Audi V8 Price Guide

The Audi V8 was the company’s first luxury saloon and its first car with a V8 engine. It was seen as a direct challenge to the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class built on the C3-generation 200 platform. It was the car that proved Audi could compete at the very top of the market.

The Car

Produced from 1988 to 1994, the V8 used a 3.6-litre (later 4.2-litre) all-aluminium V8 driving all four wheels through the quattro system. The 3.6 produced 250bhp; the 4.2 raised this to 280bhp. A four-speed automatic was standard, though a rare six-speed manual was offered briefly. The quattro system used a Torsen centre differential. Frank Biela won the 1991 DTM championship in a V8-based touring car, demonstrating the platform’s competition potential.

Buying

The V8 is rare in the UK and seriously undervalued. The 4.2-litre engine is the one to seek out. The aluminium V8 is robust but expensive to work on. Automatic gearbox maintenance is critical; the ZF unit needs regular fluid changes. Electrical systems are complex by late-1980s standards and can develop faults. The V8 preceded the A8 in Audi’s luxury car lineage and connects to the Quattro through its shared philosophy of performance through quattro all-wheel drive.