Driving the 2001 Audi S8 - Redlining The D2 Quattro V8 Limo (POV Binaural Audio)

Driving the D2 Audi S8!
4.2L V8
360 Horsepower
317 lb-ft Torque
All Wheel Drive
Curb Weight 4,068 lbs
Aluminum Space Frame Construction
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#RespectTheDrive #Audi #S8

[@7477238]

I remember wanting one when the movie Ronin came out.

[@TedwardDrives]

I loved it! But I also really loved the e34 in Ronin

[@I.LikeCars]

That movie is how I learned about this car

[@Gr8thxAlot]

Same. After seeing this in person after the movie, it was amazing. It's 2024 and I can now afford a used one! ($10k - $15k)

[@andrewb325]

That movie will always define this car for me.

[@aehmerchant]

Same, loved this car ever since seeing it in Ronin

[@raulnemes229]

this d2 S8, the XJ and the E38 are effortlessly cool, sleek and mature in their design language. man the late 90s and early 00s are unmatched, without a doubt the best era for the automotive industry

[@resadrecebli2263]

Honorable mention: W140

[@omostim2385]

@@resadrecebli2263also honorable mention W126

[@gerniyy5579]

E38 hands down.

[@morphyon]

The thing I hate about the W140 is the reasoning of Daimler Benz behind it: BMW secretly sized the E32 up to match the W126/W140 with full sized test mules only very late in the development stage. Comes release date, absolute carnage and panic in Stuttgart: They scrapped the project plan immediately to up the E32 just for the sake of it. So W140 came late and super-sized.

[@morphyon]

@@gerniyy5579 There exists a M5 V8 swapped E38 with a 6 speed manual…. that would be the one to have. If you want S8 vibes.

[@miluss102]

So now what's left is LS400, E38 and W140. Please test them all if you can! And thank you for recording sound of these beauties in so high quality. Much appreciated😎

[@x-xx]

a good quality ls400 pov would be nice, ls430 / 60 too they are really great cars

[@Mikrrii]

W140

[@michaelgongwer7652]

Unreal - I grew up there and my Dad only bought 90's Audis. My brother and I use to drive around town in '94 A6's. This is pure nostalgia

[@dustyrhodes2717]

‘95 was first year in the US for the A6. It was the 100 before that.

[@michaelgongwer7652]

@@dustyrhodes2717 ok!

[@griffinfairchild]

I owned one of these; absolutely fantastic cars. They are known for having weak transmissions, I only had issues once I reached 200k miles. Great video, not alot of community around early 2000s audis.

[@TedwardDrives]

Dead on. This transmission is likely on its way out. It’ll start to slip with some heat so I really limited time with hard shifts

[@lt1caprice57l]

Not just peak Audi. It was peak Car, period. After this, drive-by-wire systems proliferated quickly (and this car may have had throttle-by-wire). Yes, the cars of today are faster, technically handle better, and are more efficient...and I don't give a flying you-know-what, because cars like this are immensely more enjoyable to drive, mainly because you are still generally *actually driving* them, as opposed to today, where you're basically just telling the computer what to do.

[@R19Robbin]

If you can you should also try the V10 S8 👌

[@Revv911]

One thing that really impresses me with Tedward is his vocabulary, I mean Surreptitious? What a word.

[@Affalterbach1967]

In two years this s8 will be eligible for vintage plates in many jurisdictions. Enjoy modernish tech and comfort and 'vintage' Cannonball touring. If YT is cogent, they will now recommend Csaba Csere (deposed editor of Car and Driver) 's video drive along one take review of the s8.

[@gr8vivin]

Gotta love the ac vents. There are so many. Main luxury feature of this vehicle!!

[@jeffheinick8723]

I had an '03 A8L. The thing was a nightmare. Thing had low miles on it when I had enough. Beautiful, very advanced car for its time. Great motor, just little issues that added up over time

[@javianjohnson8746]

I personally love the videos when you take cars from the 90s/2000s out for a POV drive! Very cool to see the difference in car quality and production and comparing it to today. More of these videos please! 🙏 🔥

[@djviviani]

Absolutely one of my favorite cars of all time. The design has aged soooo well

[@emmanuelrodriguez1043]

In 2014 I had a 2001 A8L. I was in love with that car. Decent power. The interior at night is so unique and a LOT OF RED LED LIGHTS. I’ve owned a 2004 and 2006 A8L as well, I want a 2012 4.2 A8L But in the future I need an S8 maybe the V10, but this one is very special too. Thanks for your videos. 👍🏼

[@624radicalham]

In the future they will be all electric

[@RS3NDIT]

I love the S8. All of them really, but this one specifically is just amazing. That interior reminds me so much of the 2005 A6 I grew up with

[@7inchwarrior888]

Hopefully one day, you’ll be able to review a 02 CLK 55 AMG!! The early 2000’s produced some of the best sports cars!

[@marial8235]

That car seems so calm and autobahn ready. ❤

[@w210source-uv5lc]

Late 90s was peak car. The W140, E38, D2, X300, etc. will never be surpassed again.

[@dustyrhodes2717]

Drop a #628 Servotronic relay in it from the 605 that is in there now. It will tighten the steering up just a bit. The relay lives behind the passenger kick panel.

[@Chiethkeef]

the ultimate sleeper car

[@jarokenny]

welcome to Ronin world

[@scottleyva8656]

Love the reviews of the older cars!

[@midcenturymike]

In 2003, the last year of the D2, Audi sold 300 in the U.S. - 3 colors at 100 cars each. I have one of the black with caramel interior. The other colors were Avus Silver/Burgundy and Ming Blue Pearl/Platinum.

[@midcenturymike]

Mine is straight piped as well.

[@user-tr3zg8mj1w]

The S8 D2 was built from 1996 up to 2002 and the pre face-lift cars came with a 6 speed manual on the S8 from 1996 to 1998. The face lifted version was built from 1999 up to 2002 which was also offered in manual the difference was the front look and dash and 20 more horse power over the pre face-lift.

[@Krzysiek9521]

I'd LOVE to see that 205 featured on the channel.

[@alexmercer8042]

Love those in manual without the exceptionally weak slushmatic. It certainly is the 5 valve V8, manual is available for both pre and facelift cars. The US just didn't get them. 96-02

[@fl0G2]

finnally the legend

[@emixmim]

Oh man these are soooo damn cool! In Europe we even got it with a manual. They're rare but they're out there. There are facelift manuals as well.

[@Brayan.667]

What a crazy Audi 😊😊

[@Carandmotorcyclefreak]

One of my favorite Audi’s ever build amazing car and amazing video as always!

[@theminizaurus9]

Man , you got a great job driving all those amazing cars. cheers to you 🍻

[@Ty4ons]

The engine is actually in front of the front axle due to how Audi packages them. B Sport has a video on it called "AUDI's Package Problem" and it explains some Audi and VW-group quirks.

[@mrtyreus0]

Thanks Ted, right up my alley.

[@Philip.Magnusson]

I had a -94 A8 4,2 v8, 300hp winter beater. It was a fun car but thirsty for the work commute

[@exgtt2061]

Peak Audi for me - UR Quattro & S2 Coupe. I owned a 4.2 A8 (non S) and it cost me dearly in repairs and failures. Maybe I was unlucky… Sticking callipers, leaking gearboxes, electrical issues, sensors etc. The engine was bulletproof though, one of Audis best.

[@camarykaren]

What a sweet car ,but I'm loving that I can put my old cassette in this baby. Great review. It's nice to see an old school car getting some love. Count me as a new subscriber.

[@michaelayoub2211]

This looks so good, oh my god

[@AVWAP]

Have a low mileage 1st Gen 300c 5.7 hemi and it's a great family hauler. Hope to keep it in the collection for a long time.

[@tommasomanzali7847]

9:05 I feel this in the new MB C-Class as well. My friends who had the chance of driving my car have sometimes complained they are a little "long" as far as pedal travel. But I like that, because like you said it's what gives you the chance to do nice, smooth stops without any unpleasant weight shifting every time. And at the same time, though, if you really get into the pedal it stops pretty quickly and firmly.

[@omidnamin9004]

gorgeous cars. this was right up there with the e38 7 series imo

[@hittingreens5646]

Ahhh remember the car phone days................"call home"............CALLING MOM........"NO, cancel".............CALLING KEN BELL........."NO" ehh forget it

[@lisandro12349]

Amazing ride. I love everything about it this S8. I’m waiting for you to upload a S5 V8 next!!

[@eddiewhitaker7839]

I have a 2000 a8 same color with blue interior. It looks just as good. I love it. I have owned it for over 22 years. I have spent a lot of money on her. Runs and drives like new.

[@Planetary13]

Awesome car! Those mirrors are solid aluminum like the C5 S6. Looks great!

