforementioned 5,500 units in 2008. The R8 V10 will make up 35 percent of the first-generation R8’s life cycle, while the upcoming R8 roadster (in both V8 and V10 models) is expected to be the body configuration of choice for more than 50 percent of these clients.

One more anonymous source in the know tells us that Audi is not stopping at this already exceptional V10-powered R8, either. While the Audi R8 V12 TDI diesel concept car that we drove briefly last spring has now been officially killed off, Audi boffins are experimenting with an even faster supercar that will dare to go head-to-head with the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640.

It’s taken Audi awhile to deliver the supercar that it’s been promising us, but the 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10 appears to be just the beginning of a true German presence in the exotic car market. Both BMW and Mercedes-Benz tried and failed to crack this barrier, so all credit to the romantic engineers at Audi.

Tags: audi, lamborghini, r8 v10, white