Driver's Notebook: Take It on the Run
April 1, 2005
Somewhere between providence and Boston, I caught a glimpse in the rearview
mirror of an unmarked Crown Vic and quickly eased off the gas. No officer would
ever believe the fiction that I lost track of my speed because Audi intended
the W12 I was piloting for peaceful and stress-free driving; although the Audi
A8 L is a superb cruiser, the W12 variant was made to slam bodies into seat
cushions and elicit exclamations of “Whoa!” from passengers.
The W12
designation refers to the car’s 6.0-liter 12-cylinder engine. The unit consists
of two narrow-angle V-6s connected at the crankshaft in a W formation. Although
it is not the simplest of designs, the compact mechanical Meisterwerk churns out
a whopping 450 hp at 6,200 rpm, and a not-inconsiderable 428 ft lbs of torque
between 4,000 and 4,700 rpm. Audi’s flagship is fast enough to give a bobblehead
a permanent neck cramp. The A8 L W12 blasts from zero to 60 in five seconds,
and finishes the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds. In-gear acceleration is equally
dramatic, and the full-size sedan catapults from any speed to its electronically
limited 130 mph top end with urgent and unending linear force. (The car’s
less-than-stellar top end is the regrettable result of its all-season tires’
safety limitations.)
The W12’s exterior continues Audi’s reputation for elegant understatement. Only
a few details indicate that the W12 is a nuclear-powered luxobarge: trunk and
side badges, trapezoidal exhaust pipes, and optional 20-inch nine-spoke wheels.
Otherwise, the W12 boasts the same brutal minimalism that makes the brand so
popular with America’s stealth wealth set. Well, except for the car’s front end.
The W12 was the first Audi to display the corporation’s single-frame grille, a
motif harking back to the Auto Union racecars of the ’30s. The W12’s bold new
countenance looks great with a Euro-style, slim-line license plate, but it fails
to achieve the expected design harmony when equipped with smaller, squarer U.S.
versions. Still, the new grille adds a welcome touch of aggression to an
otherwise demure visage. The exclusivity factor—if not the shock and awe—will
disappear when all A8s inherit the new-look nose job.
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