News Source: topspeed.com

In the midst of all the anniversaries and celebrations automakers have lined up for this year, it’s easy to forget that one model is actually celebrating an anniversary of its own in 2016. Audi  has yet to make a big fuss about it, so let me do the honors. The Audi S8  is turning 20 years old this year. Yes, it was first introduced in 1996 as Audi’s answer to the growing popularity of performance-oriented luxury models in the late 1990s. Since then, the S8  has held that mantle proudly and to commemorate it being a year away from legal drinking age, German tuner MTM is bringing an updated version of its Talladega program for the S8 at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. 

The car is officially called the S8 Talladega R, which is pretty much a souped-up version of the Talladega S that the aftermarket company introduced exactly a year ago at the 2015 staging of the biggest auto show  in the world. Whether MTM  intended the Talladega R to be a celebratory program is unclear, but what I do know is that it’s faster and more powerful than last year’s version. It’s also a little more provocative to look at, thanks in part to that camouflage wrap that MTM thought would look good on the S8.

Overall, it’s not the nicest S8 to look at, but where it felt a little overboard in one aspect, it more than made up for in another. With that kind of power, I don’t think the S8 Talladega R is the kind of car you’d want to see in your rearview mirror. As the performance variant of Audi’s flagship model, the S8 does open itself up to exterior upgrades that push the envelop from a cosmetic point of view. Well, MTM really took a lot of liberties to make sure that happened here. The three-tone, red, grey, and black camouflage doesn’t do it for me, not because I don’t like it, but because it doesn’t really vibe well with the status of the S8. Put this on the R8 and I’m sold. But other than this particular nit-pick, MTM did do an impressive job adding a custom aerodynamic kit made up of a front spoiler with carbon inlets, new side sills, carbon rear diffuser, side mirror caps, and a rear spoiler. Rounding out the extensive exterior upgrades on the S8 is a new set of 22-inch Bisimoto alloy wheels. These rims are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport 265/30ZR tires and are complemented by full size carbon ceramic brakes. The interior is as dressed up as you can imagine, given how much Audi has already put in on the S8’s cabin. Without taking too much away from the sedan’s already luxurious interior, MTM’s imprint on the cabin was limited to a pair of RS front sport seats with carbon seat covers, RS back seats, and RS door panels. The tuner’s noted honeycomb stitching is also present throughout the interior, specifically in the seats, door panels, and the cover of the center compartment.

Just like its new tuning kit for the Audi RS3, MTM’s program for the S8 Talladega R, involves adding more power to a program that already exists. Remember the Talladega S? That version had a little over 700 horsepower on tap. This one, though, is on another level as the German tuner put in the work to extract more power out of the sedan’s 4.0-liter biturbo V-8 engine. The result is 802 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 698 pound-feet of torque from 2,250 to 5,500 rpm. That’s a far cry from the S8’s standard output of 520 horsepower and 481 pound-feet of torque.

With these changes in place, the S8 Talladega R is capable of sprinting from 0 to 62 mph in an incredible 3.1 seconds. That’s supercar territory. Just as impressive is its 0-to-124 mph time of less than 10 seconds and its 0-to-186 mph time of under 29 seconds. Top speed sits at 217 mph, which competes with the likes of the Lamborghini Aventador. If that doesn’t tell you what the S8 Talladega S8 is capable of when it gets angry, I don’t know what will. The whole package will cost a customer roughly around $243,000. That includes the donor car, which in itself is priced from $114,900. Do the math and the entire kit costs a little more than the actual S8 itself. Granted, the changes do make a big difference to the luxury performance sedan. More importantly, you’d still be hard-pressed to find another car that can put out that much power and performance at that price range, even if it’s a little steep at first glance. It’s all relative, right? This is a mixed bag for me, but for the most part, I’m on board with this tuning program from MTM. The engine upgrade is incredible and it goes to show the range of MTM’s tuning prowess and the ability of the S8 to be equal parts luxury car and supercar at the same time. I’m not as sold on the camouflage print because I think it takes too much away from the S8’s luxurious looks, but in a case of likes versus dislikes, I like this program more than I dislike it.