The 597bhp Audi S8 Plus Is The Second Most Powerful Audi Ever

With no RS version ever made, the S8 has always been the most powerful version of Audi’s biggest car. And with 512bhp on tap, it’s actually more powerful - and quicker - than many of the hot RS machines. And now there’s this: the Audi S8 Plus, which is so powerful, it has more poke than any other Audi, save for the new R8 V10 Plus. Crikey.

This is all thanks to the 4.0-litre V8 getting a new engine management control and the turbochargers receiving a new inner geometry, giving a whopping output of 597bhp. There’s also a torque overboost function, which will bump the twist up from 516lb ft to 553lb ft "when required". Oh, and that latter figure is more than any other car Audi has ever built.

As you’d expect, this makes this enormous, posh four-door pretty quick: 0-62mph takes just 3.8 seconds. While there’s the usual 155mph electronic speed limit, you can have that raised to 189mph if you wish.

It’s not cheap, of course, with an on-the-road price of £97,700, but you do get extra kit as standard, including a plusher leather interior and snazzy Matrix LED headlights. It’ll be available to order from October, with first deliveries taking place in January 2016.