Audi S8 gets 700hp courtesy of Abt

Twin-turbo V8 not punchy enough? Audi's preferred tuner can take care of that...

By Sam Sheehan / Wednesday, 10 June 2020 / Loading comments

Further proof that the combustion engine power race is never-ending comes with Abt’s latest tweak, which extracts 700hp and 649lb ft of torque from the twin-turbo V8 aboard the Audi S8. That’s a lot of heft, even for a plus-five-metre luxury saloon, trimming the 0-62mph time of the 2.3-tonne model to a scarcely believable 3.4 second. That’s a four-tenth improvement on standard and two-tenths better than a 992 Carrera 4S.

As usual, Abt’s achieved the gains – equating to 129hp and 51lb ft – with only its ECU switch, with neither the car’s eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox or its all-wheel driveline requiring any modification. Same for the active chassis hardware, which you may remember comes with Audi’s 48v active anti-roll tech that tilts the car into corners in its most aggressive modes; something that gives the car so much mechanical grip that we don’t doubt Abt’s claims the standard chassis is up to the job. The S8 is a physics-defying car out of the box.

As such, added muscle aside, this is about as discreet as Abt gets. The company does, of course, offer parts to tweak the car’s look should owners want to, but they’re minimal. The demo car wears a small carbon spoiler and Abt wheels, available in both 20- and 21-inch wheels, while inside, Abt offers a start/stop button cap and new gearbox lever cover. But in keeping with the S8’s image, the German tuner ends its list of recommended modifications there. For a £100k car with 700hp, it's about as under-the-radar as things get.