Youtuber Shows What It Takes to Get a Half-Price, Totalled Audi R8 Back on the Road
If you could get a future classic for pennies on the dollar, would you go through all this?
A new series uploaded to YouTube by internet personality Samcrac will take viewers through the process of buying a salvaged 2010 Audi R8 4.2 Quattro, and making it road-worthy once again—all for the cost of a new mid-size SUV.
Two episodes have currently been released, the first being about the purchase of the car, and the second cracking it open to assess the damage. Samcrac guesses that the issue stems from a "factory defect" on pre-2011 models, causing stress fractures to form where the front suspension bolts to the car's aluminum sub-frame.
The host, like many, considers the R8 a dream car that he thought unattainable due to its high price tag. Even on the used market, solid examples tend to run around $80,000. By purchasing a salvage-titled car, he claims he was able to scoop up this six-speed manual R8 for less than half the cost of what a dealer would charge.
The Audi was listed with 43,000 miles and undercarriage damage as well as minor dents. Looking at it from the outside, you'd have no clue why an insurance company decided to write it off; that is until you open up the frunk. Doing this reveals the true problems beneath the surface. Samcrac's suspicions of a defective aluminum structure are confirmed, as he shows off serious damage around the front strut mounts.
He goes on to explain that Audi-approved body shops can prevent this problem by welding small reinforcements to the front sub-frame. If stress cracks have already formed, they require the lengthy repair process of welding in a new front structure. As a result, R8s with frame damage are likely to be totaled out by insurance companies.
In future episodes, Samcrac says he will consult frame experts on how to re-weld and reinforce the R8's aluminum structure, and begin the actual repair process. Hopefully it works out because, if so, we'll be hitting the classifieds for our own version of the project. Anyone fancy a Lamborghini Gallardo on the cheap?
