Stephen Ireland’s unique Audi R8 for sale

The petrolhead footballer was the first owner of the 2008 Audi R8 Quattro R-Tronic, which packs a 420bhp 4.2-litre V8 engine, taking it from 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 187mph.

Full gallery: Stephen Ireland’s ultra-cool car collection

The first time we saw Stephen Ireland’s modified Audi R8 it had been decked out with Man United-style red detailing on the grille, cooling vents and side panels.

Unsurprisingly, he quickly tired of being taunted by his teammates and had the colours changed to, well, Man City blue.

The full Ireland treatment includes 20-inch two-piece forged alloy wheels, exterior colour coding in blue with a modified grille, blue side blades, blue interior door trims, engine lighting upgrade, illuminated Audi badges in blue neon, and R8 fuel cap with a not-so-subtle Superman ‘S’ logo.

Ireland’s German supercar comes fitted with privacy glass, Audi DVD sat-nav, electric heated seats, LED daytime running lights, garage door opener, a carbon-fibre engine pack, full black leather interior and a bespoke stereo system with 8-inch rear sub-woofers with blue neon surrounds.

Stephen Ireland signed for Manchester City when he was just 15-years-old and, now at 23, is still a prominent member of the team.

Thanks to the Blues’ deep pockets, Stephen Ireland earns a reported £70,000 per week – more than enough to finance his £5 million Cheshire mansion next door to Manchester United rivals Wayne Rooney and Wes Brown.

And it’s also more than enough to finance his fleet of luxury modified cars.

There is his £90,000 Range Rover finished with a rather fetching pink grille, pink alloy wheels and pink leather interior.

But our gong for all-time finest wags’ car goes to Ireland’s girlfriend, Jess Lawlor.

Gallery: Stephen Ireland’s wag gets a parking ticket

In October the Man City star presented his other-half with a unique Bentley Continental GTC as a 24th birthday present. Except this wasn’t any old Bentley – the once classy convertible had been transformed into one of the most outrageous cars ever.

Fitted with a white bodykit and red highlights, it wears huge red and black deep-dish alloy wheels and the famous Bentley ‘B’ badge has been replaced by Jess’s initials – JL.

So imagine his reaction when he found that the pint-sized blonde had scuffed two alloys and picked up a parking ticket after straddling the convertible across two spaces – all in the first weekend of ownership.

But he solved this problem in a way only Stephen Ireland would – by giving it a mammoth makeover. The red inserts and soft top have been replaced with a new black roof, a matt black bonnet and black mirrors.

The look is topped-off with 22-inch ID One black and white alloy wheels, of which only ten sets have been produced worldwide.

Paint job aside, the £260,000 supercar is capable of 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 200mph. There are more than 450 used Bentley Continentals for sale on Auto Trader.

Since going on sale in 2007, Ingolstadt’s first supercar, the Audi R8 has become a popular purchase among the rich and famous.

Full Gallery: Celebs and their Audis – find out who drives what

Owners include Cheryl Cole, Simon Cowell, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robbie Fowler, Jay Leno, Robert Downey Jr, Gary Barlow and David Hasselhoff.

Stephen Ireland’s modified Audi R8 – which cost more than £100,000 new and has done 19,000 miles – is advertised for sale by Individual Cars, for £69,950.

If you’re looking for something a bit more discreet, the dealer is offering to change the R8 back to its standard specification for an extra £3,000.

Individual Cars are specialists in bespoke high-performance vehicles and have created custom-made luxury motors for a whole host of footballers, including Robbie Savage and Stephen Ireland’s teammate, Roque Santa Cruz.

There are more than 80 used Audi R8s for sale on Auto Trader, with prices starting at £56,000. If your budget doesn’t quite stretch that far, there are more than 1,700 used TTs, more than 270 used A8s and more than 3,300 used A3s for sale.

By Rhian Angharad Jones

Video: check out the Audi R8 V10 Spyder in action