When you think about it, the 2000s was an insane time for engines. It was the decade of the V10s, with automakers from BMW to Volkswagen to Lamborghini turning the cylinder count up to ten on everything from sports sedans to an SUV to supercars. It was a triumphant time for multi-cylinder glory, but only one flagship sedan came to America with a V10 under the hood. The 2007 to 2009 Audi S8 is a rarity, a true if-you-know-you-know car.
Yes, for a few years in the late 2000s, Audi dropped a naturally aspirated V10 into the engine bay of its A8 flagship to create the S8, the boisterous middle child between the comparatively common A8 4.2 and the exclusive A8 L W12. A further development of that engine family went on to power later Lamborghini Gallardos, fuelling the myth around this unique highway bruiser.
Of course, nothing depreciates like a full-sized German luxury sedan, so even though this understated four-door features a Lamborghini-adjacent engine and came with a price when new of more than $94,000, you can now pick a nice one up for the price of a new economy car.
What Are We Looking At?
If anything symbolizes the excess of the 2000s, it’s cramming a V10 into a Mercedes-Benz S-Class competitor that already offered a 12-cylinder option. Look, credit where credit’s due, the Ronin-era Audi S8 was a giant step forward for aluminum construction in passenger cars. However, the V10-powered S8 that came after it was from a different planet. Let’s start with the engine. The 5.2-liter direct-injected V10 under the hood of this Q-ship is often described as a Lamborghini engine, but that’s not quite right. While it does come from the same family as the engine in later Gallardos, it features a split-pin crank, a wet sump oiling system, cast aluminum pistons, and a different valvetrain that all added up to a lower redline and less power. Granted, 450 naturally aspirated horsepower at 7,000 rpm isn’t exactly small potatoes, and all this shove comes backed by a truly unique soundtrack that’s far more velvety than a V8 yet with a more pointed anger than a V12.
Sound is great, but what about speed? Well, the S8 wasn’t the fastest executive sedan on the planet, but it was certainly brisk enough to not bore. In 2009, Car And Driver clocked zero-to-60 mph in 5.1 seconds and a 13.5-second quarter-mile time out of its long-term test car. That’s not quite Porsche Panamera 4S quick, but that’s also not bad.
On the inside, the S8 felt like the future compared to the Bangle-butt BMW 7 Series of the time. From the retracting infotainment screen to an optional Bang & Olufsen sound system with motorized tweeters, the cabin’s a precise choreography of aluminum and leather that looks fresher than you’d expect for a platform launched in the early 2000s. Floating infotainment screens, ramped consoles, and sueded inserts are popular in cars today, but the second-generation Audi S8 had all of that ages ago.
How Much Are We Talking?
So, how much does a Lamborghini-ish engine in a big sedan cost? Not a lot, as it turns out. For context, a base model 2025 Hyundai Elantra stickers for $23,220, but you won’t have to pay that much to get your hands on a V10-powered Audi S8. Take this Daytona Gray 2007 model that hammered on Cars & Bids for $14,500. With just 83,400 miles on the clock, a squeaky clean Carfax, and a ton of documented maintenance including new valve cover gaskets, a transmission service, and new brake pads suggests that this flagship’s been well looked after. Even the wheels are genuine Audi items, just from another model.
Looking for something with even less mileage on the clock? This Phantom Black 2007 S8 recently hammered on Bring A Trailer for $20,050 and it had just 69,000 miles on the clock. Nice. Not only is it rocking the gorgeous split-seven-spoke 20-inch alloy wheels, it’s got the Bang & Olufsen sound system, the Alcantara headliner and parcel shelf, a clean Carfax, and service records for maintenance items such as discs and pads. Not bad.
Oh, and if you’re not looking to pay top-dollar for an auction car, a flip through the used car classifieds can turn up examples cheaper than either of these two. Take this white 2007 model, for example. It’s up for sale in Florida with 81,004 miles on the clock for a mere $13,725. Alright, so it might not have the Bang & Olufsen audio system, but it has a clean Auto Check and you never see these things painted white.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong With A V10 Audi S8?
While the V10 in the Audi S8 has proven reasonably robust from a mechanical standpoint, the flaps inside the intake manifold have a fairly high failure rate and don’t have a viable aftermarket solution aside from deleting them. Beyond that, carbon buildup due to direct injection not washing the backs of the intake valves is a real issue, but it can be solved with carbon cleaning. The biggest thing to remember is that a budget V10 performance car is an oxymoron because even though parts like coil-on-plugs aren’t abnormally priced, you’ll have to replace ten of the things at once. Add in limited access for things like oil leaks, and you could be on the hook for some big mechanical repair bills, but not on the same level as some other high-performance German luxury cars.
