Whereas BMW first put V8 engines in manufacturing vehicles again in 1954 and Mercedes-Benz adopted with its personal V8 in 1968, Audi did not start constructing new V8-powered vehicles till 1988 (sorry, V8 vehicles constructed by Audi company ancestors do not rely). Lastly including a V8 to their engine secure will need to have made Audi’s entrepreneurs so excited that they determined to call the automobile that used it after the engine: the Audi V8, offered in the USA for the 1989 by means of 1994 mannequin years. The V8 was respectably large, impressively quick, and very costly, and I’ve discovered a uncommon instance of the breed in a Denver-area automobile graveyard.
Audi wasn’t doing so nicely in the USA on the time this automobile was offered, because of the “unintended acceleration” debacle that crushed American gross sales for all Audis (not simply automatic-equipped 5000s) for at the very least a half-dozen years after the infamous “60 Minutes” piece that aired in late 1986. Bringing over a technological masterpiece like this automobile despatched a message that Audi wasn’t giving up on our continent.
The engine is a 3.6-liter quad-cam rated at 240 horsepower and 245 pound-feet. The bottom 1990 Corvette solely managed 245 horses from its 5.7-liter V8 (although the wild DOHC 5.7 within the ZR1 made 375 that yr).
A five-speed guide was out there in U.S.-market V8s with the three.6, however not many have been purchased that method right here. This one has the four-speed computerized. Quattro all-wheel-drive was customary tools. Notice the Unintended Acceleration warning sticker subsequent to the gear indicator.
The inside is filled with high-quality leather-based and wooden.
The worth tag was intimidating: $47,450, which involves about $114,361 in 2023 {dollars}. The 1990 BMW 735i listed at $49,000 ($118,097 at present) and the 1990 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL price $62,500 ($150,633 in at present’s cash); neither of these vehicles have been out there with all-wheel-drive, which will need to have made the V8 Quattro a tempting alternative for well-heeled automobile buyers in search of an enormous German sedan.
The mannequin title was complicated, although there weren’t any badges proclaiming it. When the V8’s successor confirmed up (based mostly on a totally completely different platform), it was designated the A8 and went on sale in the USA as a 1997 mannequin.
Audi adopted up its first V8 engine with its first V6 engine, for the 1992 mannequin yr in the USA.
It drove near 200,000 miles throughout its profession.
How may such a uncommon automobile find yourself right here? The V8 simply is not value very a lot these days, regardless of its rarity and historic significance, and potential consumers are typically intimidated by the meticulous upkeep that these vehicles want to remain alive.
This home-market industrial seems to have been filmed on this facet of the Atlantic.
With Quattro, you will not want to fret about hitting steamrollers or cats.