Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
As I’ve talked about many times, the Audi/Volkswagen crowd is one of the most unique in the automotive enthusiast world. The home of polarizing taste, there are both VAG enthusiasts who do a great job modifying their cars and those who ruin them in the pursuit of the being unique. Today we seemingly have one of each; a questionably modified 2001 S4 and a slick looking 2003 S8. Which would be the ride you’d choose? Let’s start with the S4:
The C5 Audi S6 was a little soft, you say? Not this one. While enthusiasts may have been disappointed that the C5 Audi S6 was available in tiptronic automatic only in the U.S., it was also only available in Avant form here, something that fans could at least celebrate. Mated to the excellent 4.2 V8, it was a solid choice for fast, comfortable performance for a family. But for some folks that just wasn’t enough, and we thank them for that. From the few that have undergone the manual swap, there are some row-your-own S6s floating around for sale from time to time. While this particular car doesn’t have that option, what it does carry is a PES supercharger pushing a few pounds of boost into that awesome V8. The result is near RS6 levels of performance in a sleeper package:
It’s hard to believe I could make such a claim; that there would be unappreciated Audi S models. Even more surprising is that they’re recently produced. But the truth is neither of these cars grabbed the headlines of their bigger brothers – while the S8, RS4 and Europe-only C6 RS6 stole the show for Audi, in the background were two very competent, very fast and very luxurious cars that not many chose to buy. These truly are cars that would have been enthusiasts’ dream rides only a decade earlier – the C6 S6, with its sleek body hiding a Lamborghini-derived V10 that was modified to produced more useable torque, and the B7 S4 – the last run of the great 4.2 V8 and arguably the best looking since the original S4, punting 340 horsepower though a great 6-speed manual. Today, 7 years later, you can pick up one of these super sedans for around the entry-level price of a Volkswagen Golf. Simply amazing. Let’s look at the S6 first:
In general, the C5 Audi S6 gets overlooked by enthusiasts who dismiss it as a soft, automatic-only fragile replacement for the legendary C4 S6. That’s a shame, because the C5 is a solid car and performer and one that the owners who have experienced them seem to love. What those who aren’t in the know seem to want is a 6-speed manual variant of the S6, though few have undertaken the swap. We have seen a few though, most recently a 6-speed converted S6 that was questionably modified but sported the all-important manual. No one jumped on that car despite the seemingly reversible modifications, so perhaps today’s more original example will make some converts?
I’ve recently been engaged in an email exchange with one of our readers comparing the V8 quattro that I love with the later D2 A8/S8. As much as it pains me to admit it and I love that early D11 V8, the reality is in nearly every measurable way the A8 and S8 are probably just a better choice. First, they’re the best part of a decade newer, and while the styling isn’t DTM worthy the D2 is certainly a great looking car in pretty much everyone’s book. The dimensions are right, the stance is great, and the presence is enormous. The D2 also benefited from the developments of the D11 chassis, and while it’s missing the virtually unstoppable Torsen setup of the V8 quattro, the D2 gained in pretty much every other department; refinement, quality, ride comfort, performance, fuel economy and safety. The top of the heap is one of our favorite cars, the S8 – touting 360 horsepower and a stiffer suspension, this is the one to have: