Junkyard Gem: 2007 Audi A8

Audi moved steadily higher on the prestige pyramid during the 1980s, with the mighty Audi V8 inching ever closer to its BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class rivals in the performance, snob-appeal and price tag departments. When it came time to design the V8’s successor, the A8, Audi went with a radical all-aluminum unibody structure and added a big helping of horsepower and electronic gadgetry. The A8 first went on sale in the United States as a 1997 model; the second-generation version made its debut as a 2003 model. Here’s one of those second-generation A8s, found in a Denver self-service car graveyard.

Audi’s first production vehicle to use the ASF (Audi Space Frame) was the 1994 A8, and the company still (justifiably) issues regular ASF brags after more than 500,000 ASF-based vehicles produced.

This is the most affordable A8 model for ’07, a short-wheelbase car with V8 engine. Even so, its MSRP was an impressive $68,900, or about $104,517 in 2023 dollars.

This is the 4.2-liter V8 engine with direct injection, rated at 350 horsepower and 325 pound-feet. The A8’s VW-badged sibling, the Phaeton, also got the 4.2. This one sits so low in the engine compartment because some junkyard shopper has purchased the transmission. Let’s hope it was a good one!

The only transmission available here was a six-speed automatic with Tiptronic gear selection, and all 2007 A8s sold in North America were equipped with Quattro all-wheel-drive.

This car is equipped with the joystick-based 2G version of Audi’s Multi Media Interface system, which was science-fiction stuff for the middle 2000s.

The interior looks good and the body doesn’t show any serious damage. Why did such a masterpiece of design and technology meet this fate?

The thing about owning an example of modern European luxury machinery is that you cannot skimp on maintenance and repairs if you plan to keep yours on the road for long. The A8 has always been big, sophisticated and full of leading-edge hardware; deferred maintenance and/or neglected fixes will bite you with a quickness you won’t see with, say, a Chevy Impala of the same era. Yes, you can buy a 15-year-old A8 for a price that’s ballpark-similar to that of a 15-year-old Impala, but mathematicians invented logarithmic scales in part to help you understand the difference in cost between a typical A8 repair and a typical Impala repair.

We can assume this car’s third or fourth owner was overjoyed by the low cost of admission to the world of high-end European luxury. Soon enough, one expensive problem after another cropped up. Perhaps a Fresh Shave Car-Freshner Little Tree would help!