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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 depend). Lastly including a V8 to their engine secure should have made Audi’s entrepreneurs so excited that they determined to call the automobile that used it after the engine: the Audi V8, bought in the USA for the 1989 via 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 properly in the USA on the time this automobile was bought, because of the “unintended acceleration” debacle that crushed American gross sales for all Audis (not simply automatic-equipped 5000s) for at the 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 in 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 had been purchased that manner right here. This one has the four-speed automated. Quattro all-wheel-drive was customary gear. Word the Unintended Acceleration warning sticker subsequent to the gear indicator.
The inside is filled with high-quality leather-based and wooden.
The value tag was intimidating: $47,450, which involves about $114,361 in 2023 {dollars}. The 1990 BMW 735i listed at $49,000 ($118,097 as we speak) and the 1990 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL value $62,500 ($150,633 in as we speak’s cash); neither of these vehicles had been out there with all-wheel-drive, which should have made the V8 Quattro a tempting selection for well-heeled automobile customers on the lookout for an enormous German sedan.
The mannequin identify was complicated, although there weren’t any badges proclaiming it. When the V8’s successor confirmed up (based mostly on a very totally 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 might such a uncommon automobile find yourself right here? The V8 simply is not price 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 business seems to have been filmed on this facet of the Atlantic.
With Quattro, you will not want to fret about hitting steamrollers or cats.
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