3.0 TDI quattro (240 hp)

STORY

Presented in February 1994, the Audi A8 (Typ 4D, D2) was the world's first series-production car with an aluminium body and chassis, the Audi Space Frame (ASF). Developed at a cost of around 700 million dollars, the ASF made the large luxury saloon significantly lighter than its steel rivals, with a body shell weighing about 249 kilograms, and it succeeded the Audi V8 as the brand's flagship.

The A8 also carried Audi's most ambitious engines: in 2001 Audi introduced a compact 6.0-litre W12, effectively two VR6 engines joined at the crankshaft, offered in the A8 as a twelve-cylinder rival to Mercedes and BMW. Combining lightweight aluminium construction, quattro drive and W12 power, the A8 established Audi as a credible full-size luxury contender and remains the technological showcase of the brand.