Top 6 Audi - Most Expensive Cars of All Time
Top 6 Audi - Most Expensive Cars of All Time

The Audi brand is among the most recognizable name in luxury automobiles. They are an expensive vehicle to purchase, even when ordered as a base model, and when you add all of the nifty bells and whistles and option the brand has to offer, the cost can quickly enter into the sublime.

While Audi may not fetch the prices of some other luxury brands such as the Ferrari or Bentley, they’re in the class with the rest and there is a certain degree of prestige that comes with ownership. We were curious about what the most expensive Audi ever sold at auction went for, so here are the ten most expensive Audi’s ever sold.

Here are the six most expensive Audis ever assembled:

6. 2010 Audi e-Tron Spyder Concept

Photo: Topcarrating
Photo: Topcarrating

Price: $2,700,000

The sixth most expensive Audi in the world is the 2010 Audi e-Tron Syder Concept, topping the Nanuk Quattro Concept by $700K. This is an electric car that made its first appearance to the world at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. Two electric motors power this sporty car and the 479 lb ft of torque gives it more than decent acceleration.

Not only is the e-tron Spyder a convertible, but it’s also a conventional plug-in hybrid. It features a 3.0-liter V-6 TDI turbodiesel engine driving the rear wheels and twin-electric motors driving the front wheels. Peak output from the V-6 diesel stands at 300 horsepower, while the electric motors are rated at 85 horsepower a piece.

With a 0-62 mph time of 4.4 seconds and an electrically limited top speed of 155 mph, the e-tron Spyder certainly packs a punch when it comes to sports car performance. Additionally, the e-tron Spyder isn’t about zero-emissions, it’s more about low mileage performance driving--just what we like to see. Audi’s engineers have neutered the potential of its electric-only range with, pegging it at just 31 miles and at a shockingly abysmal 37 mph maximum speed.

So what kind of mileage numbers can we expect? How ‘bout 106.92 mpg? Not bad for a car that can do 0-62 in under 5.0 seconds.

Thanks also to its low weight (3,197 pounds--respectable for a hybrid), short wheelbase and perfect 50:50 weight distribution for dynamic handling, the Audi e-tron Spyder should also be a hoot to drive around the twisty stuff.

The normal distribution of the tractive power is biased toward the rear axle, with roughly 75 percent of torque going to the rear wheels and 25 percent to the front. If an axle slips, this balance can be varied thanks to the central control of the complete all-wheel drive system in combination with the ESP. The combination of the mid-mounted TDI engine and the two electric motors at the front axle also make it possible to intelligently control the dynamics of the e-tron.

5. 2010 Audi e-tron Detroit show car

Photo: Wikipedia
Photo: Wikipedia

Price: $2,700,000

This was a smaller version of the 2010 Audi e-tron. The brand thought it appropriate to debut the new sweetheart of a luxury car at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. It tied with the Spyder at $2.7 million.

Two asynchronous electric motors with a total output of 150 kilowatts (204 hp) give the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron the performance of a genuine sports car. The concept car can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 – 62.14 mph) in 5.9 seconds if necessary, and goes from 60 to 120 km/h (37.28 – 74.56 mph) in 5.1 seconds, according to Topspeed.

With the mid-engine proportions gone--this is an electric car, after all, and with the motors mounted inboard of two wheels, the powertrain is highly reconfigurable--the e-tron looks more like a classic front-engined sports coupe. It is also a very compact design, with a wheelbase of just 95.67 inches--that's 8.66 inches shorter than the R8.

Unlike the previous e-tron concepts, the latest uses two electric motors instead of four, driving the rear axle. By only driving the rear wheels, the new e-tron concept is able to maintain Audi's desired weight distribution of 40:60 front:rear despite looking like a front-engine (and therefore front-heavy, or at least 50:50) car. The battery unit sits just in front of the rear wheels, and checks in at a hefty 879 pounds.

Styling, aside from the different proportions, follows essentially in lock step with previous e-tron concepts, including the trapezoidal grille, LED headlights and taillights, and generally high-tech, sweeping curves terminated in crisp edges.

To help keep weight down and therefore maximize range of the battery pack, the body's structure is made with Audi's Space Frame (ASF) technology, which combines aluminum and carbon fiber reinforced composites. The high-tech materials allow the lightweight structure to maintain the rigidity necessary without the bulk of steel. Total curb weight of the new e-tron: 2,976 pounds.

