After receiving a rather unusual request from a customer in Europe, Audi’s engineers have built the first ever (although one off) version of their flagship sedan. Called as the A8L Extended, it took almost a year to be developed.
Measuring 6.36 m in overall length, the A8L Extended gets a wheelbase of 4.22m. That’s 1.09 meters of extra wheelbase and length than the standard A8. Using the Audi Space Frame Design with aluminium, the engineers have managed to keep the concerns of rigidity and safety at bay. Thanks to the material used the weight too was kept under check.
Powering this massive behemoth is a 3.0 litre TFSI mill churning out 305.7 bhp of maximum power and 440 Nm of peak torque. Transmission is overseen by an 8 speed tiptronic gearbox. The car also gets the famous quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. The A8 L Extended has an electronically limited top speed of 250 kmph and can accelerate from standstill to 100 kmph in 7.1 second. That’s despite the fact that the car has an unladen weight of 2,418 kilos!
The folks at Audi had to extended the side sills and center tunnel using extruded aluminum sections. Inside the tunnel, these also assist with air routing. A double rear bulkhead separates the passenger compartment from the luggage compartment while the roof brings in additional aluminum profiled tubes and cross-braces. These help in providing torsional and flexural rigidity almost at par with the A8 L.
The A pillar has been completely re-built to maintain harmony in the roof line. All the passengers will be facing towards the front while the seats are upholstered with extra supple Valcona leather in velvet beige shade.
The second and the third row get electronically adjustable individual seats while the folks at the end get a continuous centre console, a rear seat entertainment system and a cool box to bring out the champagne from.
