A speedy Audi R8 V10, parked at the rear entrance of my old apartment building in central Beijing in 2011. The Audi looked brilliant in blue, and even better was the 京G·K8888 license plates. Eight is a lucky number in Chinese culture, and it matches nicely with R8. The owner has to be a lucky guy! Note the great Wall Voleex C30 in the background, on the right.
The Audi R8 has always been a popular super car in China. The 2011 model was powered by a 5.2 liter V10 engine with an output of 525 hp and 391 Nm. Top speed was 315 km/h and 0-100 took 3.9 seconds. Gearbox was a 7-speed DCT, sending horses to all four wheels. Price in 2011 started at 2.32 million yuan, or 360.000 USD at the time.
The funky building in the background was a super hip barber shop, they always played very loud music that sounded through the whole area. So funky. But I hated it. Because earlier on, that very same building housed my favorite Beijing hot pot restaurant. I came there like twice a week, staying for hours, and they had Heineken 0.63 liter beer bottles for just 5 yuan!
The restaurant moved to another place a bit further down the road. They upped their prices for food but kept selling the beer for five. Best hot pot ever. Anyway, when it was in its old place I only had to walk 50 meters from my building, in the new place it was like 200. So I feel I my anger towards that barber show was completely justified.
The Audi had a parking ticket on the window. In those days that would have been 200 yuan.
White fence in the background was the entrance to my building. The building with the pots in front and a blue sign on top was a small and semi-legal hotel.
The brilliant naturally aspirated V10 engine, which was shared with the Lamborghini Gallardo and a bunch of other very fast Audi’s.
I also was a regular at the Jingkelong supermarket in the left. They had all the basics and a lot of snack food, which you could immediately consume on a small terrace in front of the shop. The had lots of noodle and rice dishes, mostly with either chicken or eggs.
While I am talking shopping anyway, I may as well introduce the shop on the other side of the little square, with McDonald’s umbrella’s. That shop sold fruit and veggies, and beer. Back then, I guess, there wasn’t any shop in Beijing that did not sell beer.
A final word on the Audi: it looked brilliant in that light shade of blue, with beautiful big wheels. Hope the owner payed the parking ticket in time!