Experts invested almost a year in developing and building the exceptionally long luxury sedan. 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聽A8聽L extended benefits from the low weight of the production model鈥檚 body, which uses an Audi Space Frame design and is made almost entirely from aluminum. For the built-to-order version the engineers extended the side sills and center tunnel using extruded aluminum 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 aluminum profiled tubes and cross-braces. These measures provide torsional and flexural rigidity almost on a par with the A8聽L*.
The representative XXL sedan in discreet moonlight blue, metallic offers 1.09聽meters (3.6听蹿迟) more wheelbase and overall length than the Audi聽A8. To maintain a harmonious roof line, the entire body from the A-pillar back has been reworked.
The experts embedded a 2.40-meter (7.9听蹿迟) glass panel in the roof skin to enhance the sense of spaciousness.聽The sun blinds 鈥� one for each row of seats 鈥� 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聽A8聽L extended. The six seats are upholstered in extra-supple Valcona leather, in the color velvet beige. Rows two and three feature electrically adjustable individual seats. The third row has a continuous center console, a Rear Seat Entertainment display and a cool box.
The one-off A8 version is powered by a 3.0聽TFSI engine developing 228聽kW (310聽hp), delivering up to 440聽Nm(324.5听濒产鈥慺迟) of torque. This propels the sedan from 0 to 100聽km/h (62.1听尘辫丑) in 7.1聽seconds and up to an electronically governed top speed of 250聽km/h (155.3听尘辫丑). An eight-speed tiptronic transfers engine power to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. The 19鈥慽nch wheels in 15鈥憇poke design conceal the brake system of the Audi聽S8*, which assures outstanding deceleration of the over six-meter-long (19.7听蹿迟) luxury sedan, with its unladen weight of 2,418聽kilograms(5,330.8听濒产).
