2005 Audi W12 sport quattro
Discussion
I wondered where to post this 'big O' birthday report, but as it's now over 20yrs old, rare and originally pricey, I thought it might qualify here.
In 2007 I was captivated by a chromed cutaway of VW's amazing lightweight compact twelve cylinder engine on a shiny pole at the Dresden Glass Factory. Eventually in 2014 I found an affordable one in a rare Audi A8 sport quattro. Only about 1400 of this 'poor man's Bentley' were made in 2004/5 and fewer than 70 RHD versions came to GB. At 8yrs old and only 49,000 miles it was perfect for my retirement indulgence 'forever car' and it has still done under 80,000 miles. Allegedly one of Ferdinand Piech's favourites, it was nimbler than the weighty Phaeton he commissioned to surpass the Mercedes S class and not to be confused with the softer longer higher geared W12 A8L luxobarges made till 2018. Here's an A8 compared to a Jaguar XJ by a bright young u-tuber, who extols the Jag's 350hp V8 but seems unaware of the A8's 444hp quattro W12 option.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ4dwajD0Mc
Powertrain - same as the heavy Flying Spur minus the spurring turbos it needs for the extra half ton. The unstressed engine (less than 80bhp per litre) is renowned for reliability, as is the ubiquitous ZF HP6 gearbox. The Torsen quattro drive, essential to get all the power effectively onto the road, is also unproblematic. I just change the oil every 10,000 miles.
Electrics - no problems, as long as the battery is kept charged. The lights are still brilliant (its LED DRLs were a first) and all the umpteen electric motors still work, although the one for the boot lid is weak. Because of infrequent use it's hooked up to a charger on a timer, 4hrs every Mon, Wed and Fri.
Body - unlike some competitors made from pieces held together with non-aluminium rivets and a jugful of glue, the Audi spaceframe is wondrous to behold. With a Cd sleeker than a DB9, even the subframes are aluminium so no corrosion anywhere (20yr old XJ owners beware!) apart from a small spring on the sunroof baffle. But the bonnet gas struts are dying; a gust of wind will close it. The top quality paintwork and all the rubbery bits are still immaculate; no panel edge blistering so far.
'Sport' Air Suspension - a few years ago a front strut's top O ring developed a slow leak eventually wearing out the air compressor. This was costly to fix (read about it here) .....
https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?...
.....and I continue to live with the leaky strut with my Heath Robinson repair, remembering to leave it in 'jack mode' with a bespoke wooden block under the jacking point. Sometimes it drops onto it after a day or two and - curiously - sometimes it doesn't!
Brakes - another pricey problem when renewing the original rear pads. (I easily did the front pads two years ago for a mere £35). The o/s EPB caliper had partially seized and wouldn't go back - £500 for my indy to sort it. All discs are original, still have plenty of wear and just require occasional de-rusting.
Interior - the leather, alcantara, carpets and glossy wood trim are still in good condition. But the windscreen is not as clear as the good old Triplex in my TR7, same mileage but twice as old. Amazingly the 20yr old wipers still pass the (never failed) MoT, presumably because the car has spent most of its life in a dark garage. The front seats are top of the range 'comfort' seats, heated but no massaging or cooling options. Rear passengers also have heated seats and their own climate controls but sadly no drinks fridge. Nor TV screens.
The AC needed a re-gas last year and one of the sunroof drains was difficult to unblock; a long length of bicycle brake cable eventually did the trick. A few years ago the screen and headlamp washers slowed to a trickle. The non-smear but somewhat organic rain water from our water butt had grown slime over the filters of the two pumps, easily sorted via the front wheel arch. But everything else still works and it is still a good place to be, especially on an A road. Snick into 'Sport' to overtake and the silent wafting Dr Jekyll instantly changes to howling Mr Hyde. Flaps in two of the four tail pipes open to release a crescendo growl of full power as all the wheels claw the tarmac with a hundred horses each; no danger of 'fishtailing' as per RWD supercar blunders. If anyone remembers driving an early 200hp Jaguar XJ6 4.2, it's a bit like having an extra 200hp for the front wheels.
So far, so good. It cost £12,000 (plus £399 to the DVLA for its W12 AYE moniker) and it's almost stopped depreciating so I think I've had my moneysworth. The cheaper pre-March '06 VED is a bonus. Buying a big old complex car is a gamble but having spent only around £1000 on maintenance and repairs in over 11yrs (no garage 'services' while with me) it has lived up to Audi's reputation for reliability and durability. Brim to brim fuel consumption measured over the last several thousand miles is 20.7mpg - not an issue recently as only 2000 miles a year. A future pricey problem would be failure of sensors or plastic coolant pipes behind the engine as there is no room to get at them without removing it, although I've read smart mechanics can get access by loosening the mounts and shuffling it forwards...?? I've already repaired one which sprang a tiny leak at a joint fortunately not far from the expansion tank which still contains most of the original pink coolant. Fingers crossed for another 11yrs - for both of us.