4. 2009 Audi e-Tron Concept

Photo: Autoblog
Photo: Autoblog

Price: $3,000,000

The Audi e-tron Concept, a high-performance sports car with a purely electric drive system. Four motors - two each at the front and rear axles - drive the wheels, making the concept car a true quattro. Producing 230 kW (313 hp) and 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 lb-ft) of torque, the two-seater accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (0 - 62.14 mph) in 4.8 seconds, and from 60 to 120 km/h (37.28 - 74.56 mph) in 4.1 seconds. The lithium-ion battery provides a truly useable energy content of 42.4 kilowatt hours to enable a range of approximately 248 kilometers.

The performance figures are by no means the only evidence of the consistent and holistic strategy. The design makes it clear that the Audi e-tron Concept belongs in the major leagues of sports cars, and the package takes into account the specific realities of an electric vehicle. The battery is directly behind the passenger cabin for an optimal center of gravity and axle load distribution.

The Audi e-tron Concept is able to freely distribute the powerful torque of its four electric motors to the wheels as required. This so-called torque vectoring allows for dazzling dynamics and an undreamed-of level of agility and precision when cornering.

3. 2000 Audi Rosemeyer Concept

Photo: Motor1
Photo: Motor1

Price: $3,000,000

The Rosemeyer Concept which debuted in 2000 definitely had a one of a kind look. It was an Audi the likes of which the world had never seen before. What really put this edition over the top n value was the high performance and the incredible detail work that went into ever inch of the car which featured carbon fiber, the highest possible leather material and brushed aluminum. We thought that the adjustable racing pedals were also a nice touch.

Named after the legendary race car driver Bernd Rosemeyer, the concept saw the light of day a year after the Bentley Hunaudières with which it shared the monstrous W16 8.0-liter naturally aspirated engine. Bugatti slapped on four turbochargers for the 2001 Veyron concept before putting it into production from 2005 until 2015. A heavily upgraded version of the engine still exists today in the new Chiron.

With 700 horsepower (522 kilowatts) and 561 pound-feet (760 Newton-meters) on tap without going down the turbocharging route, Audi said the Rosemeyer would do 217 mph (350 kph). 17 years later, that’s still more than the R8 V10 Plus Coupe able to hit “only” 205 mph (330 kph).

2. 1991 Audi Avus Quattro Concept

Photo: Motor1
Photo: Motor1

Price: $3,000,000

The Avus Concept is one of those vehicles that the other automakers couldn’t replicate. This was one of the leanest and sportiest Audi’s made and it fetched a handsome price tag of a cool $3 million, tying it with the Rosemeyer Concept for 2000. It’s worth a small fortune, however, it’s not the most expensive Audi that has ever sold, but it comes in second, Moneyinc noted.

The Avus quattro's engine was supposed to be a 6.0 L 60-valve 12-cylinder engine producing 509 hp (380 kW), capable of accelerating the car from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in about 3 seconds and a top speed of 211 mph (340 km/h). The exact car shown at the Tokyo Motor Show, however, had a dummy made of carefully painted wood and plastic for an engine because at the time, such a powertrain was still in development; Audi-made W12 engines were not available to buyers until Audi presented its flagship A8 a few years later.

1. 2003 Audi LeMans Concept

Photo: Mad4wheels
Photo: Mad4wheels

Price: $5,000,000

The concept is being showcased together with the range-topping second-gen R8 V10 Plus and really it's hard to imagine there's a 12-year difference between the two. Both of them share a V10 engine, but in the concept it was a twin-turbo version with a 5.0-liter displacement whereas in the production car it's a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter, with both packing a 610 PS punch. There's a substantial torque gap between the two as the concept has 750 Nm compared to the 560 Nm of the road-going car.

Although it has more torque, the concept is substantially heavier at 1,530 kg compared to the R8 V10 Plus which tips the scales at 1,454 kg. That being said, it would be very interesting to see both cars dueling on track to observe the hardware developments made during these past 12 years.

The most expensive Audi to ever sell of all time was the 2003 Audi LeMans Concept. It sold for the crazy high amount of $5 million. How in the world did this car every get to be so expensive? First, it’s an Audi, an second, it’s a rare car with a 5 liter engine that cranks 610 bhp and it can reach a top speed of 345 kph. It’s fast, stylish, comfortable and one of the most beautiful examples of perfection in design and workmanship This is without a doubt one of the sweetest Audis ever released for sale to the public.
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