Audi S8 (D2) review

The Audi S8 arrived on the car market in 1996, priced at around £60,000. The only saloons that commanded more money were long-wheelbase versions of the BMW 750i and Mercedes S-Class and the Rolls-Royce and Bentley barges of the day. This was top dollar.

Crank that through an inflation calculator and you end up with £111,000 in today’s money – making the S8’s now sub-£100k starting price something of a bargain. Something of doing that sentence’s heavy lifting.

Early D2s use a 335bhp tune of 4.2-litre V8, with facelift cars – landing in 1999 – upping that to 364bhp as the engine also went from four to five valves per cylinder.

Which should I seek out?

Any you can, really. Used D2s are conspicuous by their absence in the used car classifieds, with just two examples apparently on sale in Britain as we type these words – a rough around the edges £5,000 example and a concours-ready POA car from a specialist. Finding one that lives in a sweet spot between the two might take patience.

What are significantly more abundant are the V10-powered D3 (prices start at £10,000 and you’ll never bore of telling people your car sort of shares its engine with a Lamborghini) and the first twin-turbo S8, the D4 (budget £30-35,000 and you’ll have a wealth of choice). Neither, we’re willing to commit to electronic print, are as cool as the original. Whether you like films or not.