In 2007 I was captivated by a chromed cutaway of VW's amazing lightweight compact twelve cylinder engine on a shiny pole at the Dresden Glass Factory. Eventually in 2014 I found an affordable one in a rare Audi A8 sport quattro. Only about 1400 of this 'poor man's Bentley' were made in 2004/5 and fewer than 70 RHD versions came to GB. At 8yrs old and only 49,000 miles it was perfect for my retirement indulgence 'forever car' and it has still done under 80,000 miles. Allegedly one of Ferdinand Piech's favourites, it was nimbler than the weighty Phaeton he commissioned to surpass the Mercedes S class and not to be confused with the softer longer higher geared W12 A8L luxobarges made till 2018. Here's an A8 compared to a Jaguar XJ by a bright young u-tuber, who extols the Jag's 350hp V8 but seems unaware of the A8's 444hp quattro W12 option.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ4dwajD0Mc
Powertrain - same as the heavy Flying Spur minus the spurring turbos it needs for the extra half ton. The unstressed engine (less than 80bhp per litre) is renowned for reliability, as is the ubiquitous ZF HP6 gearbox. The Torsen quattro drive, essential to get all the power effectively onto the road, is also unproblematic. I just change the oil every 10,000 miles.
Electrics - no problems, as long as the battery is kept charged. The lights are still brilliant (its LED DRLs were a first) and all the umpteen electric motors still work, although the one for the boot lid is weak. Because of infrequent use it's hooked up to a charger on a timer, 4hrs every Mon, Wed and Fri.
Body - unlike some competitors made from pieces held together with non-aluminium rivets and a jugful of glue, the Audi spaceframe is wondrous to behold. With a Cd sleeker than a DB9, even the subframes are aluminium so no corrosion anywhere (20yr old XJ owners beware!) apart from a small spring on the sunroof baffle. But the bonnet gas struts are dying; a gust of wind will close it. The top quality paintwork and all the rubbery bits are still immaculate; no panel edge blistering so far.
'Sport' Air Suspension - a few years ago a front strut's top O ring developed a slow leak eventually wearing out the air compressor. This was costly to fix (read about it here) .....
https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?...
.....and I continue to live with the leaky strut with my Heath Robinson repair, remembering to leave it in 'jack mode' with a bespoke wooden block under the jacking point. Sometimes it drops onto it after a day or two and - curiously - sometimes it doesn't!
Brakes - another pricey problem when renewing the original rear pads. (I easily did the front pads two years ago for a mere £35). The o/s EPB caliper had partially seized and wouldn't go back - £500 for my indy to sort it. All discs are original, still have plenty of wear and just require occasional de-rusting.
Interior - the leather, alcantara, carpets and glossy wood trim are still in good condition. But the windscreen is not as clear as the good old Triplex in my TR7, same mileage but twice as old. Amazingly the 20yr old wipers still pass the (never failed) MoT, presumably because the car has spent most of its life in a dark garage. The front seats are top of the range 'comfort' seats, heated but no massaging or cooling options. Rear passengers also have heated seats and their own climate controls but sadly no drinks fridge. Nor TV screens.
The AC needed a re-gas last year and one of the sunroof drains was difficult to unblock; a long length of bicycle brake cable eventually did the trick. A few years ago the screen and headlamp washers slowed to a trickle. The non-smear but somewhat organic rain water from our water butt had grown slime over the filters of the two pumps, easily sorted via the front wheel arch. But everything else still works and it is still a good place to be, especially on an A road. Snick into 'Sport' to overtake and the silent wafting Dr Jekyll instantly changes to howling Mr Hyde. Flaps in two of the four tail pipes open to release a crescendo growl of full power as all the wheels claw the tarmac with a hundred horses each; no danger of 'fishtailing' as per RWD supercar blunders. If anyone remembers driving an early 200hp Jaguar XJ6 4.2, it's a bit like having an extra 200hp for the front wheels.
So far, so good. It cost £12,000 (plus £399 to the DVLA for its W12 AYE moniker) and it's almost stopped depreciating so I think I've had my moneysworth. The cheaper pre-March '06 VED is a bonus. Buying a big old complex car is a gamble but having spent only around £1000 on maintenance and repairs in over 11yrs (no garage 'services' while with me) it has lived up to Audi's reputation for reliability and durability. Brim to brim fuel consumption measured over the last several thousand miles is 20.7mpg - not an issue recently as only 2000 miles a year. A future pricey problem would be failure of sensors or plastic coolant pipes behind the engine as there is no room to get at them without removing it, although I've read smart mechanics can get access by loosening the mounts and shuffling it forwards...?? I've already repaired one which sprang a tiny leak at a joint fortunately not far from the expansion tank which still contains most of the original pink coolant. Fingers crossed for another 11yrs - for both of us.
J4CKO said:
Didnt know these existed, very cool, any more photos ?
Amazing how little its cost to run.
Well, it doesn't run very far these days so no reason for things to go wrong. Mrs L's runabout (Mk1 Pug 2008) does the short journeys. Here's another photo - nothing to distinguish it from any other A8 really - could be mistaken for a Passat, which is why I like its quintessential Q car-ness. Amazing how little its cost to run.
I doubt if anyone can notice the 45 instead of 40 profile tyres.....which were around half the price of the advisory 40 profile.... increasing the total wheel diameter (and the gearing) by an imperceptible 3.7% - possibly also conferring a bit of additional protection against pothole damage!
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