In fact, a more likely scenario is that little body and suspension issues will be the big expenses, seeing as this is still a complex range-topping German luxury car. It rides on air suspension, has soft-close doors and a power trunk lid, is packed with cabin electronics, and you could even get it with solar panels in the sunroof that can provide juice to gently ventilate the cabin on sunny days.
Should You Buy A V10 Audi S8 For The Price Of A New Elantra?
Unless you’re a masochist with deep pockets, you probably shouldn’t buy a V10-powered Audi S8 for the price of a new Hyundai Elantra. These cars have the potential to be as ruinous as they are fabulous, and while they are enjoyable highway heroes, I’d have an extremely hard time recommending one. Still, if you see one in the wild, tip your hat to the driver. It takes a hero to keep a V10-powered luxobarge on the road, especially one that’s more than 15 years old.
(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer, Cars & Bids, Autotrader seller)
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I bought a D3 A8 (2007) about a year ago for $5K and its been pretty awesome while it worked. I got lucky with the provenance though, the previous owner kept great records and I was able to use that to replace parts as they failed. One of the air struts failed and a reman unit was about $1K installed.
There are gremlins, however. The check engine is always on (a minor vacuum leak), and there was a period of time when it would refuse to start after warming up. The fix for that ended up being replacing a few relays which were not expensive but were hard to reach.
Ultimately, I would recommend ponying up for VCDS, the diagnostic software to self-diagnose issues as they arise. And having a local former Porsche mechanic doesn’t hurt either 😀
A close friend in Eastern Europe used to have that one. Side tangent – the movie “Ronin” single-handedly created the S8’s market in Eastern Europe. It was a cult thing.
Tales from his ownership:
“…So I fill-up at the gas station on the highway, merge in, and see a pack of Japanese supersports behind me. One thing leads to another and before you know it we’re all screaming on the highway at 230km/h and up. Then a series of very wide uphill curves comes, which at that speed look like very tight curves.
Little by little, most bikes got off the throttle a little, and we’re left alone at the front with the leader, some guy on a Ninja ZX10. We are toying with each other, all polite, pass me, pass you, back and forth. Eventually, the curves end, and there’s that long downhill stretch.
The second we reach the stretch we’re at 250km/h – minimum. The guy with the Ninja waves, pops a wheelie (at that speed) and starts to build some distance between us. And that’s when I left off the throttle.
This went on about 30’ish km, total. Once I let the guy go ahead, I glanced at my tank gauge – it was 3/4 full. I had gone through a quarter of a tank in 30km.
And both me and the rest of the pack met at the next gas station. Had a chat and everything.
So yeah, as I was saying, we all drive A8 Diesels now…and no ceramic brakes“
Damn my Mazda3 turbo has a 0-60 of 5.6 apparently which is spitting distance of this V10. Impressive what can be done with time and technology
The difference is mostly in the 60-120 range, then in the 120-whatever the top speed is. This is where reality will kick in.
The Mazdaspeed 3 was the contemporary to the S10, and had about the same specs (I think it had a higher top speed too) as your Mazda3 Turbo.
Where technology evolved is how classy, beautiful and comfortable your Mazda3 Turbo remains while providing such performance, as opposed to any pocket rocket of the previous times.
Oh that wouldn’t surprise me one bit in the upper ranges. I read somewhere the top for my 3 is 136 or something like that but I haven’t been over 90-95. I can say it pulls pretty hard from 70-90 though.
Comfort and livability definitely is leaps and bounds higher than those older 3 which I had as well. They were fun in their own right but in a totally different way.
Sadly v12 isn’t there to cost huge piles of cash. You’ll have to accept only a v10 will drive you bankrupt.
If you’re willing to accept a W12, you can turn to a Phaeton to get the higher cylinder count without the Audi price premium.
These seem like a bargain, but the conductor of that flapper valve intake disrupts the entire torque orchestra when the valves lose their connection to intake firma. One drive in an example with unhinged intake flapper valves and you’ll be dreaming of an LS swap or anything that can make predictable power instead of the lumpy and confusing engine output that directs the transmission to raise your level of disappointment and dismay as you hope and pray for predictable acceleration.
“torque orchestra”….my new favorite
Torquestra???
A Camry V6 is the closest you can get to a Lotus Emira for Camry V6 money.
Mercedes was the buyer, wasn’t she?
Back when VW group still did quality interiors. The generation immediately after was the last to feature fully physical knobs and buttons, none of the haptic plasticity nonsense paired with touchscreens smeared with cheap glossy black plastic you see today.
These can actually be quite reliable and even if you do pop an air strut/compressor/whatever, reman units aren’t that pricey. I personally don’t see a ton of body or electronics faults on these on the Audi forums and FB groups. There are many enthusiast owned, well cared for examples available for “cheap” if you know where to look. I’ve seen ones with dealer records posted for as low as $10k.
