Audi V8 D1

Until the late 1980s, Audi was seen as a maker of mid-size and executive cars, known for quattro all-wheel drive and five-cylinder engines. What it lacked was a model able to take on the BMW 7 Series and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The answer was the Audi V8, launched in 1988 and named after its engine, the brand's first eight-cylinder since the war.

The V8 had a single generation (internal code D11, or Typ 4C) and was built until 1994, with 21,565 units produced. It was the world's first luxury sedan with permanent all-wheel drive as standard and the first Audi to combine quattro with an automatic gearbox. On track, it won the German touring car championship (DTM) in 1990 and 1991.

Below, we cover the model's development, engines, versions, DTM career, production numbers and its link to its successor, the Audi A8.

The Base: Audi 100 and 200 (C3)

To keep costs down, Audi developed the V8 from the third-generation Audi 100/200 (C3). The project was at one point meant to be called "Audi 300", but it ended up named after its engine. Compared with the 100/200, the V8 gained its own front and rear ends, a larger chrome grille, different headlights and taillights, and 15- to 17-inch alloy wheels.

• Debut: Paris Motor Show, October 1988, with production starting the same month.
• Plant: Ingolstadt, Germany.
• Body: Four-door sedan with galvanized panels and a 10-year anti-perforation warranty.
• Dimensions: 4.87 m (191.9 in) long, 1.81 m (71.4 in) wide, with a 2.70 m (106.4 in) wheelbase. The trunk held 570 liters and the fuel tank 80 liters.
• Weight: Around 1,710 kg (3,770 lb).

Equipment

The V8 arrived as the best-equipped Audi of its time, with several features new to the brand:

• Leather seats with power adjustment in front.
• Automatic climate control and cruise control.
• Power windows on all four doors.
• Bose sound system with eight speakers.

Price and Positioning

In Germany, the V8 cost just under 100,000 Deutsche Marks. That was about 30% more than the entry versions of the 7 Series and S-Class, and Audi positioned it against the rivals' V8 versions. Later, the brand added a cheaper version with cloth seats, and the fully equipped version was renamed V8 Exclusive.

V8 3.6 (1988–1993)

The engine was developed from the technology of the Volkswagen Group's 1.8 16V, used in the Golf GTI 16V. It had an aluminum block and heads, four camshafts and 32 valves.

• Code: PT.
• Power: 250 PS (247 hp) at 5,800 rpm.
• Torque: 340 Nm (251 lb-ft) at 4,000 rpm.
• Automatic gearbox: ZF 4-speed, with Economy, Sport and Manual modes. It was standard at launch. 0–100 km/h took about 9 seconds and top speed was 235 km/h (146 mph).
• Manual gearbox: 5-speed, offered from 1990. With it, 0–100 km/h dropped to about 7.6 seconds and top speed rose to 244 km/h (152 mph).

V8 4.2 (1991–1994)

In October 1991, Audi launched the 4.2 version, which became the top of the range.

• Code: ABH.
• Power: 280 PS (276 hp) at 5,800 rpm.
• Torque: 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) at 4,000 rpm.
• Manual gearbox: A new 6-speed, with 0–100 km/h in about 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 249 km/h (155 mph).
• Automatic gearbox: The same ZF 4-speed, which remained the choice of most buyers.

The V8's quattro Drive

Every V8 left the factory with permanent quattro all-wheel drive, splitting power evenly between the axles under normal conditions.

• Automatic versions: The first Audis to combine quattro with an automatic gearbox. The center differential used an electronically controlled, hydraulically operated multi-plate clutch that locked when a wheel lost grip. The rear axle had a Torsen limited-slip differential.
• Manual versions: Used the mechanical quattro system with a Torsen center differential, already known from other Audi models, also with a Torsen at the rear.

Suspension and Brakes

• Suspension: MacPherson struts with wishbones at the front and double wishbones at the rear.
• "UFO" brakes: At the front, the V8 used special discs developed by ATE, with the pads gripping the disc from the inside. According to Audi, they braked up to 30% better than conventional discs of the same size. The system was also used on the S6 (C4) and some Porsches, but parts are now expensive and hard to find.

