Errata: Mercedes used an inline 6 engine, not a V6. It's the DTM German Touring Car Championship, not DTW. The mk1 Audi 100 was known as the 100 in North America. It was the mk2 that switched to be called the Audi 5000.

The V8’s brochure also was a thing of luxury. It was a matte black holder with 2 booklets. One for the common main features and one smaller one with real color samples painted on small pieces of paper glued to the pages. I was a 12 yo. boy frequenting the local VAG dealership and the sales representative gave me a copy. It was the greatest thing on earth. I cherished it dreaming that one day I could afford such a fine car myself. I haven’t owned one but a few years ago I saw my first real life V8 parked on the street and fellt 30 years younger for a few moments. In my childish nostalgia it still was the greatest car ever made.

Audi director: "You need to differentiate between 100, 200 and V8. Use your fantasy!" Audi designers: "According to which DIN standard, sir?"

I remember a colleague bought one of those when it was a few years old. I think they had two belts to drive the camshafts and the moment those service was due you could buy them for the price of a used golf. He did so and took me for a ride and i was so impressed that it sticks to me till today. Back then heated rear seats were like out of this world to me and i remember the wires of the rear window defroster forming the word "Quattro" which appeared for following cars when the wires were heated...amazing. Strange how some things stay in the brain like a tatoo. Thank your for this trip down memory lane!

Liked this story on the V8. Very under rated car from the late 80's early 90's. I have a '93 V8 Quattro 4.2. One of approximately 175 units sold in the USA in 1993. At the time it cost more than the top of the range MB or BMW. This also makes the car rare and unique at car shows. My car still runs flawlessly and has a timeless style, even though some find it plain in todays, some what over wrought cookie cutter style. I also have a '84 Audi 4000 S Quattro. The V8 had/has mile eating power (275 std/ 310 chipped) and comfort. Cruise at 80 to 100 mph as if you were going 55. Yes parts if needed can be difficult to source and can be expensive. Also finding competent service is also challenging, so I end up doing the basics myself. Even Audi dealerships here in the USA don't know about the car. Still when at the local cars and coffee, I always get compliments from car people who know the V8 is different and unique from another era that can still roll out nicely today.

And the Audi 5 cylinder is legendary , I love the offbeat rumble

I had owned a 1992 200 Turbo Quattro, one of the best cars I ever owned! It was beautiful how the car would cruise through Upstate NY snow storms

One note: the name Audi came before the Volkswagen acquisition. Auto Union was a merger of a bunch of car companies, including Audi. Audi was named after August Horch, audi being the Latin word for horch, which is German for "hear," his son came up with the idea to call it Audi. His company was initially named Horch but he had to change the name because of a legal dispute.

The original A8 was one of the slickest looking cars.

I had an 87 5000 Quattro. The panning "Quattro" badge you show at 11:25 is actually the rear defroster grid. On a snowy day you could melt Quattro into snow sitting on the glass. I really liked that touch. Well, that and the locking differentials!

I'm sure you've already added it to the list, but I'd really love it if you could do the Jaguar XJ story. I can't help but love these less than perfect luxury cars

A friend of mine's dad used to own one. Still one of the most impressive cars ever. A monster, seriously. The world wasn't ready for such Audis yet. A legend with cultstatus...👍

A Big car video on a Friday = Best Weekend

Back when Audi knew exactly how to make a brilliantly clean design 👍🇩🇪

Those big 80s Audis were a Bond car: The Living Daylights

Now this is a car from a golden Era. Cars of this generation were the perfect combination of design, engineering and technology in my humble opinion. Thanks for another wonderful presentation!

Another superb video! :D Audis of the past I feel fell into an unfortunate middle-ground against their German rivals, not having the refinement or status of Mercedes-Benz and it's S-Class, but at the same time (aside from the Quattro) not having the same sporting edge as BMW and its original M5. Nowadays, all three companies have become largely the same as they've followed BMW's lead and created performance-orientated sports saloons and hatchbacks, to which I think something has been lost with regard to simple luxury saloon cars like the Audi V8 with a touch of performance, but not specifically pursuing it to the point that comfort (forgive the pun) takes a back seat. :)

My grandpa had a 100 in the late 60’s to 70’s and it was the reason he survived a horrible car crash that he couldn’t survive in the golf he had before.

