The Audi S8 quattro is a high-performance version of the German luxury automaker Audi's flagship car, the full-size Audi A8. The S8 is produced at Audi's Neckarsulm 'aluminium plant', and it was introduced in September 1994. Like the A8, the S8 is only available as a four-door saloon/sedan, and both generations have been constructed from an all-aluminium monocoque, dubbed the "Audi Space Frame" (ASF), the S8 using the standard wheelbase platform, and is not available in the long-wheelbase of the A8L.
The S8, like all Audi "S" models, is fitted as standard with Audi's trademark quattro four-wheel drive (4WD), with the S8 using the Torsen-based permanent 4WD system.
In September 1994, according to the official electronic parts catalogue for the Volkswagen Group, Audi introduced the Audi S8 4.2 quattro (Typ 4D) into the European market with a six-speed manual transmission, and a year later with tiptronic five-speed automatic transmission - a high-performance version of the Audi A8 in the vein of Mercedes-Benz AMG models, sharing the A8's all-aluminium monocoque "Audi Space Frame" (ASF), and Volkswagen Group D2 platform.
At the same time of the A8's facelift in late 1999, the S8 received the same cosmetic upgrades. This was the first model to be introduced to the North American market.
Production of this original S8 ended in September 2002, shortly before the introduction of the current D3-platform A8.
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