Audi A8 L W12 | Spotted
Bentley may have been the W12's biggest proponent, but it all started with the A8...
The W engine looks to have well and truly bitten the dust. Bugatti’s Chiron successor, the Tourbillon, has ditched the quad-turbocharged, double-vee format for a (perhaps even loopier) naturally aspirated V16 with a hybrid bolted to it. Meanwhile, Bentley, where the W12 has been a staple of its flagships for over two decades, has now decided that a more conventional twin-turbo V8 hybrid is a suitable substitute (read Nic C’s review of the new Continental GT Speed to see if that’s really the case). Even Volkswagen got in on the W action, with an eight-cylinder Passat and 12-cylinder versions the Phaeton and Touareg.
Now, you don’t need to know the ins and outs of the motor trade to figure out why the W engine’s been shelved. We live in a time where big, thirsty engines make very little sense to a Goliath like the VW Group, especially when serial W12 user Bentley has its long-term sights on a lineup that doesn’t emit any carbon dioxide. Nevertheless, the W engine, especially in 12-cylinder form, will be sorely missed. Few engines could match its versatility, mixing supreme levels of refinement with immense, effortless pace.
Fortunately, membership to the W12 doesn’t cost a fortune these days. Well, not initially anyway. Early Continental GTs can be had for absolute peanuts, of course, though this Mulliner-spec example for £21,995 looks to be a good place to start, while upping the budget gets you this Continental Super Sport and a nice, round 700hp of grunt at your disposal. A Flying Spur such as this one at £50k brings a bit more practicality, but if you prefer your W12 wrapped in something a little less regal, then you may want to consider the Audi A8 L you see here.
That’s right, even Audi dabbled with the W engine. In fact, it was the first company under the VW Group umbrella to offer a W12 in a production car, which allowed the flagship D2 A8 to go toe-to-toe with V12 versions of the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class. The initial version was naturally aspirated, but its turbocharged successors brought considerable hikes in power, torque and waftiness, with the last revision arriving for the 2010 model year. For its final outing, Audi bored the motor out to 6.3-litres, giving chauffeurs 500hp and 461lb-ft of torque to play with on runs to the airport.
A Swiss watch-like engine paired with the D4 A8’s uber premiumness seemed like a match made in heaven, and reviewers were quick to praise the A8 L's huge pace and cosseting ride quality. But buyers weren’t convinced, with HowManyLeft putting peak registrations at around 42 here in the UK. It didn’t do much better abroad, either, though Audi allegedly claimed at the time that it never expected the W12 A8 to fare well in Europe, instead pinning its hopes on the long-wheelbase hungry markets in Asia. In that regard, it’s a good thing Audi bothered offering it here in the first place, and it’s fair to say they’re a heck of a lot cheaper now than they were a decade ago.
Which brings us back to the car we have here: a 2013 example with 19,000 miles on the clock, a full Audi main dealer service history and just one previous owner from new. The price being asked is £26,985 - a good £68k cheaper than it would have been ten years ago (and that’s before you take into account the many options that were likely ticked). Alternatively, there’s this D3 with identical miles available at a £10k discount. Yes, early Flying Spurs are cheaper still, but going for the lowest of the low can be a dangerous game to play on any used car, let alone a W12-engined luxury limo. This one ticks the servicing boxes and looks to be in good nick, but it wouldn’t hurt putting a chunk aside for the full £735 VED and some (probably quite substantial) fuel bills.
SPECIFICATION | AUDI A8 L W12 QUATTRO
Engine: 6,299cc W12, twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 500@6,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 461@4,750rpm
MPG: 24
CO2: 277
Year registered: 2013
Recorded mileage: 19,000
Price new: £95,140
Yours for: £26,985
I assume this is a safer buy than the Passat W8, considering 100k+ Bentleys built and other VAGs with this unit.
Nice sleeper but black Audi saloon isn’t my vibe at all, and I genuinely wonder how much different the running costs of a flying spur or conti - especially at £26k, would actually be.
Shame they never made this in SWB (or at least for the uk market) like the D3.
actual advert link
I assume this is a safer buy than the Passat W8, considering 100k+ Bentleys built and other VAGs with this unit.
Fantastic car to waft up to Scotland where I had a job running but I felt if they had put twin turbos in like the Bentley it would have widened it's appeal.
Very much a case of 'cheap' to buy but the bork factor could make a grown man cry
I can sort of see the point but they arent going remove VED by putting a couple of pence on Fuel, they already have two forms of tax on that, they will put those up by a couple of pence (or more) as well and put VED up. And fuel will become electricity over time so its a losing battle anyway.
I think that cars like this would simply be more expensive if there wasnt quite such a penalty for having them around on the off chance you fancy a bit of luxury, does seem unfair, only option is to SORN them for a while but then that negates the point of having it.
To be honest, may as well just pay a bit less and have the full experience and get a Bentley Continental Flying Spur (for less money) which has the same drivetrain but comes with some extra grunt, though I quite like the low key nature of the Audi.
But, putting 27 grand into an 11 year old big Audi that nobody really wants is a folly, if you plan to keep it and not worry about the money then thats fine but dont think you can run it for a couple of years and then move it on as you struggle to get rid for half that, or less. Other 2011 A8's tend to be in the 5 to 7 grand space, and not sure what they are like to move on, judging by the price history on AT, not easy !
I'd love a go in a W12 Audi and I could easily see one fitting into our family life but the thought of a bill even a fraction of that value would torpedo the whole plan
As an aside, I saw this on Mobile.de. Can this be correct? 20 year old W12 Touregs going for €50 grand?
https://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/search.html?cn=...
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17224377
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