Driving Impressions: Audi S8; All you could want in a big, fast car; except signs that say, "Bust me!".(Brief Article)

It takes about a minute piloting Audi's all-powerful S8 executive jet to realize the pursuit of wealth and its associated trappings is good. Why? Because for a fair penny you too can sit in this seat. Less than another minute later you understand that once you reach this life stage, you really don't want anyone to know about it.

In the rarified world of high-performance Euro sedans, the Audi S8 may be the least known and least often considered on the shopping list. We don't know why this is, since we can tell you stealth speed is clean speed. Among autobahn burners like BMW's M5 and the Mercedes E55, the S8 imparts the most subtle visual statement that this is one honkin' monster of which to be wary. We like that.

Perhaps we like it because we shy from attracting attention since we've already worn boy-racer wings and suffered through spleen-pounding suspensions and itchy, twitchy steering. Perhaps we shy from alerting law enforcement officials. Maybe it's just that the thrill of flying under the radar is greater than jumping up and down and yelling to the world, ``Look at me!''

This sucker is fast. And big and smooth and stylish, too. Many things contribute to its speed, but it starts with an aluminum skeleton and body that is both rigid and light. It has a 4.2-liter 90-degree V8 at its heart that pumps out 360 hp, 40 ponies shy of what's in the BMW. (Its tugging torque rating is a respectable 317 lb-ft at 3400 rpm.) But the S8 feels much like an M5 or E55 under acceleration, thanks largely to its weight-aluminum, remember. From brief drives in Europe, and on an early morning California high desert flog, we know the S8 is stable far beyond 100 mph. It boasts big-time flexibility from the powertrain, too: 40 to ...