It’s an AWD NA V10 luxobarge, but it’s old, so if you know how to turn a wrench and are ok with fixing the occasional oddball issue, then yeah, you absolutely should buy one after doing your research and enjoy a certified q ship weirdo. Or just make a joke about German engineering and drive a Camry. I’m not your supervisor.
I’m more a fan of the D4 S8 with the TT V8 and currently have auto trader alerts set up for them in case I get frisky and sell my S5. I really want a D4 S8.
I have a D4. It’s fantastic. But I do my own repairs. $2200 for a front strut. $900 for a motor mount. $4000 for a front radar camera. These are just part prices. There are some aftermarket alternatives.
Yeah OEM stuff from dealers can be absurd. Our Q7 recently had an air ride issue and I looked into struts. Dealer was about $1600 new but a reman OEM was $500. It ended up being a bad valve block which was $300 OEM but aftermarket can be had for about $180. For some of these, like motor mounts, you’re probably better off going with an aftermarket unit anyway.
Plus, even if the radar goes out, that ain’t gonna stop you from enjoying that V8/V10. Just let it be and maybe one day you pick up a used one for a few hundred bucks. Night vision cams are $5k new which is more than what the entire system costs as an option but you can find them on eBay for $600.
I almost traded in my RS6 for one of these, but oddly, the dealer talked me out of it by noting it was too heavy in front to be any fun to drive anywhere except the expressway. Nice B&O stereo though.
This is my favorite body style of the A/S8 model and I see these V10 one’s for sale now and then. As I drive between Oregon and Arizona on a regular basis it’s be a total ball. Very tempting but then my bank account yells at me in return, as I’d be paying Elantra money every couple years to keep it going.
If there were some eensy-weensy, tiny, infinitesimal, quark-sized possibility that everything on the car would work as originally planned for one entire year, then I might think about getting one of these for $25K. Given the reality in which we live, it’s a big “hell no!”
A buddy of mine had one a few years back for just over a year without any mechanical issue. It was then totaled from a collision with a deer, so who knows how much further he would have made it.
There’s someone a few streets over with an old Maserati Quattroporte.
Perhaps this is the flex needed to play the game on who’s got the higher cost for basic maintenance items – like timing belts, or brakes.
The original pre Citroen Maserati Quattroporte is actually a pretty robust car. Especially compared to a Ferrari. Unfortunately they went through a period of being worth more as parts and Maserati being a nearly dead company. The later Maserati Quattroportes sort of go from one bad idea to another.
I test drove one of these about 10 years ago. It was nice but kind of underwhelming. I think that’s when I ended up with a C6 vette instead.
That’s an interesting cross-shop.
I forget the full list of cars I was considering at the time, but I remember looking at an Isuzu VehiCROSS and a Saab 9-4x as well.
LOL
Did you not have the time to also look at golf carts and 6×6 Tatra trucks?
I have always wanted one of these, but not enough to risk the pain and suffering I know comes with owning a used one.
I was just here to make sure Ronin was mentioned. And of course it was.
$25k-ish is a pretty nice down payment on a life of pain and expense. Probably easier just to get a trophy wife. Who will, no doubt, demand an Audi S8.
I realise a 04ish perhaps too old but the 4.2l v8 is choice
This car is still quite attractive and has presence, both inside and out. You can’t get anything like it today and it is quite practical. Buy it, get a good used car warranty, drive it for 20,000 miles and maintain it well and you will have an amazing experience and get most of your money back. It it all goes tits up, sell the hulk for $3k and you have swallowed a bitter pill but it is not “ruinous”. And hey, life is about risk and good stories, amirite?
The problem with risk is that too much of it leads to bad stories.
But bad stories lead to life lessons, character development, and cool scars.
Chicks dig scars.
I’ve never thought about getting a used car warranty for a machine like this. That could make owning a used German car of this nature worth it.
I’m sure someone would be willing to underwrite a used warranty on something like this, but it’s probably cheaper just to buy a second one.
I think most used car warranties max out at 10 years/100k mi and most banks won’t even finance a car more than 10 years old as far as I’ve been told. If you want something like this the best thing you can do is buy VCDS, a set of triple-squares and sign up for Audizine.
Problem is finding the “good used car warranty”. Usually the advise is to get a manufacturer backed, but VW/Audi isn’t selling you a warranty for a 2007 S8. I don’t know if anyone will.
Sir, Would do you have a minute to talk about your used car warranty?
Yes, “those guys” probably will.
Hell, I got mail the other day from the Toyota dealer inviting me to call in about warranty coverage for my 2013. I almost called in just to see if they really are selling a warranty for a car with 165k miles on it.