Audi A8 comes of age with Edition 21 special edition (UK only)

[mikeavelli]

http://www.evo.co.uk/audi/a8/16395/audi-a8-comes-of-age-with-edition-21-special-edition

This year marks 21 years since the first Audi A8 went on sale, and Audi UK is celebrating the milestone with a special Edition 21 model of the flagship saloon.

21 years is a long time in the automotive industry – enough time for three full model cycles to pass and for modern technology to make predecessors seem archaic.

It’s a credit to Audi that the original A8’s influence can still be felt in the latest car – from its aluminium architecture to the simple, clean-cut lines of the bodywork. And while modern technology has indeed deposed that of the original – the new car is cleaner, faster, safer and filled with gadgets – they are very much cars from the same lineage.


The Edition 21’s equipment roster sets it apart from other A8s. A Sport styling package gives a nod to the looks of the high-performance S8, with redesigned front and rear bumpers and deeper side sills. Ordinarily available on standard wheelbase cars, the appearance package will also see service on long-wheelbase versions of the Edition 21.

Audi Matrix LED headlights also join the kit list, as do LED rear lights, and 20-inch double spoke alloy wheels in a titanium-look finish. Daytona grey pearl paintwork is available, a colour normally reserved for the S8.

Inside, the Edition 21 features a special design package from the Audi exclusive range, available in two colour combinations – cognac brown with black stitching, or black with red stitching. Equipment levels are otherwise similar to cars in SE Executive trim – though naturally, the Edition 21’s special positioning extends to illuminated, logo’d sill plates.

Just one engine is available, appropriate to the UK market: A 3.0 V6 TDI with 258bhp and 428lb ft of torque. The headline figure here is economy rather than performance – at 47.9mpg for standard wheelbase cars – but a 5.9-second 0-62mph sprint makes it quicker than the original S8 of 1996. An 8-speed automatic transmission is standard, as is quattro all-wheel drive.

Production is limited to 121 units for UK customers, with deliveries beginning in November. The Edition 21 starts from £72,525 on the road, £76,490 for the long wheelbase car.

 

[mikeavelli]

It just occurred to me that is the most random special edition ever in regards to a year..Not 20th anniversary but 21st

 

[Gecko]

Those seats... I'm drooling.

 

[mikeavelli]

Those seats... I'm drooling.

My thoughts as well...

 

[mmcartalk]

I always did think the A8 had a better interior (and a better paint job) than either of its two primary competitors...the BMW 7-series and Mercedes S-Class....and, of course, the standard Quattro AWD.

 

[CIF]

It just occurred to me that is the most random special edition ever in regards to a year..Not 20th anniversary but 21st

100% agreed. This is the most random, strangest year special edition ever.

 

[mmcartalk]

It just occurred to me that is the most random special edition ever in regards to a year..Not 20th anniversary but 21st

100% agreed. This is the most random, strangest year special edition ever.

Good point. The only (possible) explanation I can think of for that (and this is a long shot) is that Audi's plans currently are to produce only 121 units....hence the "21".

 

[CIF]

Good point. The only (possible) explanation I can think of for that (and this is a long shot) is that Audi's plans currently are to produce only 121 units....hence the "21".

Even if so, that would still make this a very arbitrary and odd special edition.

 

[mmcartalk]

Even if so, that would still make this a very arbitrary and odd special edition.

Yes, agreed. It does seem odd, no matter how it is explained.