Ah I loveeeed my A8. I need to get one but the maintenance is insane.

I once had a third generation Audi 100 - with the 2.0 five cylinder engine. Truth to tell It wasn't that quick or the last word in reliability for that matter but I loved it anyway. I can recall distinctly that it made me feel proud to have such a beautiful car at last after having owned many run of the mill motors before. One of those cars a driver wishes he still had.

The A8 was shockingly smooth, round and clear when it came to the market. It’s interior was pure luxury, any increase seemed unthinkable at the time. I had the luck to take a look on this car (as a pre-production vehicle) 18 months before its launch, when i did my student internship at audi design. When I saw it, I immediately knew: now Audi is one of them, one of the greatest in the car world. Leading exterior designer was Chris Bird, (coming from and going to Ford)*, Peter Schreyer was responsible for the interior. *Quote: "Ich make eine soo runde Auto." (I'm making such a round car.)

I enjoyed this so very much. As young adults, my mom & dad had very humble finances; they owned a DKW (which ended up being absorbed into Auto Union) with no engine; my mom would sit in the car and my dad would push it to move it around. Later, they had an Auto Union with an actual engine, as I recall. Fast forward to the 1980s, and my mom had an Audi 100 2nd gen, then an Audi 200, then an Audi 100 third gen. Fast forward to 2015. for her birthday in 2015, I gave her an Audi C5 A6 4.2 Quattro V8. She's come a long way.

Your videos get better and better. Really enjoy the level they are pitched at, i.e. below anorak but above wikipedia, and your delivery of the content.

just bought 1991 audi 100 with only 84k miles and it runs like new. it was a true barn find.

Thank you for mentioning how the American media almost put Audi out of business. Blame this on CBS and their 60 minutes program.

Brilliant to see the long forgotten v8 remembered. Great work. I look forward to all your work, it’s top quality

To this day I love wood interiors like that. Audi and Mercedes and Lexus did them the best.

I’ve had 2 c5 Audi A6’s. One 4.2 wide body v8 sedan and one 3.0 v6 wagon. They were the most reliable and well equipped cars I’ve ever owned, and the awd is unmatched. I miss them !

Audi's best salesman was chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. It was my university time spending more than 2 hours on the road twice most weeks between my parents' and my single room flat, when he followed on Helmut Kohl and as first German head of government since decades not to use Mercedes. Even the then Audi A8 had a rather poor start but I could see the A8 and smaller A6 blending in on the fast lane once it had become the official state limousine. Previously Audi was, together with Volvo, for people with money who found BMW and Saab too sporty, Mercedes too snobbish and Jaguar or Lancia too much in risk of a breakdown on the way. Once the chancellor had one it was fit for managers as well.

Nicely done. I'm a fan of Audi, although here in the States we haven't had as many models to choose from. Anyway, I have a '16 C7 S6 and I absolutely love it.

I have an Audi A8 2010 4.2tdi with 90k miles and i’m in love with the sound and the fact that its really reliable even after 12 years

I have seen your videos before but for some reason never clicked on one. That was a mistake. I was an instant subscriber after watching your nuclear powered car video, now I have catching up to do! Thanks for doing what you do!

Very well presented! I owned a 200 20v avant and also a sedan, both Cayenne red metallic. They were fast but the V8 had the looks. It still looks good to this day!

