Standing alone, the R8 looks eminently supercar-ish. But when you hold the R8 up against the Gallardo, what you see is a former sleek Italian beauty that has unfortunately been made dumpy. Go ahead, compare profile shots of the two cars and see if you don't agree.

True, the Gallardo costs many thousands more, but it's unclear how much of that cost is from cleaner sheetmetal.

But before we pick on the R8's looks, it should be pointed out that it was designed in part by the same team who designed the R8 racing car. So it's about function, specifically aerodynamic function. The Gallardo is more about show, the R8 about go (though we're not suggesting the Gallardo doesn't go).

There are a few things that don't help the R8's sleekness. First, the huge grille. We understand that this has become the Audi image, not unlike the Dodge macho crosshair grille. But no grille can possibly work on every shape. Yet here is that big black grille, on the lowest and sleekest Audi of all. The chrome ring around it doesn't help.

The front fenders are edged and sort of flared, as if Audi was taking design cues from the Mazda RX-8 instead of the Gallardo. But no, again, the design cues come from the wind tunnel. Inside the fully exposed wheelwells are good-looking 10-spoke (twin fives) 19-inch alloy wheels, spindly enough so the black brake calipers are clearly visible.

There is also the theme of horizontal black slats, three big ones under each headlight and four under each taillight. The otherwise meaningless 14 slats do make the R8 look different. They don't make it any better looking.

Then there's what Audi calls the sideblade. One sideblade on each side of the car covers the engine's air intakes. It's more of a plate than a blade, a patch of contrasting color behind the door, that is two feet wide and sweeps back and up to the roofline, abruptly ending that roofline, to the eye. It's that contrasting color part that's too much. You'd think the 14 black horizontal slats would be enough distinction. If you get a black R8 with a carbon-fiber sideblade, you almost can't see it. That's better.

The angular tail of the Gallardo rises behind the rear wheels, and the rounded tail of the R8 sags. The Gallardo's butt would look fabulous in jeans, the R8's not. But the double twin exhausts coming out of the R8 bodywork are cool.

The best feature of the R8 is the engine under glass. Lexan, to be precise, and it's glowed upon by LED lighting. You can look right down on the compact double-overhead-cam V8, with its carbon fiber and silver-screen components. It's a beautiful installation, a work of art.