Following its world premiere in New York last month, the new 2017 Audi R8 Spyder took Piccadilly by storm last night for its formal UK debut. The open-top super car will be available to order in late spring, with first deliveries expected towards the end of the year.

Unveiled to the British public at Audi City in Piccadilly, London, the new Audi R8 Spyder V10 comes with a fabric soft-top that does its thing in 20 seconds and features a glass rear window which doubles as a wind deflector when the roof is down. Just like the previous R8, the car is a looker with the roof up or down… until you get to the rear-end.

For some reason Audi decided to cram as much detail as they could in the back of the new R8 Spyder. As a result, the rear apron just looks weird, what with the diffuser indert, air vents, taillights, the insert between the light, the brake light, and on top of all this the vented engine cover. A simpler, cleaner design would have better.

The V10 power plant in the 2017 Audi R8 Spyder pumps out 540 PS and the same amount in torque, which is enough to take this hefty 1,612kg roadster from 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 197mph. The new model also comes with Audi smartphone interface and Bang & Olufsen audio with headrest-mounted speakers.