I love this brand. I'm on my second one, now, after previously owning nothing but GM's. Can't beat the interior quality, and I really appreciate how subtle and professional their cars look. I've always felt like their horsepower and torque figures were just a little behind what I'd like to see for any given model and engine combination, but... well, it's been a while since I've been late to work, so they did at least good enough. Thanks for the video!

i was a lucky owner of a Audi V8 3.6 in late 90's - what a great piece of German engineering it was

Oooh, I like the bonus facts! A very welcome addition :D

the fact that the V8 LWB doesn't have longer doors and has such a long rear quarter window kinda bothers me

The Audi V8 changed a lot for Audi. Audi sales brochures changed - before they were in blank white, the V8 brochure had the car pictured on the front page in a townlike environment. I only got to know the car by reading and looking into that sale brochure, because the dealership we bought our Audis never sold a V8. It took four years - I think - before I actually saw a V8 in reality. That "new" Audi 100 from 1990, my parents owned that car. I especially liked the dashboard - designed by Peter Schreyer - it came straight out of the V8. Truth be told, it wasn't that "new" at all. I know because I own - for ten years now - an Audi 100 2.2 Quattro (1986), the "typ 44" and it's almost identical to the 100 my parents owned between 1991 and 2009. They changed it into the A6 in 1995 (I think), which was basically another update from that typ 44. In 1992 there was a whole saga around the V8 and the DTM. That car won in 1990 & 1991 the DTM-championship (Stuck and Biela were the drivers, I think). In 1992 Mercedes & BMW opposed an evolution in the V8 (I think it had something to do with the engine), so Audi quit during the season. In 1993 one of those V8-DTM's appeared in the Belgian Touring Car Championship, where they completely smashed the opposition.

"The 200, also known as the 500, still known as the 5000 in North America..." Well- crafted sentence! The number scheme is quite odd, indeed

What a great informative video. Took me to a time travel from cars of early 70s till 200s.

Nice video. The pics of that silver A8 & the blue metallic S8 show the best looking big sedan ever built.

That V8 engine is indeed a member of the EA827/888 engine family. It is what he said, essentially two GTI engines "Siamesed" at the crankshaft. They eventually cut two center cylinders out of this V8 to make Audi's 90 degree V6. And they also eventually produced a diesel V12 from this basic design. The V10 that was mentioned in this was first proposed by Ferdinand Piech for use in Porsche's new flagship, the 928. It was turned down in favor of an in-house V8 design. The V10 remained as blueprints until Audi bought Lamborghini, at which point it was developed, produced, and installed in the Gallardo, among various Audi's. Great video!

Loved it. I really enjoy the facts you dig up, and how I find out about and begin to appreciate cars I've previously dismissed

Excellent as always. As the proud owner of an ‘88 Audi 100 2.2E, this one was of particular interest to me. 👍🏼👍🏼

Nice to see the ZX80 in the background again

remember having the chance to buy a cheap one of these years ago. probably just as well i didn't but i've always loved these. so elegant. they haven't made anything i really want since.

BMW had a S class competitor before the 7 series was launched it was called the "New six" (e3) and it was launched in 1968

One bit you missed , When Daimler sold Audi to Volkswagen , they slapped a restriction on the sales clause that they cannot develop and sell 6 cylinders or 8 cylinder vehicles for 30 years . Hence the reason Piech focused on 5 cylinder development from 1972. When the restrictions ended in 1987 , they simply named is V8 more so to highlight their capacity in the luxury market.

Only time I ever saw an early Audi 100 as a kid was in the movie ET. Elliot's mum drove one. But the newer model from the 80's I remember well. Thought it looked pretty cool as a kid, & the estate.

My 2011 Audi A8L 4.2 has 181,000 miles on it and although it’s not used very often, it’s still a beautiful running luxurious car.

The aero 100 was like a spaceship when it was launched in the early 80's!

audi was initially called Horch. an 18 year old college student who happened to be joining a high level Horch business conference overheard them talking about changing the name. he randomly blurted out "how about Audi? that even still means Horch, only in latin." dated german language: Horch=Listen=Audi

I am proud owner of a 1990 Audi V8 3,6. Todays a Audi V8 is a entusiast car. And I am one of the entusiasts.

Finally somebody's remember this legends 👍

Beautifully engineered cars !!! Great content as always, thank you . Darren (:

My favourite Audi from the 90s was the 80 1.8e. It had a certain charm that most modern Audis don’t have… character!

