The competition model of the Audi V8 won back-to-back Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft driver's titles in 1990 and 1991, with the championship winners being Hans-Joachim Stuck and Frank Biela respectively.

[7] The Audi V8 was specifically designed to be a top of the range 'flagship' car and included a number of luxury features as standard equipment, including leather seating and Audi's quattro all wheel drive system[3] (see standard features list).

[8] The Audi V8 created a new elevated image for the company, providing a viable alternative to established competitors such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

[8] Factory production commenced in October 1988, and ceased in November 1993,[3] although sales of completed vehicles continued in 1994.

[12][13] In addition to the standard-length model, there was also a long wheelbase (LWB), ('Lang' in German) version of the V8 (refer to the infobox for differences in dimensions).

A once-off experimental Avant (estate) version was built for the wife of former Audi CEO Ferdinand Piech.

In addition to using an all-aluminum alloy cylinder block (when the established material was grey cast iron), the camshafts were driven using a hybrid method.

A rubber/kevlar toothed timing belt, driven from the front of the crankshaft operated only the exhaust camshaft in each bank.

[7] Audi's 'trademark' quattro permanent (or semi-permanent, dependent on gearbox type) four-wheel drive system was the only offering for the drivetrain.

[4] The automatic transmission utilizes a hydraulically controlled multi-plate clutch to apportion drive between front and rear axles,[4][12] whereas the manual transmission variants utilize a Torsen type 1 Torque Sensing center differential.

[15] At the initial launch of the Audi V8, the only offering was the 3.6-litre powerplant, which displaced 3,562 cubic centimetres (217.4 cu in).

[10] In August 1991, Audi introduced a 4.2-litre engine, displacing 4,172 cubic centimetres (254.6 cu in),[16] to complement the choice of the existing 3.6-litre V8.

[3] The Audi V8 came standard with a range of features, including a BOSE audio system with eight speakers, walnut wood trim, leather interior, and heated seats.

[7] Audi developed a Group A competition version of the Audi V8 for entry into the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) (German Touring Car Championship) auto racing series equipped with a 309 kW (420 PS; 414 bhp), later 340 kW (462 PS; 456 bhp), 3.6 V8 engine and 6-speed manual transmission, and began racing with it in 1990 with Schmidt MotorSport (SMS) running the operation, and Hans-Joachim Stuck, Walter Röhrl and Frank Jelinski driving.

SMS continued with Stuck and Jelinski, while AZR raced with Frank Biela and Hubert Haupt.

[2][23][25] For the 1992 season, Audi had changed their engines to use a 180° flatplane crankshaft, which they said had been re-forged and bent from the original 90° crossplane part as used in production model.