Man Maths: Audi S8 (D2)

Born in 1994, the A8 was Audi’s second go at a luxury flagship.  The first was called simply the V8 which was powered by, well, you can guess and was really just a dressed-up 100.  The A8 had much higher aspirations, to rival and beat both the S-class and 7 series.  As so often is the case with Volkswagen Group innovations like ASF, it’s Ferdinand Piech who was the inventor of this one.

Quattro by now had become an Audi family trait but it carried a penalty: weight.  Piech saw a way to saving the additional 100kg that the four-wheel drive system brought by using aluminium.  And hence the ASF was created and has since been passed down generations of Audi even to the recently-departed R8.  But it were only the A/S8 and A2 that reminded their owners of this every time they opened a front door with an Audi Space Frame aluminium badge mounted on the base of the B-pillar.

Four-door saloons, or sedans if you are reading this in America, are not typically ranked among history’s most beautiful cars.  But I think the A8 – and better the S8 – deserve inclusion.  The aluminium body was both graceful and elegant, arguably made timeless by its simplicity, and drawn by one Dirk van Braeckel who later went onto create the first generation Bentley Continental GT.  And with its ASF-ed body, it weighed just 1750kg – as much as half a tonne lighter than the S-class of the era.

The S8, which came along in 1997, was all the more beautiful for the simple addition of 8J x 18 six-spoke Avus alloy wheels and polished aluminium door mirror housings (which used to be a fast Audi signature until carbon fibre became the thing).  Inside it had a three-spoke steering wheel, Recaro-esque leather sports seats and Myrtle wood fascia and door cappings in place of the A8’s walnut.  The central armrests were mounted on a polished aluminium arm and opened to reveal a mobile phone.  Which was standard along with electric everything.  Apart from a solar panelled sunroof which for an additional £658 would help the twin pane, UV light insulating glass keep the vast interior cool.

More heated, by 39bhp over the standard A8 4.2, was the naturally-aspirated, 32-valve 4.2-litre engine which with 335 bhp was enough for a 0-62mph of 5.5 seconds.  The standard transmission, at least in the UK, was a five-speed automatic with a Tiptronic function accessible by moving the leather gearknob to the right within the gorgeous aluminium surround.  There was a six-speed manual although to my knowledge Audi UK only ever imported one which I recall using for the wedding of a friend when I worked in the Volkswagen press office.  And the S8 was to show off its pace and presence in one of the best car chases in film history in the 1998 film Ronin staring Robert De Niro.  Although I confess I’ve never watched it throughout as I couldn’t bear to see the poor Citroen XM with which it races get such a physical beating.

The A and S8 received an inevitable facelift in 1999 which brought five-valve engines and, for the S8, another 20bhp.  It also got a larger grille and fatter bumpers which to my eyes spoil the purity of the original.  And it’s one of these I would seek.  Even better if I could find one with the Mother of Pearl white paint, a £1400 option at the time.  But finding one at all will be the hardest thing.

A little more than a 100 are still taxed on UK’s roads.  More are SORNed.  I suspect awaiting parts.  Bodily rust may not be the enemy with so much aluminium.  But that doesn’t stop other parts failing.  Parts which are long out of stock at your nearest Audi retailer.  Although there is a fantastic club who are ready to help.  And if they can’t, there’s always Audi Tradition which came to my rescue when my humble A8 3.7 needed some fuel piping.

Right now, I can only see a single S8 for sale in any classifieds: a facelifted, otherwise smart-looking example with 140,000 miles on its digital odometer.  And at only £8500, the price isn’t tear-jerking.  After all, it’s what you’d pay just for optional ceramic brakes on today’s RS5.  And think what pleasure you’ll have being able to tell the upstart new A2 e-tron just who do you think you are.