Take it from me, when a Nevada state trooper approaches the car you have just been driving at a substantially illegal speed across his wilderness, it is time to be scared. And when the sun glances off his mirror shades and dazzlingly white teeth as his hand reaches into his holster, you’ll start scanning the horizon for itinerant underwear vendors earning a living in the Mojave desert.

I have a colleague who was recently handcuffed to a prison wall in the Land of the Free for a speeding offence that, compared with what I was guilty of, was about as serious as walking on the cracks in the pavement.

“Licence.” Pause. “Passport.” Pause. “That is the most goddam beautiful car I have ever seen, sir. It would be a shame to find it on its roof. Do we understand each other? Good. Have a nice day.” It is, of course, entirely possible he didn’t know exactly how fast we’d been going a couple of minutes earlier and I wasn’t about to ask. But of all the incredible things this new Audi R8 did the day I drove it from Las Vegas to Death Valley, charming the pistol out of the hands of the Nevada highway patrol was by far the most memorable.

I’m not sure when I last drove a car that had such an effect on people. In Furnace Creek, California (population 31 and, since the thermometer hit 56.7C in 1913, the hottest place in the US), a waitress advised me not to be surprised to find a crowd of gawpers by the car when I returned. I lost count of the number of pickup trucks I was offered in part exchange, and the drivers who swerved dangerously across the interstate just to get a better look. Then again, cars this striking are rare and, to date, none has been an Audi.

Make no mistake, the R8 is a brave car. With it Audi is positioning itself away from BMW and Mercedes and alongside Porsche, Maserati and Aston Martin. Though Audi insists the R8 will make money in its own right, its real purpose is to sprinkle stardust on the entire brand. The only problem is that, as a £76,725 mid-engined two-seater sports car, it needs to do a lot more than look good: it needs to offer an outstanding driving experience, not something many Audis have been noted for in the past.

But this one will be. From a company that’s carved a reputation for making cars better to look at than they are to drive, the R8 is little short of astonishing. By combining an aluminium chassis and body with a 420bhp 4.2 litre V8 motor, Audi has got the essential formula of providing big power in a lightweight package spot on. Forget the stats — though 0-62mph in 4.6sec and a top speed of 187mph tend to linger in the mind — it is the sheer majesty of its performance that stays with you.

The V8 is a masterpiece, rasping and roaring all the way to an 8250rpm red line; the manual gearbox is as good as any I’ve known (I’ve not tried the automatic but the consensus is it’s to be avoided) and you have to make a conscious effort not to go slamming through gear after gear at every opportunity, just because you can.

But even Audi knows how to make a car quick in a straight line; where the R8 departs so radically from the script is through the corners. The road from Furnace Creek to Badwater, which at 282ft below sea level is the lowest place in America, could have been made for the R8. Its swooping curves proved the outstanding grip of the R8’s chassis, its tight turns the efficacy of its all-wheel-drive hardware.

It uses the same aluminium spaceframe construction as the Lamborghini Gallardo (Audi bought the Italian company in 1998) and like the Gallardo has double wishbone suspension. The R8 also offers the option of “magnetic ride”, a system that applies varying currents to electromagnets on the dampers to change the viscosity of the fluid, stiffening the suspension for certain driving conditions.

No, it didn’t talk to you through the steering as a Porsche 911 would, but it came closer than I’d ever have believed an Audi could. It was a car I wanted to drive as hard and far as I could and it was only the spectre of another roadside interview with a less understanding member of the law enforcement community that made me turn around and slink slowly back to Vegas.

And it was only then, when I asked it to turn from toy to transport, that I focused on some significant faults. Its boot is smaller than a 911’s yet, unlike the Porsche, there is only a small ledge instead of rear seats to use as extra stowage. Thick front pillars, dreadful over-the-shoulder visibility and a sizable blind spot means R8s will be damaged while parking and changing lanes; and the optional ceramic brakes, for all their power, felt overassisted and grabby. Audi says it is aware of this latter problem and will have cured it before the car goes on sale in the summer.

As a pure driving machine, I’d say a 911 still outpoints the R8, but when you consider the Audi’s looks and exclusivity (only 3,000 will be made each year, less than a third of the 911s produced), it’s clear Audi’s first attempt at building a supercar has been a huge and unlikely success.

And it doesn’t end here. Look in the engine bay of an R8 and you’ll see an apparently pointless gap between the engine and cabin bulkhead; you won’t get a word of explanation from Audi about it, but in fact it’s needed to accommodate the 520bhp 5.2 litre V10 engine Audi is preparing to install in the R8 next year. Its top speed should be considerably in excess of 200mph and all I hope is I’m the one who, safely and legally of course, gets to prove it.

Vital statistics

Model Audi R8
Engine type 4163cc, eight cylinders
Power/Torque 420bhp@7800rpm/317 lb ft @ 3500rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel/CO2 19.3mpg (combined cycle)/349g/km
Performance 0-62mph: 4.6sec / Top speed: 187mph
Price £76,725

Verdict: Audi’s first supercar is a first-rate effort
Rating 4/5

Date of release Summer

The opposition

Model Aston V8 Vantage £82,800
For Fabulous to look at, exclusivity
Against Dials hard to read, 911 is better

Model Porsche 911 Carrera 4S £71,980
For The ultimate everyday supercar
Against Ubiquity, dull looks, 2WD is better