Audi or VW has done brilliantly to take the brand to where it is today, very much a prestige brand, offering quality and performance and very much a competitor for BMW and Mercedes.

I have a 1992 s4 turbo Quattro, so cool still have that cell phone there, one of the best cars I have owned

Great vlog as always! Our family had a 1970 VW K-70 from 1978-1982. That was the forfather for the VW Passat. Great car!

I liked the bonus facts in place of the bloopers. Great video as always.

Never came across an early V8 , my nephew had a 200 turbo 👌🏻😎

A presentation on the XJS would be nice to see.

Edit: HAH, we kids simply called it the "Quattro" because four wheel drive on a luxury road car was unheard of and thus incredibly cool We loved to watch those 'snow ralleys' with the "Quattro" never breaking a sweat. The main reason I watch your videos is because it's essentially a retro car channel, and the old advertisements bring back nostalgic feelings. Even those when I wasn't around, like the Fiat 500. I do remember that a class mate of me, when I was 7, her mother drove one and she was a rather tall, blonde woman, she had to hunch a bit or else her head would hit that tiny car's roof. Now I find I have had so many misconceptions, simply because I never read about these cars and carbrands before. Audi - really thought it had been acquired by VW only in the past 2 decades... Opel - my dad bought one as a family car, the Kadett coupé. The sticker on the back window said GM so I figured they had been cooperating with General Motors since the 1970s... Daf - we all thought that Daf had over extended and had bankrupted its car division, with Volvo settling on the fresh cadaver and getting a real bargain. Never thought it caused Volvo big financial problems too.

I’m a fan of Audi always have been and admire there innovation and technology over the decades. Well presented, I only wish it was longer.

We all know the newer A series Audi models, but these older ones are really getting forgotten. The factory has really upgraded its image big time.

Saturday morning, sunny, coffe, cigarette and big car. Perfect start of the weekend 👍🏼👍🏼

I owned a used 97' A 8 for about 4 years. Loved it. 4.2 V8 sounded beautiful. Interior was plush and it drove through snow better than a plow. I only got rid of it because of electrical gremlins.

Not a word on the ufo internal caliper brakes...that was a world first on the V8

One thing to add.. The V8 raced in DTM with stock door trims with wood inlays.. Still they won! And.. is it a ZX80 on the shelf. Looking forward to your next non-car video ;) Beeing a full blooded Audiot I have had a 4.2.. Great fun, with a 01E manual gearbox in the ur.S4!

As a kid, we would go to the car show in Glasgow every year. The finest car I ever sat in was a bright red Audi 200 Avant Quattro. Silly name. Gorgeous big bus. Closest I got was a 350,000 km Audi 90 with the V6. That thing pulled like a train.

Here’s another fun fact about Audi 100 in China: German engineers managed to fit in a Chrysler engine into it. This was due to a cost cutting measure proposed by Chinese engineers in China, demanding that they must take a good advantage of what they had in hand. Back then Chrysler tried to cooperate with Chinese companies, but they eventually abandoned it, leaving but one Chrysler engine assembly line behind. Since Chinese engineers did not want to waste anything they got, they asked Audi engineers to do it, and the result was really funny: lots of Audi 100 built in China were actually fitted with Chrysler engines.

I have 1987 Audi 100 CS and 1988 Audi Coupé. Such a great cars, still almost rustless and easily restorable

Another interesting and well presented episode. Thanks

Nicest car i ever had He didnt mention that when you open the Doors with the remote The seat started moving in your position (one key for you and one for your wife) mirrors started moving Radio went to your station with your audio settings and the climate control went in your preset This all was build in 1993

I may be odd, but I think that the V8 looks more modern than either the car that replaced it or the newer Mercedes mentioned here. 80's Audis were low-slung, aerodynamic and sporty looking, while the other cars I mentioned look bloated and dull.

