In 1998, Audi introduced the most powerful flagship, the Audi S8 4.2 quattro, which was designed to compete with the Mercedes-Benz S63 / 65 AMG. The S8 is built on the A8 base and has the same aluminum body, standard permanent all-wheel drive quattro system and 4.2 L 40 valves (5 valves per cylinder) 90 ° V8 engine with two DOHC heads. It had 250 kW (340 hp) or 268 kW (364 hp) / 7000 rpm and 430 Nm / 3400 rpm of torque. The newly matched suspension is 20mm lower with 30% stiffer springs and 40% stiffer shock absorbers than the conventional A8. Speed-sensitive Servotronic steering is also standard. The brakes are Bosch with ABS, front-cooled 345 mm-diameter discs, rear-cooled 280 mm-diameter discs, other systems - EBD electronic brake force distribution, Bosch ESP 5.7 electronic stability system as standard. The A8 differs little from the ordinary on the outside, with only aluminum side mirrors, a chrome front grille and exhaust pipes. The Black S8 was also filmed in a street shooter in the 1998 film Ronin.