Audi V8 L (1989–1994)

For customers who rode in the back, Audi created a long-wheelbase version, developed together with Austria's Steyr-Daimler-Puch.

• Size: 30 cm (11.8 in) longer, at 5.19 m (204.3 in) with a 3.02 m (118.8 in) wheelbase. All the extra space went to rear legroom.
• Engines: Offered with the 3.6 and later the 4.2, always with the automatic gearbox.
• Production: Only 271 units, making the V8 L one of Audi's rarest versions.

Armored Versions

Audi also produced armored versions of the V8 for officials and customers who needed special protection.

V8 Avant (One-Off)

There was never a production V8 wagon. The only Avant was built to order for Ursula Piëch, wife of Ferdinand Piëch, then head of Audi. The car is now part of the brand's collection in Ingolstadt.

The V8 was Audi's first car in the DTM, the German touring car championship. It was the only car on the grid with four-wheel drive and the largest among rivals running the BMW M3 and Mercedes 190E.

• Race engine: Naturally aspirated 3.6 V8, rising from 420 hp at the first race of 1990 to 470 hp by the end of 1992.
• 1990: Hans-Joachim Stuck won the title with seven victories. At the final round, Audi took the top three places with Stuck, Frank Jelinski and Walter Röhrl.
• 1991: Frank Biela won the title. It was the first time a manufacturer had won the DTM two years in a row.
• Extra weight: To balance the competition, organizers raised the V8's minimum weight in 1991 and 1992.
• 1992 and the exit: Audi created a flat-plane (180-degree) crankshaft made from bent production parts, since the rules banned new parts. After protests from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the German federation (ONS) ruled it illegal after the sixth round. Audi withdrew from the championship immediately.

Production Numbers

• Total: 21,565 units between 1988 and 1994.
• V8 L: 271 units of that total.
• Markets: The model was sold in more than 50 countries.
• Survivors: Around 2,000 units are still registered in Germany.

Sales in the United States

In the US, the V8 sold poorly. The market preferred rear-wheel-drive luxury sedans, and Audi was still suffering from its bad reputation of the 1980s.

Why It Sold Poorly

• Looks: Many buyers found the V8 too similar to the Audi 100/200. When the new Audi 100 (C4) arrived in 1990, the V8 began to look dated.
• Price: It cost more than the rivals' entry versions without the prestige of BMW and Mercedes.
• Weight and fuel use: At 1.7 to 1.8 tonnes and with the automatic gearbox, the 3.6 lost some performance and used a lot of fuel.

End of Production and Successor

Production ended between late 1993 and 1994. The successor was the Audi A8 (D2), launched in 1994 with an aluminum body, which finally put Audi on the same level as BMW and Mercedes in the luxury segment. The A8 kept 3.7 and 4.2 V8 engines derived from the V8's engine.

The Audi V8 was never officially sold in Brazil. Car imports were only allowed again in 1990, and Audi only officially arrived in the country in February 1994, through Senna Import, run by Ayrton and Leonardo Senna. By then, the V8 was already going out of production, and the importer started with models such as the 100, S2 and S4.

We found no reliable records of units brought in by independent importers. The first large Audi luxury sedan officially sold in Brazil was its successor, the A8.

Master Specification Table

The Audi V8 was not a sales success, but it was a very important car for the brand. It brought Audi's first V8 engine, took quattro into the luxury segment and proved it worked with an automatic gearbox. On track, it gave Audi two straight DTM titles with a large, heavy sedan.

The V8's problems, such as styling too close to the Audi 100 and a high price for a brand with no tradition in the segment, taught Audi what to do with the next model. The A8, with its aluminum body and unique design, grew out of those lessons.

Today, with just over 21,000 units built and only 271 V8 Ls, the Audi V8 is a rare classic, remembered as the car that opened Audi's path among the luxury brands.