My wife's uncle traded in his Jaguar for a new 300 Tresser back in the day, in 1980's glorious gold none the less! He loved it, thought he loved audis so then traded it in Hatchback quatro that he hated instantly on discovering his golf clubs and trolley wouldn't fit in the back. He tried getting his 300 back but it was long gone, to a buyer in Germany of all places, who refused to sell it back at any cost. Peace Charlie 🇬🇧

I remember as a kid my family had a Audi 5000. It use to cut off every time it rained

Has to be the best presented and visually video so far on this channel like the new style

After seeing lots of well-proportioned 1980s/90s cars we are presented at 15:30 with two bizarre designs of today, instead of understatement and timeless designs we nowadays get grotesque oversized grilles and aggressive-shaped headlights. I feel like a number of styling trends are going into a totally wrong direction. Why do designers think customers want crazy anime monster style cars? Or is this a sign I'm getting old? Yes I'm now over 50, I just think design of expensive investment goods such as cars must be something that lasts, not something that follows short-living trends.

Facts better than bloopers, thank you for another great video!

Why you don't have more subscribers, is beyond my understanding... Great content once again! Cheers

Thank you. My dad always had Audi's, and I really disliked them, and the only 2 I ever liked was one from the 70's, I think it was a Coupe S, it looked sort of like a sporty Passat and the other one was an 80's quattro that I watched a guy called Sarel van der Merwe racing around on a track, and every time he came into the corner it made this weird noise that I had never heard before and my dad said it was from something called a turbo, and I was just a little kid, and had no idea what a turbo was, but I knew from that moment that I loved turbo's.

I had two 200's. The first was the turbo saloon and the 2nd was the turbo quattro avant. The saloon had more lag(or felt like it) and you had to put your foot down well before the apex ready for the turbo to kick in. The avant was incredible and I'd taken it off road looking for mates out shooting. With hindsight, I was lucky I didn't get stuck but with diff lock, I never did. Probably the most fun estate I've had apart from an E430 estate.

Great video of a car that I LOVED! BTW, The second generation 100 also had an avant version, allthough it was more like a fastback. Another point of interest, The 100 and 200 was assembled in South Africa. The third an fourth generation models were sold as 400, 500, and turbo.

My fav all times flagship sedan

One of the nicest Audi's in the mid 90's Audi RS 2 station wagon. Which was a Porsche in Audi disguise. One of the best high performance and solidly built station wagons ever. As for the Audi V8 engines, not heard too much good regarding them. That they are designed, built and situated in their cars ass backwards making them a nightmare for maintenance.

80s and 90s audis are great no rust problem and good engines

I used to work at a vw/Audi dealer between 95 and 2001. One thing that always reminds me, is the braking system at the front. The brake disc are very special... And you're right.... Expensive 😂😂.

very well told story with premium production quality

I enjoy the video but you got one thing backwards. The rover 800 was their version of the Acura legend. That was a Honda from top to bottom

Sorry Doug demuro, my new favorite car channel

i had three audis and the engines were fantastic

Awesome video! I have a Audi V8 Lang, one of the 273 built. Very cool and quirky car, very long but maneuverable.

So why did you ignore the A6 4.2q sport and S6 that had the C5? body shape, 310 and 350bhp respectively with virtually every extra offered a very complete and competent car. I know some folks criticised the handling as being not as sharp as BMW's, but for most folk thecapability of the car way outweighed their driving ability. Also for the A6 version, only 32, yes 32 ever registered in UK, a very much underated car

I remember when the V8 first came out: I loved it. A very neat design with the grille incorporated into the grille, that would become a common design feature on subsequent Audi models. I was under the impression that the V8 replaced the 200 though. I couldn't remember both models being on sale at the same time, at least in the UK. 🤔

Nice story, well told! However, you missed one of the best bits: Piechs solution for brakes! That’s a good story all by itself.

Great documentary Sir. I still miss my -92 S4 with the 2.2 Turbo.

The cars looked so much better in the past. Especially bmw and the audi.

Interesting video. I quite like the factoids at the end as opposed to the bloopers 👍

Still remember the V8 with fondness.Worked at a VW/Audi dealership before the brands split up.But oh boy look at Audi now....