Audi has built an extended, custom-made version of the A8 L for an European customer. With a length of 6.36 meters and a wheelbase of 4.22 meters, the A8 L extended offers a total of six seats and six doors. Less than a year’s time has been invested in development and construction of the unusually long luxury sedan, while the safety and rigidity of the XXL-body, as well as the design of the silhouette mirrors that of the production model. Audi has already bagged more requests for such a custom-made limousine.
The Audi A8 L extended features the lightweight body of the production model, which is almost completely made of aluminium. Audi engineers extended the side skirts and the transmission tunnel by extruded aluminium profiles. A double rear wall separates the passenger compartment from the luggage compartment; while the roof section gets additional aluminium extrusions and cross-ties. Through these measures, Audi says that the torsional and bending stiffness of the A8 L extended is almost at the level of the standard A8 L.
In order to ensure a smooth course of the roofline, the entire body of the A-pillar to be revised. The headlights and tail lights incorporate small side marker lamps, as they are prescribed for vehicles of this length by the legislature. Outside, the A8 L extended wears a discreet Moonlight Blue metallic paint-job, while inside, the six seats are upholstered with soft Valcona leather, velvet beige in color. The second and third rows feature electrically adjustable individual seats, along with sun blinds. In the third row, there’s a continuous centre console, a rear-seat entertainment display and a cool box.
The limousine is powered by a 3.0 TFSI petrol engine with 310 hp, which delivers a torque of up to 440 Nm. This accelerates the A8 L extended in 7.1 seconds from 0 to 100 km / h and reaches an electronically limited top speed of 250 km / h. An eight-speed tiptronic transfers the power and torque to the permanent all-wheel drive quattro system. Behind the 19-inch wheels sits an updated braking system from the Audi S8, which is put into service to rapidly decelerate the six meter long luxury sedan, as it sits on the curb with a weight of 2418 kg.
