The original A8 (Typ 4D) introduced the Audi Space Frame (an aluminium unibody rather than steel) to a full-size saloon, at a time when the technology was still novel enough that period coverage dwelt on it at length.[1] It replaced the Audi V8 and, unusually for the class, offered quattro all-wheel drive across most of its engine range rather than as an occasional option.
This is one of relatively few generations on this site where the source publishes weight per individual engine and drivetrain combination rather than one figure for the whole range: thirteen distinct weights in total, from a 1,540 kg base 2.8 to a 1,980 kg long-wheelbase W12. That precision let both trims recorded here take an exact, engine-matched kerb weight rather than an estimate.