25 years ago, Audi put a sporty V8 luxury sedan on the road with the first S8. A lot has happened since then. The performance data has just exploded and there is even a hybrid. We met old and young.
There it is now, the former dream car S8. Back then, in 1996, it was unaffordable for the author and with 250 kW / 340 PS in the mid-8s it was downright obscenely powerful. And today? At least since this performance league has already been achieved with the top model of the Golf, it has been clear that it can no longer be really luxurious. But that's one thing with performance, at least when it comes to the sheer horsepower. The top version of the previous S605 already had 420 horses under the bonnet, while the current model with 571 kW / XNUMX PS is well fed, but was certainly not developed for extreme performance.
When manual shifting was still modern
A quarter of a century ago things were different. At that time, the upper class power was only exceeded by the Mercedes W140, which was much heavier. And the Ingolstadt-based company scored points with the manual gearshift, which meant that the power was delivered to all four wheels without having to go through the exhausting converter. The S8 had the so-called unique product advantage - a large touring limousine with sporty genes - so the 5,03 meter liner was a solitaire in the model landscape. Neither Maserati - the Italians had downgraded their Quattroporte to a middle class - nor Porsche made such an offer.
Today there are umpteen similarly strong and more powerful models than the S8, so its engineers don't have to struggle excessively at this point to squeeze out the last bit of performance. You could almost leave out the power specification - enough, as Rolls-Royce used to call it. The task of the testosterone-soaked practice racers have long been taken over by other model series - RS6 Avant, RS7 or RSQ8, there is no lack of options. The S8 Quattro, on the other hand, maintains a subtle, harmonious appearance and does not even think about showing its potency openly. Sure, its exhaust system with the four tailpipes indicates what it is made of - but these are almost ashamedly hidden in the recesses of the massive bumper, so that you can easily look over them.
Automatic lowering
Inside, the S8 test car shines with glossy piano lacquer and carbon instead of wood, but in this discipline the customer can individualize. Cuddly armchairs, velvety soft air suspension that effectively sniffs out short bumps and a front axle that, thanks to the 48-volt electrical system, is powerful enough to pull the wheels up electromechanically at lightning speed so that they are no longer noticeable, testify to the high-end flair. So that the temporally regulating elevation in the roadway does not lose its effect, it only works if you approach it very slowly - the real reason, of course, is that the camera installed in front of the front axle also has to identify the threshold. But where is the emotion, is the S8 even still entitled to wear its silver badge? But yes, at the latest when the eight-ender exudes its rumbling bass in the passenger compartment, you know again why you are happy to pay the sinfully expensive price of more than 140.000 euros (about as much as the Audi S8 D2 cost in D-Marks) is willing to pay if budget planning allows. The S8 has two faces, accelerates so powerfully (3,8 seconds to 100 km / h) that it can happen to the driver unintentionally in the driving license area on the country road - certainly also because it is so quiet. To be clear: even the S8 is a sedan chair, although the technicians have tuned it more tightly than its civilian brothers.
In the meantime there is great curiosity about the original S8, which must have been much more extreme from the point of view of the time. Audi initially decided against an automatic transmission - at a time when manual shifting was already extremely exotic in the luxury class. Later they buckled due to the demand. So just get into the classic car and let the interior that was once perceived as so modern look. It's crazy how classic the cockpit will appear in 2021 compared to that of the current model, which is bursting with display space. Bulky switches for heated rear windows and roller blinds, mechanical knobs for heated seats and a DIN slot radio are fondly reminiscent of the nineties. Start the engine with the delicate key, and the power plant comes to life. The 4,2-liter naturally aspirated eight-cylinder starts babbling, sounds less V8-rumbling, but more natural than what was created by the sound designers for the new car. At first the 340 hp sedan looks tired - you have to risk revs - but then the old man from Ingolstadt pushes hard. However, you have to work out the factory-specified 5,5 seconds for the standard sprint. Always nice to keep the tour counter above the 4.000 mark, then the all-wheel drive remains dynamic. But despite all the sportiness, the first S8 model is also a willing long-distance rider, whose sports armchair with Alcantara center section and pronounced side bolsters still provide enough residual comfort to use the S8 for long journeys.
Original parts hardly available anymore
Owner Matthias Müller knows that anyone who runs an S8 today must have a certain stamina and a tendency to tinker. Even simple spare parts such as windscreen or windscreen frame are no longer available. Even an original exhaust system for the version with manual transmission is no longer available as a spare part - therefore the photo vehicle no longer has an authentic silencer. Matthias doesn't let his joy in the youngtimer spoil and looks for the necessary parts from battle vehicles - provided that he's patient.
In terms of characteristics, the new S8 is quite credible as the legitimate successor to the equally meek original model, which feels less extreme than the data in the contemporary context suggest. In today's S8, you sit even more isolated from the outside world - so isolated that you only notice the exuberant performance to a limited extent. Incidentally, the engineers have trimmed the four-liter engine strictly for efficiency, giving it a starter generator that applies torque to the crankshaft when the two turbos are not yet fully supplied with exhaust gas. In partial load, the tech engine only runs on four pots and is even temporarily completely still in overrun mode (sailing mode), which, together with the long eighth gear, ensures that you even undercut the nine-liter mark while splashing along at the recommended speed. If you want, you can boldly toss the 2,3-ton truck around - thanks to roll compensation, it remains neutral for a long time.
The first S8, on the other hand, feels more active and direct and is damn quick for a vehicle from the nineties - especially once you've grooved yourself a little and learned to master the slightly bony six-speed gearbox. Even some modern cars have to dress warmly. Getting a pristine, clean first-series S8 is not an easy undertaking in the absence of appropriate offers. But the path to your dream classic car can be exciting and entertaining.
S8 4.2 Quattro - Technical Data
Luxury limousine, built from 1996 to 2002, length: 5,03 meters, width: 1,88 meters, height: 1,42 meters, wheelbase: 2,88 meters
4,2-liter eight-cylinder V-engine, 250 kW / 340 PS, maximum torque: 410 Nm at 3.500 rpm, 0-100 km / h: 5,5 s, Vmax: 250 km / h, six-speed Manual transmission
Former new price: over 141.310 marks
S8 4.0 TFSI Quattro - Technical data
Luxury limousine, length: 5,18 meters, width: 1,95 (2,13 with exterior mirrors) meters, height: 1,47 meters, wheelbase: 3,00 meters
4,0 lV eight-cylinder gasoline engine with direct injection and double turbocharging, output: 420 kW / 571 hp, maximum torque: 800 Nm at 2.050 to 4.500 rpm, 0-100 km / h: 3,8 s, Vmax: 250 km / h, eight-speed automatic transmission (torque converter), average consumption: 10,7 l / 100 km, CO2 emissions: 245 g / km, base price: from 140.600 euros
