Find of the Week: 2007 Audi S8 V10

Our Find of the Week this week is a big and powerful German sedan. It offers every luxury feature the late 2000s had to offer and it might just be the most affordable way to get a Lamborghini V10 under your hood. All for the price of a Honda Civic. It's a 2007 Audi S8.

For decades, Audi played third chair to the German luxury powerhouses of Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Mercedes offered the S-Class, BMW had the 7, but Audi stayed in the midsize class with the 100 and 200. Until the V8, which turned into the A8 after one generation.

The first generation A8 offered some tricks the other German flagships didn't. Like an all-aluminum chassis and body and all-wheel drive. In 1996, the first hot version of the A8 arrived, the S8. It offered a 4.2L V8 with up to 355 hp. A six-speed manual was available, a rarity for a car of that size and performance. It was fitted with a lowered sport suspension.

The second generation A8 arrived in 2002. The Audi got bigger, with more room for back seat passengers. It got faster and more luxurious.

In 2005, the new S8 was announced. This one got more exterior changes to set it apart from lesser models. LIke the chrome vertical strut in the grille, a trunk lid spoiler and quad-tip exhausts. And a pair of badges on the fender that let you know about the S8's real party trick. A V10 engine.

The S8 was designed while Volkswagen was on a buying spree. Bentley - after the debacle that saw Rolls and Bentley split up - Lamborghini, and Bugatti all came under the VW umbrella, joining Audi.

Because of the parts and platform sharing that followed the purchases, it was long rumoured that Audi's 5.2L V10 was the same as the Lamborghini Gallardo's 5.0L unit. While they may be related, the bore spacing is different. That means that they aren't the same engine. But we're still going to call this a Lamborghini engine.

That's because the Italian supercar maker dropped its own V10 in favour of this engine in 2006 with the LP 560-4. The same engine was also fitted in the back of Audi's own R8 V10.

In the S8, the engine makes 444 hp, 398 lb-ft of torque, and makes a sound so great (especially with an aftermarket exhaust) that it seems wrong to have it come from a four-door sedan this big.

This one was automatic only, a six-speed tiptronic unit. IT had Audi's fourth-generation quattro system with a Torsen dyamic center differential. It could sent up to 85 percent of power to the rear or up to 65 percent to the front wheels. The engine and all-wheel drive traction let the S8 hit 100 km/h in around five seconds flat.

THe S8 used the A8's multilink suspension with air springs, but the shock and spring rates were stiffened for better handling. Dual-piston front brakes were fitted, and 20-inch wheels were standard.

The S8 was also loaded with luxury features. A power-operated rear sunshade, quad-zone climate controls, and 16-way power adjustable sport seats. This car even has a Bang & Olufsen Advanced sound system and navigation on a 7.0-inch screen.

If you're looking for a fuel-sipping commuter, this isn't the car for you. If you're looking for a car that will part traffic, deliver astounding acceleration when the roads are clear, with style and interior luxury that still says six-figure sticker? For the price of a new compact sedan? Then this 2007 Audi S8, for sale in North York, ON, might be just what you're looking for.