For The Man Who Has Everything: Audi A8 L W12 With A Leather Frau

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

I once had a Phaeton with a W12 engine – that was fun! Thank God I didn’t have to pay for it. Think of a W12 engine like two VR6 engines engaged in a hot mating ritual. In a Kamasutra-busting position, the two imaginary VR6 engines are mated together at an angle that looks like a W. V – W, get it?

If you have lots of money, you will be able to buy an Audi A8 L W12. Under the slightly confusing “Audi exclusive concept” label, this car is not a concept, but for real. If you hurry. The A8 L W12 will be built in a strictly limited and individually numbered run of 50.

At the inside, the car is fitted with Poltrona Frau leather. Never heard of it, which probably turns me into a peasant.

Frau Poltrona is said to have “an exceptionally soft, even, natural finish. There are highlights of granite gray piping on the center sections of the seat and seat backs. Leather elements on numerous parts of the interior – such as the dashboard, the center console, the tunnel, the door trims and seat consoles – round out the equipment; even the car key is trimmed in leather.”

So if you are into W12 engines and have a Poltrona Frau leather fetish, and if you don’t have to ask for the price, this car’s for you!



Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Frizzlefry Frizzlefry on Sep 14, 2011

    I love this car. But, from a driving perspective, I would rather have the S8. The A8 W12 will do 0-60 in 4.4, the 2012 S8 will do it in 4.2. Plus, in order to get the W12 it has to be the long edition...as a driver I don't care for the long version of the A8. Getting the "L" version is a gift to your passengers and I'm sure any passenger in the back will more than appreciate the room and comfort of the smaller (but still large) S8. And I am not going to be admiring the Frau Poltrona leather when I have 450+ hp to play with...I would be otherwise pre-occupied.

  • Eldard Eldard on Sep 18, 2011

    I like that color. Makes the A8's bulldozer grille less pronounced.

  • Dave Holzman My '08 Civic (stick, 159k on the clock) is my favorite car that I've ever owned. If I had to choose between the current Civic and Corolla, I'd test drive 'em (with stick), and see how they felt. But I'd be approaching this choice partial to the Civic. I would not want any sort of automatic transmission, or the turbo engine.
  • Merc190 I would say Civic Si all the way if it still revved to 8300 rpm with no turbo. But nowadays I would pick the Corolla because I think they have a more clear idea on their respective models identity and mission. I also believe Toyota has a higher standard for quality.
  • Dave Holzman I think we're mixing up a few things here. I won't swear to it, but I'd be damned surprised if they were putting fire retardant in the seats of any cars from the '50s, or even the '60s. I can't quite conjure up the new car smell of the '57 Chevy my parents bought on October 17th of that year... but I could do so--vividly--until the last five years or so. I loved that scent, and when I smelled it, I could see the snow on Hollis Street in Cambridge Mass, as one or the other parent got ready to drive me to nursery school, and I could remember staring up at the sky on Christmas Eve, 1957, wondering if I might see Santa Claus flying overhead in his sleigh. No, I don't think the fire retardant on the foam in the seats of 21st (and maybe late 20th) century cars has anything to do with new car smell. (That doesn't mean new car small lacked toxicity--it probably had some.)
  • ToolGuy Is this a website or a podcast with homework? You want me to answer the QOTD before I listen to the podcast? Last time I worked on one of our vehicles (2010 RAV4 2.5L L4) was this past week -- replaced the right front passenger window regulator (only problem turned out to be two loose screws, but went ahead and installed the new part), replaced a bulb in the dash, finally ordered new upper dash finishers (non-OEM) because I cracked one of them ~2 years ago.Looked at the mileage (157K) and scratched my head and proactively ordered plugs, coils, PCV valve, air filter and a spare oil filter, plus a new oil filter housing (for the weirdo cartridge-type filter). Those might go in tomorrow. Is this interesting to you? It ain't that interesting to me. 😉The more intriguing part to me, is I have noticed some 'blowby' (but is it) when the oil filler cap is removed which I don't think was there before. But of course I'm old and forgetful. Is it worth doing a compression test? Leakdown test? Perhaps if a guy were already replacing the plugs...
  • Crown No surprise there. The toxic chemical stew of outgassing.
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