2:00pm | Two very special guests joined hundreds of Audi clients and enthusiasts for the unveiling of the newly-renovated Circle Audi dealership in Long Beach on Thursday night, as the wraps came off two upcoming models in the 2011 R8 Spyder supercar and the 2011 A8 sedan.

Both models are the only examples of their kind on the West Coast.

They were brought in by Audi exclusively for the celebration, as the local dealership with more than 40 years of experience in Long Beach recently completed a 2.5-year project to redesign the showroom and service area into a stylish new facility.

The R8 Spyder and A8 sedan served as perfect compliments to the ultra-modern, sophisticated and frankly expensive brand that Audi has evolved into in recent years. This new posh reputation could be seen wall-to-wall at the dealership reception, in everything from the clientele and glamorous interior design to the artichoke fritter and whatever-tar-tar being served.

It wasn’t all show, as some members of local Audi owners clubs gathered outside and talked shop about their ’83 Quattros and other legendary machines that built Audi in the first place. It’s not that the company has left the memory of those cars behind – in fact, new models reap the rewards with very advanced suspension and throaty acceleration – but the brand has certainly changed.

Audi is in the midst of a wildly successful run that has seen the once-afterthought brand turn into a “the progressive luxury brand” as one Audi exec put it, with aggressive styling and performance to match – or even overtake – the Mercedes and BMWs of the world. Thanks to that relatively new reputation, Circle Audi has taken advantage and experienced a 230% growth in sales thus far in 2010. General manager Thomas Croxton acknowledges that the economic recovery has boosted those numbers, but says it’s also due to factors such as his decision not to lay off any staff in the last few years.

“It was an expensive decision at the time, but when the economy came around we hit the ground running,” says Croxton, pictured right, who is particularly proud that Circle Audi has remained at their location for more than forty years.

“We’re Long Beach, we didn’t move to Signal Hill,” he says, a reference to several car dealerships that relocated out of Long Beach in recent years.

City Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell was also on hand for the opening, and was thanked by Audi brass for his role in facilitating the dealership’s expansion plans. O’Donnell thanked Economic Director Robert Swayze for his help and also reaffirmed his commitment to assist the dealership.

“A happy dealership makes a happy Councilman,” O’Donnell told the crowd. “This is one of the most beautiful interiors in Long Beach, period.”

The two newly unveiled cars in the room certainly didn’t hurt, either.

The R8 debuted as a coupe a few years ago to rave reviews, then introduced an upgraded 5.2-liter V10 engine borrowed from the Lamborghini Gallardo. It’s this behemoth that powers the R8 Spyder and couples with aggressive styling to produce one of the most sought-after cars in the world. And while the coupe has sold like hotcakes, seeing the long-awaited convertible in person makes you realize that this is how the R8 was intended to be all along.

The coupe version is stunning and exciting, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it beautiful. There was always something a little proportionately… off about the coupe. It seemed to hunch too far forward, which created a great view from the back but something more awkward from every other angle.  The convertible fixes those design issues by losing the roof and adding a massive side intake that had previously been covered with a panel that was cool but seems childish in comparison to the sultry lines of the Spyder.

There are trade-offs. Losing the hardtop roof means you also lose the glass engine compartment that made it easy to stare into the heart of the sweet-sounding V10. In the convertible, not only are the guts covered but there is also no way to open the bonnet for a good view. If you want to tinker with the engine, I suppose you’d have to do so from below the car. And then, of course, when you’re actually driving the car you lose the rigidity of the coupe while adding dreaded weight due to the automatic top.

We’re picking nits here. The R8 Spyder is a fantastic car in both versions.

The 2011 A8, on the other hand, seems not to have changed much from its previous iteration except that it inflated like a balloon to now-monstrous proportions. The car maintains sleek lines but has expanded in nearly every area and the trademark front grill is gaping wide, like a whale shark approaching a meal. It seems desperate to gulp air, slower vehicles, you and your children, what have you.

The luxurious interior is what you would expect from a top-of-the-line model aimed at the Mercedes S-class and BMW 7-series; an elegant dash with generous helpings of chrome and leather.

The car may be big but that goes a long way in providing comfort, and when you pair that with an attractive rear design and Audi engineering the A8 is an impressive car, even next to the R8 Spyder. Just the attraction to honor the dealership’s stylish redesign.