An anonymous European buyer decided that the standard Audi A8L just wasn't long enough, so this wealthy person ordered a one-off A8L Extended with six doors. It's capable of seating six people in luxury. The massive sedan now measures 20.9 feet versus 17.3 feet for the standard, already large A8L. The wheelbase also grows to 13.8 feet from 10.2 feet for the regular version.
You might expect the A8L Extended to have facing seats inside like a limousine, but all the passengers actually look forward. The decision probably doesn't aid in having a conversation during the drive, but it's what the buyer wanted. The third row has an entertainment display and refrigerated storage box. The second and third rows also have power adjustable seats in beige Valcona leather.
It took a year for Audi's engineers to figure out how to build this beast while retaining the A8's rigidity. The builders eventually settled on adding extruded aluminum sections to the side sills and center tunnel to get the extra length. They also included extra cross braces in the roof, and a 7.9-foot glass panel to lets more light into the cabin.
The powertrain consists of Audi's 3.0 TFSI with 306 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The A8L Extended retains the company's Quattro all-wheel drive system and can reportedly accelerate to 62 miles per hour in 7.1 seconds. That's not lightning quick but still plenty for a vehicle that weighs 5,331 pounds.
The A8L Extended likely won't remain a one-off for long. According to Audi, the customer response has been quite positive, and the company has already received requests to build more.
Audi puts the customer first, however out of the ordinary their requirements may be. An example of this is the Audi A8*: at the request of a European customer the premium brand has built a first one-off version of the sedan in king-size format. Measuring 6.36 meters (20.9 ft) in length and with a wheelbase of 4.22 meters (13.8 ft), the A8 L extended* affords top-class comfort for passengers occupying all of its six seats. A concept that generates customer: Audi has further requests for the custom product already.
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 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 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 L*.
The representative XXL sedan in discreet moonlight blue, metallic offers 1.09 meters (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-meter (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 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 TFSI engine developing 228 kW (310 hp), delivering up to 440 Nm (324.5 lb‑ft) of torque. This propels the sedan from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 7.1 seconds and up to an electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h (155.3 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-meter-long (19.7 ft) luxury sedan, with its unladen weight of 2,418 kilograms (5,330.8 lb).
Fuel consumption of the models named above:
Audi A8:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 11.2 - 5.7 (21.0 - 41.3 US mpg)**;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 259 - 146 (416.8 - 235.0 g/mi)**
Audi A8 L:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 11.2 - 5.8 (21.0 - 40.6 US mpg)**;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 259 - 148 (416.8 - 238.2 g/mi)**
Audi S8:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 10.0 - 9.4 (23.5 - 25.0 US mpg)**;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 231 - 216 (371.8 - 347.6 g/mi)**
**Fuel consumption, CO2 emission figures and efficiency classes given in ranges depend on the tires/wheels used.
A8 L extended:
The A8 L extended has received type approval and been accepted under the EC Single Vehicle Approval scheme (Article 24, Directive 2007/46/EC).
Related Video:
You might expect the A8L Extended to have facing seats inside like a limousine, but all the passengers actually look forward. The decision probably doesn't aid in having a conversation during the drive, but it's what the buyer wanted. The third row has an entertainment display and refrigerated storage box. The second and third rows also have power adjustable seats in beige Valcona leather.
It took a year for Audi's engineers to figure out how to build this beast while retaining the A8's rigidity. The builders eventually settled on adding extruded aluminum sections to the side sills and center tunnel to get the extra length. They also included extra cross braces in the roof, and a 7.9-foot glass panel to lets more light into the cabin.
The powertrain consists of Audi's 3.0 TFSI with 306 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The A8L Extended retains the company's Quattro all-wheel drive system and can reportedly accelerate to 62 miles per hour in 7.1 seconds. That's not lightning quick but still plenty for a vehicle that weighs 5,331 pounds.
The A8L Extended likely won't remain a one-off for long. According to Audi, the customer response has been quite positive, and the company has already received requests to build more.
Representative unique specimen: Audi A8 L extended
- Premium manufacturer develops and builds 6.36-meter (20.9 ft) sedan to special customer order
- One-off specimen meets same standards as production model
- Comfortable and spacious seating for six
Audi puts the customer first, however out of the ordinary their requirements may be. An example of this is the Audi A8*: at the request of a European customer the premium brand has built a first one-off version of the sedan in king-size format. Measuring 6.36 meters (20.9 ft) in length and with a wheelbase of 4.22 meters (13.8 ft), the A8 L extended* affords top-class comfort for passengers occupying all of its six seats. A concept that generates customer: Audi has further requests for the custom product already.
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 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 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 L*.
The representative XXL sedan in discreet moonlight blue, metallic offers 1.09 meters (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-meter (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 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 TFSI engine developing 228 kW (310 hp), delivering up to 440 Nm (324.5 lb‑ft) of torque. This propels the sedan from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 7.1 seconds and up to an electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h (155.3 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-meter-long (19.7 ft) luxury sedan, with its unladen weight of 2,418 kilograms (5,330.8 lb).
Fuel consumption of the models named above:
Audi A8:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 11.2 - 5.7 (21.0 - 41.3 US mpg)**;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 259 - 146 (416.8 - 235.0 g/mi)**
Audi A8 L:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 11.2 - 5.8 (21.0 - 40.6 US mpg)**;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 259 - 148 (416.8 - 238.2 g/mi)**
Audi S8:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 10.0 - 9.4 (23.5 - 25.0 US mpg)**;
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 231 - 216 (371.8 - 347.6 g/mi)**
**Fuel consumption, CO2 emission figures and efficiency classes given in ranges depend on the tires/wheels used.
A8 L extended:
The A8 L extended has received type approval and been accepted under the EC Single Vehicle Approval scheme (Article 24, Directive 2007/46/EC).
Related Video:
Featured Gallery Audi A8L Extended
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