[@andyfranklunamorales2511]

THAT'S A GREAT BOAT, ÉRP, AND I REALLY LIKE THAT AUDI AHHHH, THE OLD TIMES, SALUDOS AMIGO.

[@vlachyna]

I love this car!!! Friend of mine had one back in the day!!! There is a reason why this engine was in production almost 20 years with minor changes! There is s reason…..

[@STi777]

3:40 Look at the size of that trunk… you can put three bodies in there!

[@wilhelmsteinegger8543]

In Europe the S8 D2 was available with manual transmission as well.

[@Tinovodanovic]

What a great car.

[@mraurora]

DeNiro's character wasn't the one who chose the S8, fyi. Great car. Love mine.

[@darkknight8139]

This generation of S8 is (in my opinion) one of the last stylish and subtle fast Audis out there. In 2006, the single grille up front spoiled the subtleness of the design. It is really amazing to see one in this good condition! The spaceframe technology was, well, space-age technology back then. And overall quality and finesse was one of the best you could get. The red triangle in the trunk lid was a great safety thing. Those triangles are mandatory in every car in Europe, so every car gets one on delivery. Audi and Mercedes went just one step further by incorporating it in the design of the trunk lid. That lid opens with a clever hinge design by the way, which also was one of the advancements of the time. Other brands (Toyota, Cadillac, Jaguar) got just the old fashioned curved steel bar instead.

[@FlyingStuff]

Watching this as I sit in my garage next to my broken b5 s4. 🥲

[@coreykononchuk]

I'd say you're welcome to drive my 6-speed manual-converted one if you ever come to Colorado, but alas, it is going on BaT in the next couple months! The S8 is so good at gobbling up highway miles, and really enjoys high speed sweepers, too! A highly underrated Q-ship with lots of impressive technology for its time - it weighed less than a 7-series despite having AWD and had more power, too! I wanna say a little over 1,200 total D2 S8's came to the USA or North America on the whole. On the transmission, I think the S8 was sold in Europe with a manual for both pre-facelift and post-facelift versions, albeit in small numbers.

[@LetsDIYIt]

Funny you said that. I had a B5 S4 and took a coworker for a ride, and he was shocked at how fast it was. At that time, that car was very quick. Another coworker didn't know anything about the car and kept saying his Dodge Stratus would smoke it. The one I gave a ride to just shook his head and laughed 😀

[@smxkcher]

So classic.

[@JPD617]

Although the 1999 W140 Grand Edition is my favorite big German sedan. These have always been right up there due to that low key style...

[@summers232]

Awesome car

[@jonhenderson]

I think the US got these facelift D2s only. The pre-facelift available in other markets in 1997-1999 had a 340hp 4 valve per cylinder 4.2. The pre facelift is what features in the Ronin film. Europe had a manual option.

[@simondurana7323]

very pretty car!

[@alphakky]

The stock Audi Bose system can be upgraded, but it requires a complete re-wire, since there are amps at each speaker. I had upgraded my 1985 5000S turbo to a Sony system with component speakers.

[@zygi12368]

In europe we had those facelift ones with 6speed manual

[@gregs8685]

Very cool car. I had a similar vintage S6 wagon. Same engine. Cool cars but such money pits. Hence the depreciation king crown. Please do a review of the D4 S8. One of the all time great large sport sedans. Especially the 605hp S8 plus.

[@gunsandcars3648]

sold my 2005 A8L for more than I paid for it , still miss it to this day, not any better than my 7 series but different in a fun way.

[@flavioc5389]

The manual transmission version should be awesome.

[@Treizez34]

I spy a white L322 in the first few outside shots. This truck is having a renaissance and should be revisited

[@morphyon]

Tedward knows the colour of the boat house in Hereford!

[@624radicalham]

RONIN!!

[@jeffec]

a lot of vents on the dashboard, very cool car

[@Lowfategg]

Remember one of my professors in college used to drive one of these.

[@TedwardDrives]

Same!! Professor Stafford rocked the heck of his s8

[@kelsey809]

Very cool car! 😎👍

[@brq4cars]

Seems like the ultimate sleeper Also might just be me but those gauges combined with the steering wheel kind of make the interior look less premium

[@alphakky]

I'm surprised you didn't use the Tiptronic feature, on the steering wheel or the gearshifter. The quattro was 50/50; no rear drive bias nonsense the car magazines regurgitates.

[@oans84]

Gorgeous!!! 😍😍😍

[@mr.bloggie5614]

Great video. It really is too bad that these were plagued with the tiptronic transmissions that love to slip when they age. Otherwise, great engine and debatably one of the cleanest looking cars of its time. Thanks for sharing!

[@kcflyguy]

A symphony on wheels 16:14

[@edalder2000]

The car phone is interesting. I would bet that it was an analog phone. Great piece of nostalgia, but the analog standard for that phone shut down about 15 years ago.

[@javianjohnson8746]

According to the display underneath the tachometer 14:08 - 14:20 the car thinks that it is currently 1999 😂

[@TedwardDrives]

absolutely love that you noticed that

[@EduardoRohdeEras]

There is an A8 abandoned in a city nearby and it crushes my heart when a see it there getting dust and dirt. But a car like that is almost impossible for o fix or refurbish here in Brazil because parts are hard to find and way to much expensive.

[@philipmiller8462]

While not an S8, I feel obligated to mention that Richard Gere drove an A8L in the Mothman Prophecies. This and the aforementioned Ronin are the only two movies off the top of my head with A/S8s.

[@Swiss4.2]

Could you review a D3 Audi A8 or S8? I think those cars have aged really well and have crazy powertrain options like the 5.2 V10 or 6.0 W12

[@laddtryck]

my dreamcar is a black on black s8 6 speed manual.

[@angelvidal4774]

Hahahhahaha so fun to see how the rev counter on that s-8 is almost the same as my 1999 golf TDI

[@erniesdeck7550]

I usually don't comment but when Ted said that this was before rear steering, That's not quite accurate I feel because my 92 3000 GT has rear steering. So yeah it was around before then

[@TedwardDrives]

Before rear steering on an a8. Not ever 😝

[@katzicael]

Icon.

[@carfella7994]

Modern looking car even in 2024 ❤

[@EDHBlvd]

Ronin was so great.

[@4.8cayenne]

more big luxobarges!!!

[@RWL2012]

The Top Gear Caravan Train "locomotive" :P

[@dmitrylysachev6784]

2:46 Technically it wasn't Robert De Niro, who has chosen this car... It was their designated driver Larry, portraited by Skipp Sudduth.

[@TedwardDrives]

I knewwwwww this one was coming. it has been a LONG time since I watched ronin.

[@morphyon]

This is a thing I would get if I won the lottery. …Completely under the radar, absolutely thrilling to drive, nightmarish maintenance costs (which you don‘t need to care about, because lottery win…)😂😂… Well this or a debadged RS4 B5 …with a 911SC you might get too much side-eye 👀

[@JohnGabbana-ks8mk]

I was just looking at this on carguru

[@yassine0147]

Please, we want a video for the red bmw m5 e39 😊. (I know you had one for the black)

[@EricAtMazda]

Always wanted this generation of the S8 in silver to channel my inner James May pulling the train of caravans (including Scum Class).

[@ramsongewargis8736]

Even in today's standard 360hp is more then my car!

[@Blazs120gl]

0:25 is that a Safari A4 in the background? :D

[@ahemgee9542]

Timeless design. They weren't that fast or comfortable but nice all the same. The W220 S55 non kompressor pre facelift, was quite abit quicker and had a much nicer ride, however had its issues with rust . This DID come with optional double DIN Nav its just your car isn't optional with it. In Europe the S8 D2 was definitely available with a 6 speed manual, not just the base model.

[@livewoutlimit]

Holy... didn't realize how big this garage was.

[@MrCarGuy]

As a big fan of retro tech the old LCDs don't bother me the same way the old car phones don't.

[@sirrick59]

My daily driver has a similar engine, but in v6 5-valve, rather than this v8 5-valve 2005 VW Passat 2,8 v6 30v 4motion; with 5-speed auto. It may be an Auto, but there is no "slip" whatsoever. Rather, it drives like an auto-change manual, and the changes are so smooth, most passengers can't tell when it changes. even in dry weather, but particularly if wet; nothing will beat my car at the lights from standstill to 30mph. (50k) It absolutely embarrases kids in their STIs and Evos. It runs at 1800rpm at 100kph on road trips I have had mine up to 220kph, and pulling away very well.

[@kevinbarry71]

I cannot believe somebody managed to keep those overly complicated engineering disasters around and working for this long

[@alphakky]

Cellular phones in 2001 were hideously expensive (I used to sell them). A stock one would not work, since the analog networks have been taken down. It could be made to work with current 5G systems, but it's a big hack to do it.