Audi moved steadily larger on the status pyramid throughout the Eighties, with the mighty Audi V8 inching ever nearer to its BMW 7 Collection and Mercedes-Benz S-Class rivals within the efficiency, snob-appeal and price ticket departments. When it got here time to design the V8’s successor, the A8, Audi went with a radical all-aluminum unibody construction and added a giant serving to of horsepower and digital gadgetry. The A8 first went on sale in america as a 1997 mannequin; the second-generation model made its debut as a 2003 mannequin. This is a kind of second-generation A8s, present in a Denver self-service automobile graveyard.
Audi’s first manufacturing automobile to make use of the ASF (Audi House Body) was the 1994 A8, and the corporate nonetheless (justifiably) points common ASF brags after greater than 500,000 ASF-based automobiles produced.
That is probably the most reasonably priced A8 mannequin for ’07, a short-wheelbase automobile with V8 engine. Even so, its MSRP was a formidable $68,900, or about $104,517 in 2023 {dollars}.
That is the 4.2-liter V8 engine with direct injection, rated at 350 horsepower and 325 pound-feet. The A8’s VW-badged sibling, the Phaeton, additionally received the 4.2. This one sits so low within the engine compartment as a result of some junkyard shopper has bought the transmission. Let’s hope it was an excellent one!
The one transmission obtainable right here was a six-speed computerized with Tiptronic gear choice, and all 2007 A8s bought in North America had been geared up with Quattro all-wheel-drive.
This automobile is supplied with the joystick-based 2G model of Audi’s Multi Media Interface system, which was science-fiction stuff for the center 2000s.
The inside seems good and the physique would not present any severe harm. Why did such a masterpiece of design and know-how meet this destiny?
The factor about proudly owning an instance of recent European luxurious equipment is that you simply can’t skimp on upkeep and repairs in case you plan to maintain yours on the highway for lengthy. The A8 has all the time been large, subtle and stuffed with modern {hardware}; deferred upkeep and/or uncared for fixes will chunk you with a quickness you will not see with, say, a Chevy Impala of the identical period. Sure, you should buy a 15-year-old A8 for a worth that is ballpark-similar to that of a 15-year-old Impala, however mathematicians invented logarithmic scales partly that can assist you perceive the distinction in price between a typical A8 restore and a typical Impala restore.
We will assume this automobile’s third or fourth proprietor was overjoyed by the low price of admission to the world of high-end European luxurious. Quickly sufficient, one costly drawback after one other cropped up. Maybe a Contemporary Shave Automotive-Freshner Little Tree would assist!
No? How a couple of Jasmin Little Tree?
When you ever reduce your self in a junkyard and wish a first-aid equipment, a lot of European and Japanese luxurious sedans have them.
There should be a technique to swap these seats into an Impala Restricted.
The second-generation A8 will flip the world upside-down.