Seven Days of Dream Car Garages: Day Six by Craig Cole
2013 Audi S8
What starts with an “A” and rhymes with “howdy”? Audi of course. The German luxury automaker is a precious Bavarian jewel deserving a place of reverence in my dream garage.
The company is an industry benchmark for design and interior quality. Arguably no product in its lineup delivers on these promises of good taste better than the flagship A8. But who wants to rough it with the standard car’s supercharged V6 or optional twin-turbo eight? The S-version cranks up the wick, hauling freight and hitting like a silken sledgehammer.
The car’s 4.0-liter V8 features the same forced-induction arrangement as the regular A8’s up-level powerplant, but in “S” guise it delivers a 520 horsepower tsunami that washes away any doubts big cars can’t hustle. Audi’s world-renowned quattro all-wheel drive system and adaptive air suspension sink the S8’s claws into the road surface for a thrilling yet luxurious drive.
Throw in Autobahn-approved brakes, a responsive eight-speed transmission and the most luxurious cabin this side of the Palace of Versailles and you’ve got a recipe for all-out awesomeness.
