Old Top Gear (Copyright BBC Worldwide) from 1994 Jeremy Clarkson looks at the all new and all aluminium Audi A8. Please Subscribe for more Top Gear! All songs, copyrights goes to their respective owners.
Yes, totally. My brother and I had a 96' 4.2L petrol, and 2 years ago the transmission went out so it was basically not worth to repair it since it costs about half the price of the car here.. But overall a great car, so quiet inside you lose sense of speed until you floor the pedal and hear that V8 roar..
ruzzell907 The rear tail lights still remind me of the Audi 90 series. They could have made the rear tail lights look more like A4 which came out in 1994, instead of doing a carry -over job from the previous generation.
You what mate? So cars that can drive themselves on the motorway aren’t innovative to you? There is more new technology and innovation than there ever was in the 90’s, we have 3 cylinder engine with 200 Horsepower now
@@TristanSilverwood every 10 years are with innovation. Those features in 1994 were as new as todays new features. Those power mirrors are not even in 2020 cheap cars.
I could afford this model, probably with about 200000 km and 4 previous owners and none of the electronics working and the engine tearing itself apart and... I'll stop now.
They cost next to nothing for a reason these days. They are incredibly expensive to maintain like all old luxury cars. You sort out one problem and the next problem will be waiting around the corner really.
Driving around Milton Keynes, that A8 must have come straight from VAG UK headquarters. Looking at this 1994 model, its funny how little the Audi styling theme has changed in over 20 years. They stylists must have pretty relaxed schedules!
The A8 might have been available in UK before E38 was. You must remember the month matters, as E38 was barely available starting in June for LHD markets.
In 2003 i bought a brand new A8 diesel it was best diesel I have ever had it was so good on a fuel it was like it was running on fresh Air and the power from the 4.0 was unbelievable
That's the whole point of the A8, massive understated looks. Take the badges away, and you will have a tough time to distinguish the S8 from the 3.0TDI A8, or from an 2.0TDI A6
Coincidentally I have "The Best Of Simple Minds" CD in my 2000 S8 D2 and I've only just seen this clip tonight. Now I've seen this i'm off for a completely pointless drive with track 3 "Waterfront" and track 4 "Alive And Kicking" on. This video has just reminded me of what a beautiful car the A8/S8 D2 is.
My dad test drove one of these when they landed stateside in 1997 and to ten year-old me, it felt like something from another world. I hardly ever see them anymore...shame.
@@rarestrong8256 That's not accurate, at least in terms of both 1997 and 1994. The A6 had been announced and A4 was entering production. Except A8, they were all gone in 1997. A8 was released in Oct 1996 stateside and that was over 1 year after the A4 went on sale and made a splash.
I think if you tell people in 2020 that you drive an A8, it's a statement that's well up there with owning a Merc or BMW. 26 years have been well enough to establish the A8 as a proper full-size luxury car.
@@partyjerk had an a3, and now an a4. Never had problems. Neither one of my friends had major issues. But if u drive like a tool everything will get worn out with time. What car do you suggest? :)
@@partyjerk and calling audi shitboxes is just ridiculous. Audi owned group b, one of the best 4 wheel drives ever built. But i guess you cant afford an audi so its a shitbox haha
@@Alexander_l322 it was a car accident due to speeding because of the paparazzi. The S-Klasse was actually quite safe and she would survive had she actually wore seatbelts
You can tell this video is for UK audiences as there was no mention of the Lexus LS. Americans went wild for that car in the 1990's and it redefined the whole top end sedan segment.
The LS400 was available in the UK at the time, but we'd never put it in the same bracket as the four on show here as it's not really in the same bracket, it's not really so much of a drivers car.
Nah, it's xenophobia. The idea that an Asian company cannot deliver high quality upper class motoring. A lot of folks dance around that and play silly mind games.
Sir Nigel Farage yes and that's proportionally more than we pay today thankfully because the government locked the tax escalator otherwise we would be seeing £2.50 a litre now.
