2004 Volkswagen Passat W8 Estate

Highlights

• Lovely example of ultra-rare performance estate
• Japanese import RHD
• Over £9,500 spent in maintenance by vendor since 2021
• UK service history back to 2018 when car arrived here
• Lovely condition throughout

Overview

If you can’t quite run to a W16-engined Bugatti – and despite ransacking every piggy bank we could find, we’re still a good seven figures short – then how about half of one?

Okay, so it’s not quite as dramatic to look at, but this week’s curiosity was a conversation starter at PH HQ, as there appear to be quite a few supercars that use engines derived from more humdrum models. The McLaren F1, for example, has a V12 made up of two BMW inline sixes, the Aston Martin V12 is essentially a pair of Ford V6s spliced together and the W16? Well, it’s a Passat engine, isn’t it?

You mean you didn’t know? Well, now you do. Introduced in 2002, the Volkswagen Passat W8 was, in many ways, the answer to a question that nobody ever asked – a 4.0-litre all-wheel-drive saloon or estate, from an era where a Ferdinand Piech-led Volkswagen was pushing whatever boundary it could come up against to show the rest of the automotive world that there were no barriers at all where engineering and technological development were concerned.

It harks from the days of big budgets and big profits in the car industry, which car makers can only dream of today, and which led to some marvellous, offbeat and often oddball cars coming onto the market.

“Can you turn the fleet managers’ favourite into a snarling, wuffling super saloon with a weird engine configuration that hasn’t been tried before?”

“Of course, sir, we can do that.”

And so they did - and now’s your chance to try what has to be one of the most fascinating, unusual and intriguing cars ever made, and one that sold in tiny numbers not because it wasn’t any good – it was – but because thanks to its 4MOTION four-wheel-drive, 271bhp and sumptuous standard specification, it was simply priced way out of reach of most buyers and was too obscure for more than a few hardcore enthusiasts to get their heads around.

As a result, fewer than 250 right-hand-drive Passat W8s were ever made, making it something of an anomaly today – albeit a fascinating curiosity; its 3,999cc engine made up of four banks of two cylinders, delivering a peculiar yet charismatic engine note, deeper, smoother and more warbly than a common-or-garden V8.

This one is a cracker – a Japanese import (as many RHD W8s are, by virtue of the Japanese being generally more open to wacky ideas than boring Brits) presented in the best colour of Spirit Blue and served up in the PHers’ favourite flavour – a fast wagon. Who doesn’t love a fruity estate?

History and documentation

• UK V5C in the name of the vendor
• Imported from Japan in 2018 – two UK owners
• MOT to November 2025
• Excellent MOT history back to original import
• Two keys - one genuine, one replacement
• Old MOT certificates
• Printed record of all maintenance in current ownership totalling over £9,500
• Oil changes every 6,000 miles with current owner
• Receipts documenting recent driveshaft replacement and coilover fitting

Interior

• Tan leather upholstery in lovely condition
• Heated front seats
• Very minor wear and tear but nothing of any great importance
• Climate control
• Cruise control
• Aftermarket head unit (original included)
• ​​180mh speedo cluster with radio station readout on cluster
• Multi-position headlight switch to disable/enable four high beams
• LED cockpit lighting projected from roof light area
• Subtle aluminium trim on door panels and through centre dash
• Spotless load bay and original tools

Exterior

• Lovely Spirit Blue Pearl paint
• Excellent overall condition
• There are a number of slight imperfections to note: a tiny bit of lacquer peel beneath one headlamp, a 10mm scrape on one door, 6 small stone chips and two scratches 5-10mm long on the bonnet, a 10x2mm scuff on the lower front bumper offside, a 15mm scratch on the rear nearside lower door
• Several light scuffs on rear bumper and bumper protector
• Newly developed 5x5mm paint blister on rear of boot
• Unique W8 alloys in very good order
• Michelin Crossclimate tyres with reasonably good tread
• Underside appears excellent with no evidence of structural corrosion
• JDM style number plate plinths
• Discreet, stealthy and subtle overall appearance and in great condition throughout

Mechanical

• 4.0-litre W8 rated at 275PS/271bhp
• Automatic transmission
• 4MOTION all-wheel-drive
• Suspension uprated with Bilstein coilovers - no massive impact on ride but handling is said to be much improved
• 344mm disc brakes
• Said by the vendor to drive without fault
• No reported mechanical issues

Summary

W8s don’t come up for sale very often, but that’s hardly surprising – there aren’t many left from a production run that was fairly limited to begin with. This one, though, is an absolute cracker – it’s in great condition, has stacks of recent history, comes with a fresh MOT and has been fastidiously maintained by its owner.

You’ll love it, but you’ll also probably wear out your bonnet release cable because everywhere you go, other petrolheads will be asking you to pop the bonnet so that they can just stand and point. That’s cool. We’d do the same.

You won’t get the chance to own one of these very often - half a Bugatti for less than half the price. Much less!

To arrange a viewing, please request this in the Q&A section. You can click through to the seller's profile and use the 'Email Me' function to arrange a viewing privately. This seller is located in Inverness-shire.

The seller acknowledges his location and is happy to offer delivery for the cost of fuel if the location is a barrier as he regularly travels across the UK.