Find of the Day: When Audi Built the Perfect Sleeper, D2 S8 Offered Without Reserve

Ask a room full of Audi Club members to name the greatest Audi sedan ever built and there’s a good chance the D2-generation S8 will be near the top of the list. Combining lightweight aluminum construction, a naturally aspirated V8, quattro all-wheel drive, and understated styling, the original S8 helped establish Audi as a legitimate performance luxury brand long before RS models became commonplace in the United States. That’s why this 2001 Audi S8 currently listed on Bring a Trailer without reserve immediately caught our attention.

Finished in rare Andorra Red Pearl over an Ecru interior, this example is one of just nine U.S.-market 2001 S8s delivered in that color combination. Even among Audi enthusiasts, there’s a good chance you’ve never seen another one configured exactly like it. With 100,000 miles on the odometer, this isn’t a museum piece. Instead, it’s the kind of well-maintained enthusiast car that was meant to be driven and enjoyed.

Light Weight and V8 Power

Under the hood sits Audi’s legendary 4.2-liter 40-valve V8 producing 360 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque. Power is routed through a five-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and a Torsen-based quattro all-wheel-drive system. While those numbers may seem modest by modern RS standards, they were seriously impressive in 2001 and remain more than enough to move the lightweight aluminum sedan with authority.

This example also benefits from the factory 1BD sport suspension package, which lowered ride height by 20 mm while adding revised springs, dampers, and stabilizer bars. Combined with the iconic 18-inch Avus wheels, the S8 still looks purposeful more than two decades after it left Ingolstadt.

Inside, the car showcases many of the details that made the D2 so special. Heated Recaro sport seats, carbon-fiber trim, heated rear seats, Bose audio, and perhaps the coolest forgotten feature: a solar-powered sunroof that could run the cabin ventilation fan while parked in the sun.

The Carfax does note a deer strike in 2019 that resulted in replacement of the front-end components and a repaint. However, service records show continued maintenance including ignition, fuel system, suspension, and intake work over the years.

For Audi enthusiasts looking for a future classic they can actually enjoy, this rare-color D2 S8 represents one of the best expressions of peak Audi engineering currently on the market. And we didn’t even mention Ronin. Bidding ends Sunday, June 14.

View the Bring a Trailer listing here.