I have a -94 same engine and everything, but it's been in so much dis use and leaks oil, still pulls away from everything! but even with a feather foot i struggle to go below 10L/100kms..
Let me ruin your selfesteem about your "knowledge" of cars. In the video, A8 is compared with E32 7-series and XJ introduced in mid 80's. Almost 10 years before A8. Same year A8 came out, E38 came out, and so did new XJ. Both looking way better than A8. Till this day, E38 is considered one of best looking badass cars, well sought after by enthusiasts while all 1st gen. A8 did end in scrapyards years back.
@@tanjoutcholak3538 There are 26 S-klasse from 1994 listed on Autoscout24 (whole Europe), there are 27 BMW 7er ............ and 2 Audi A8. And W140 was 3 year old model. Guess why, genius?
@@KretinoSantino 👍 They were all good cars, but Audi's crowning achievement was the D3 A8 introduced in 2002. 1994 was a big step for them, but wasn't quite there yet.
I remember as a 90s kid not quite old enough to drive always admiring Audi design. Even the Audi 80 has a timeless elegance. I'm not such a fan of their later designs though (just personal opinion) I think the 90s was peak design for them and likewise bmw. Would love to find a nice example but very difficult to find here in Ireland
Some girl of an aristocrat father sold me her '01 A8L. Still blows the Merc outta town after 20 years and still makes that '93 S-class look more like 10 years older than it is... #BuyItForLife
Audi was at its best in mid 90s till mid 00's. Very high quality cars with innovative features and above all: no nonsense syling. For me a bit what Maserati had with their Biturbo's by then. Shame nowadays Audi's are often overdesigned and driven by pushy people, more often quality issues
Because Ford copied the new Audi aesthetic for the Taurus in 1982 and used it again for the future Crown Victoria in 1987-88, which later came out in 1991. The Crown Victoria looks like the Audi, because Audi evolved their existing design language from the 80,90, 100 and V8, while Ford emulated it. Look at the Audi V8 from 1988 and then compare the boxy, yet smooth-edged for 1988 Ford LTD Crown Vic. Then look at the aerodynamic 1991.5 to 2011 Crown Victoria. I work for Ford and know the real story.
This was the best A8/S8 body design every to me. Not overdone and modern. Even in 2020 I think it still looks good! The new A8/S8 with that enormous front grille...SMH
I think the Audi does make a statement, though---it's still an upscale (and high priced) brand, and everyone recognizes that. I think today, VW is the sort of German car that delivers on some of that Audi-like performance, but without the attached prestige.
@@romeonijsse2359 I since then bought one, a -94 4,2 gave 1200 for it. best 1200 i've spent for 300hp! i fixed a few things myself and even gave it to a garage, wasn't more expensive than any other car.
Out of that bunch it's probably the one I would have. But a Lexus LS400 is better, requires much less maintenance and no AWD or Aluminium that is costly to repair.
Far better looking with stately elegance compared today's Audis....from what Jeremy says last, we can fathom that Audi's image was lower than other marquees then, but now it's a different story all together.
Most car makers even back then contracted out their Audio equipment to other manufactures. Back then I remember Blaupunkt most reputable for its Radio Reception. Sony even today is a majority cars sold supplier to Ford.
I think the guy's point was that even if luxury car manufacturers choose to use standard equipment from other vendors, that they should at least remove the labelling
In the 90s, Sony was prestigious enough for a luxury car, though. They were high price, high quality, luxury goods. Kids may have flaunted stolen Walkmen that they spent 5 years' worth of allowance on the same way kids today brag about wasting $200 on their eye-searingly colored, poorly made Nike Airs, but Sony's higher end stuff was more like New Balance than Nike: classy, understated, built to last, fairly priced for the quality product it is, and unbeatably good at its intended purpose. It would've been a bigger blow to brand image at the time if Audi *didn't* have a Sony logo on their stereos. If they engineered the sound systems in-house or contracted out debadged custom units to a dedicated supplier, it would've said that they were too cheap and too unconcerned with sound quality to buy Sony.
