Anyone on here buy the ex-Rowan Atkinson car from PH?
 

Just seen the ad's been 'refreshed' and car is now marked as sold on PH site

Ad now says it had a Milltek fitted, which I don't recall being mentioned before?

Hope it's someone who comes on here - would love to see that interior :D

I actually quite fancied that one but alas

It was nice, but not that nice.

I couldn't justify spending that sort of money on an old D2. I always remove emotion when buying any car, buy with my head, not with my heart.

lol so does what does your head and heart say about converting to a manual with all the costs and hassle factor! ;)

A very different scenario, as I got my parts for buttons. As for hassle - I don't see it as such. I'm a semi-retired Audi tech, and have built manual trannies from component stage to fully working. And have also converted several VAG models to manual, including 2 V8's - an '88 3,6 and a '91 4,2. Both RHD, I used the 5-speed 01A for them, as 01E's were big bucks back then, but the principle remains the same. There are ZF failures documented as early as 70,000 miles A rebuild will be around the £2,500 mark, perhaps with a 2-year warranty.

Great if you have a second car, and don't do that many mile. I will rack up 70,000 miles in 2 years, so if I intend to keep my S8 for say 5 years, I'm kinda out on a limb. For me, that's about 175,000 miles. Back to high-risk.

My car's worth what? Roughly £4,000 at present. So far, all my manual parts, including 2 x 01E, front axles, shift mechanism, propshaft adaptor (+4,5") custom pedal cluster for RHD, flywheel, clutch kit, flywheel bolts x 8 cost me £704.

One of my 01E's from a 2001 S4 I paid £70 for. The previous owner undid the reverse lock-out, thinking it was the oil filler bung. Of course, the reverse interlock dropped into the tranny, and the shift locked up. I knew what it was when his garage condemned it, and it cost me just the price of 3 new gaskets and oil (I stripped it down and replaced reverse interlock). I've now sold it to a guy that's converting his B5 2,8 30V from 01A to 01E for £325. :cool:

Yet to be sold is my current TCU with sport mode, I'll assume £60 will be a fair price.

So right now, my outlay is £379. If my only option to get my S8 back on the road was £2,500 with a 2-year warranty, I'm afraid she'd have to go, I do too many miles to take the risk. But awesome dedication for you guys that pay big bucks to keep these beasts on the road. +++

I would put the sport TCU up at £100 at least.

I've been using sport mode on the RS6. Its perfect in country lanes when your slowing down for a corner and then want to power out, the car is always ready to just launch, and I mean launch... In drive you need to wait for the revs to build up and then you get that shove a few secs later in sport, its instant. Perfect for when your on your way home from work and can't be arsed to use the paddles.

Sport mode isn't as big a deal as some here make out though IMO, it doesn't just transform the car, it just holds the revs longer and the only place I've found it useful is when on country lanes.

^^^ You're dead right, Amar. It downshifts quicker too, very different to my '98 S8.

But if you use the flappy paddles, you get to pretend you're a racing driver :)

Rowan Atkinson never used the flappy paddles >>>>
http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1321899282