One-off super long-wheelbase A8!
 

Just been announced:


One-off six-seater Audi limousine took almost a year to develop and finesse to the same exacting standards as a production-ready A8

-Premium manufacturer develops and builds 6.36-metre luxury saloon to special customer order
-Comfortable and spacious seating for six
-Wheelbase extended by almost 1.1 metres over the A8 L, with a completely reworked outer skin starting from the A-pillar backwards
-Additional use of aluminium to lengthen and strengthen the Audi Space Frame
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Ingolstadt, April 11, 2016 – Audi has gone to even greater lengths to deliver all of the familiar trappings associated with its flagship A8 L model in an entirely unique format of considerable proportions. At the special request of a European customer, the premium brand has created the Audi A8 L extended, a built-to-order model measuring 6.36 metres (20.9 ft) in length and with a wheelbase of 4.22 metres (13.8 ft). The A8 L extended affords exquisite comfort for passengers occupying all of its six seats. Audi has further requests for the custom product already.

Experts invested almost a year in developing and building the exceptionally long luxury saloon. The result was an exclusive one-off specimen that meets the high standards of the production model in every domain. The major challenges concerned the safety and rigidity of the extra-large body, as well as the styling of the silhouette.

The Audi A8 L extended benefits from the low weight of the production model’s body, which uses an Audi Space Frame design and is made almost entirely from aluminium. For the built-to-order version the engineers extended the side sills and centre tunnel using extruded aluminium sections.

Inside the tunnel, these also assist with the air routing. A double rear bulkhead separates the passenger compartment from the luggage compartment; the roof incorporates additional aluminium profiled tubes and cross-braces. These measures provide torsional and flexural rigidity almost on a par with the A8 L.

The representative XXL saloon in discreet moonlight blue, metallic offers 1.09 metres (3.6 ft) more wheelbase and overall length than the Audi A8. To maintain a harmonious roof line, the entire body from the A-pillar back has been reworked.

The experts embedded a 2.40-metre (7.9 ft) glass panel in the roof skin to enhance the sense of spaciousness.

The sun blinds – one for each row of seats – prevent overheating of the interior in strong sunlight. The headlights and rear lights incorporate small side marker lights, as is prescribed by law for vehicles of this length.

All passengers face the direction of travel in the Audi A8 L extended. The six seats are upholstered in extra-supple Valcona leather, in the colour velvet beige. Rows two and three feature electrically adjustable individual seats. The third row has a continuous centre console, a Rear Seat Entertainment display and a cool box.

The one-off A8 version is powered by a 3.0 TFSI engine developing 310 PS, delivering up to 440 Nm (324.5 lb‑ft) of torque. This propels the saloon from 0 to 62 mph in 7.1 seconds and up to an electronically governed top speed of 155 mph. An eight-speed tiptronic transfers engine power to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. The 19‑inch wheels in 15‑spoke design conceal the brake system of the Audi S8, which assures outstanding deceleration of the over six-metre-long (19.7 ft) luxury saloon, with its unladen weight of 2,418 kilograms.

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I thought mine was hard to park! :ROFL:

I must have mis=read the date. I didn't realise it was April 1st today!

At a funeral near you soon...

Ha. How true.

But why, oh why, have they fitted (imo) the worst engine possible to this flaggiest of things flagshippy ?

The 3.0TFSi is just not my favourite engine. Its heavily tunable (thank god) but monumental supercharger power delivery is not really very comfortable exec, is it?

Surely the W12 would have been more fitting, for refinement, even if the power weren't required.

Even the V8 4.2Tdi would have actually been more refined, and given it a very usable range with that extra bulk.

6 feeble cylinders in a car that long and prestigious.

No no no.... Just all wrong... :tuttut:

Just a guess, maybe the client specified that engine to get over any local tax or emission rules where the A8xxl will be used?

Because they're too poor to tax anything bigger?.....

Maybe the bigger engines push it over a weight threshold ?

Or structurally, there have been alterations that mean that's the only engine they could get in ?

There must be a bloody good reason... No one would surely go for all that kit and plump for that engine.

Bet B&O had fun sorting the acoustics out for the extended speaker set up.. ;)

I cant believe they didn't used the 4.0T engine which is available in the LWB A8 D4 and does 0-60 in 3.9 seconds and is still economical, surely the better of both worlds and still not a diesel :Confused:

Yup, totally agree.... :Confused: