Owning a 1-of-4 1990 Audi V8 5-Speed Manual
“I’ve always felt the Audi V8 was a perfect combination of luxury and sport.”
We recently covered the cool history of Audi’s shocking decision to run a full-sized sedan for its return to European racing in 1990. (If you haven’t read that, please do check it out). As a result, one of our members, Bill G from San Francisco (aka A8bil) reached out to chat with us about how much he loved the Audi V8 sedan as a whole, and that he had the chance to own a 1-of-4 1990 Audi V8 with the rare 5-speed manual transmission.
At the time, Audi was trying to play catch up to BMW and Mercedes and created a stunning, full-sized flagship sedan that performed well and cost a lot less than the competition. To think of it one way, we probably wouldn’t have the incredible Audi S8 or A8 without the groundwork laid in the early 1990s by the V8.
Here’s what it was like to own one for roughly 18 years!
What do YOU think about the Audi V8? Have you ever owned or driven one?
Let us know HERE in the forums!
AudiWorld: Tell us about your 1990 V8… specs, features, how long you owned it, etc.
Bill G: As best as I can remember, my V8 was a 3.6 liter (two 1.8 4 cyl motors grafted together), with UFO brakes, factory BBS 15″ wheels, 215/60r15 tires, titanium gray exterior, gray leather interior with factory standard Recaro sport seats (fully power). Power windows, power locks, power side mirrors. Heated seats front and rear. 5-speed manual. Headlight wipers with washer jets. And, of course, 5-speed manual transmission.
I found this car in 1990 at Rector Audi in Burlingame, CA. it was the General Manager’s car. My father purchased the car in 1990 with a few thousand miles on it (I was still in school so purchasing it then was beyond my means). My father eventually tired of shifting and he sold it to me. I owned it for roughly 11 years.
How did you come to learn it was so rare?
There were not many Audi V8s, let alone 5-speed manuals. Those that were buying them were looking at them as an alternative to BMWs and Mercs. They started coming into the secondary market in 1992 or so, but because the auto box version accelerated pretty leisurely, there really wasn’t a big enthusiast following. More brand loyalists than enthusiasts.
Quite a few started congregating at V8@audifans.com to share knowledge of how to fix the cars, etc.
When the first couple of manual owners started posting, there was keen interest from everyone about them, i.e., how many of them are out there, etc. It became quickly apparent that while there were not many 1991 V8 5-speeds, and that the 1990 was as rare as a hen’s teeth. A lot of research was done by that group on all aspects of the car.
Did you constantly have people trying to buy it off you, or was it more low-key?
Enthusiasts always wanted to buy it, but there weren’t a ton of luxury V8 sedan enthusiasts back then.
Did you make any modifications to it during your ownership?
Upgraded the sound system, and replaced the UFO brakes with the brakes from the 200. Not sure that was an “upgrade” as the UFOs had pretty good braking power, but they were heavier and pricey. The brakes off the 200 were easier to find and work on.
Based on your member signature, it looks like you spent most of the 1980s with Audi 5000s — what made your father and you decide to buy a 1990 V8?
Why not? Seriously, as much as the turbo-5 cylinders were excellent, there is nothing like a V8. Even to this day, the Audi V8 5-speed has one of the best-sounding engines I’ve ever heard. Recall that the supercar of the day was the AMG Hammer, so a sports sedan with a V8 was the object of many enthusiasts’ desire. The V8 5-speed was a reasonable facsimile, even if not the powerhouse the AMG was.
How does the V8 compare to your earlier and later Audi vehicles?
The V8 remains my favorite sedan I have owned. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but I always felt that the car was the perfect combination of luxury and sport. The closest to that car was my 2007 A8 Sport. I never drove them back to back, but they just felt similar. The V8 5-speed triggered the desire to tackle a windy road more than the D3. The V8 was the first Audi that felt “substantial”.
The 100LS was early 70’s solid, but had no power. I really liked the 5000s. It’s hard to explain to anyone who wasn’t driving cars back in the early 1980s, but US-made cars were land barges that had no identity. The Japanese were still trying to break out of the econobox genre. Volvos were stodgy. BMW’s were great, but were almost twice the price of the Audi 5000, but not twice the value.
The Audis were just great, and when the quattro came out, it was a game changer…sitting in the comfort of my car in a snowstorm, passing people lying on the ground installing tire changes. Pure joy. Look around today and AWD is offered by pretty much every manufacturer. Audi forced that change, and I would argue it was the 5000 TQ, not the ur quattro, that was the instrument of change. When people realized that AWD could be had in every shape and form of vehicle, customers started demanding it from their own brand favorite.
Any notable failures or flaws?
Where do I start….? First, as a belt-driven, interference motor, changing the belt was critical. The manual suggested it be changed at 90K miles. Ours snapped at 77K. Audi denied responsibility because it was a “maintenance” item. (Despite not having come up on the maintenance interval.) They eventually agreed to cover half the cost, but they jacked up the price so high for the repair that basically we covered the entire cost.
Second, the UFO brakes were great but they started to shudder around 90K. Third, an intermittent failure of the crank position sensors was really difficult to diagnose, until the secondary market guys started to recognize failure symptoms. Fourth, the instrument cluster failed at 39K, which was covered under warranty as it was pretty common. Fifth, the Bose system was pretty proprietary which made it harder to upgrade…and its amps started failing about 6-7 years into ownership.
What was your favorite part of the ownership experience?
It was just a great car. All told, when I sold the car in 2008, we had owned the car 18 years, and I had driven it as a daily driver for almost a decade. Every day I sat at the driver’s wheel and started the engine, it felt special. Running that engine to the redline while rowing through the gears was just a great experience. Very much similar to my 1987 Porsche 911. It was a wonderfully analog car and experience.
Do you know where your V8 ended up or is today?
There was a group of enthusiasts in Berkeley who hung out at Karmachanix. I sold it to a young guy who heard about the car from the owner who had worked on the car in the past. I sold it in 2008…no idea where it is today.
Would you recommend a V8 to anyone looking to collect and/or restore a classic Audi?
If you can find a 5-speed, unquestionably. For an auto, I’d still say yes, but I would look for the 1993 or 1994 with the 4.2L V8 engine. These cars were so overbuilt that they continued to look fresh even with a 100k+ on the odometer.
