Audi Will Let You Factory-Order A Message Of Your Choice On The Side Of Your New R8

Getting a wrap is obviously so yesterday, because Audi has developed a new process to write buyers’ own text on panels before the car even leaves the factory.

Of all the modifications you could wish to make to an R8, and it doesn’t exactly need many, your own personalised text might not be the first thing you think of.

But don’t let that stop us from enjoying the, err, possibilities associated with being able to order any small panel complete with a string of your own words.

Audi has developed a process in which a ‘blasting’ technology shoots through a template placed over a freshly painted, lacquered and dried panel, roughening the surface of the lacquer to a depth of less than a tenth of the thickness of a human hair. That makes the pattern, or words, appear as a matt effect on the surface of the panel.

On the R8, which is being used as the launch example for the technology, the size limitations mean only the so-called sideblades can actually be imprinted upon, but Audi says that any panel up to a metre long or wide can technically be used. At least small panels should be easier to re-finish if you should ever change your mind about your choice of words.

You’re not allowed to violate third-party trademarks, so forget having corporate logos blasted onto your R8 (unless you own the company), but you can seemingly write pretty much whatever else you want. Your Instagram handle, maybe, or a favourite hashtag. If you’re feeling brave you could even make a political statement, but in the current climate you might not want to leave the car parked anywhere for long, or when you return you’re likely to find holes in it.

At the risk of opening a very large can of worms, tell us what you’d have written on your R8’s side panels. Just remember: play nice…