We’ve always maintained that Audi’s rather delightful S8 would make a grand movie getaway car. Supernaturally powerful. Fast. Discreet. German tuner ABT agrees on that latter point because aesthetically, it’s only added a new rear spoiler to this modded luxo-barge.
Naturally, there are larger wheel options—20 or 21 inches—available in matte black. It’s a very restrained upgrade inside, too: simply a new ABT start-stop cap and shift-knob cover. So, that’s pretty much it.
But wait. There’s more.
More power. A great big lump of it. ABT has fitted a new ECU to control the S8’s 4.0-liter bi-turbo V8, and where it once delivered a really perfectly adequate 563hp, it now delivers 690hp and 880Nm of torque.
This additional grunt really does chop the 0-100kph time by some margin: It takes just 3.4sec (compared to 3.9sec for the ‘standard’ car), and you can spec ceramic brakes and a higher top speed of 269kph, if you so wish. ABT helpfully points out this accelerative prowess makes it ‘faster than a current 992 model’ Porsche 911. Indeed, a 992-gen Carrera 4S does 0-100kph in 3.6sec. So there’s that.
Film producers, you know what to do.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
