High-performance 2008 RS 4 Cabriolet delivered to the U.S. before calling Canada home, blacker than the blackest black, times infinity.
The B7 Audi A4 had two notable things going for it. One: it was the only generation of the A4 to include a cabriolet in the lineup. Two: it witnessed the return of the RS 4, which had disappeared after the first-gen A4 gave way to the second. And while the first RS 4 was only available in Avant form, the second could be had as a droptop, a handful of which were sold in the U.S. between 2006 and 2008.
Like this one. One of the last RS 4 Cabriolets to arrive in the U.S., it now appears on Bring a Trailer from Canada ready for a new home.
This black-on-black 2008 RS 4 Cabriolet first landed in a Pennsylvania dealership before its current owner brought it to Canada in December 2009. And it is black than the blackest black, times infinity. From the soft top to the wheels, this RS 4 haunts the open road in total darkness.
Under the hood, though, is a much more colorful story. Like all RS 4s of the time, the RS 4 Cabriolet leaves it all on the highway with a 4.2-liter V8. Back in the day, it made 420 horses and 317 lb-ft of torque, all of which hit the corners of the quattro system via a six-speed manual. It might be packing more punch these days, though, as the only mods to the big V8 include a REVO tuning chip and Milltek exhaust.
Under the soft top (or sun, depending), the black leather seating is accented by black carbon fiber and matte silver trim. The instrument cluster includes a 200-mph speedometer, which says quite a lot about what to expect from this RS 4 Cabriolet. The OEM satnav still looks as good now as it did in 2008.
The RS 4 is already a beast on the road. The fact that, at one time, it could be had as a soft top blows away the mind (not to mention everyone’s hairstyles). The closest anyone can get to the RS 4 Cabriolet these days is the R8 Spyder. What a time the turn of the millennium was.
Photos: Bring a Trailer
Cameron Aubernon’s path to automotive journalism began in the early New ’10s. Back then, a friend of hers thought she was an independent fashion blogger.
Aubernon wasn’t, so she became one, covering fashion in her own way for the next few years.
From there, she’s written for: Louisville.com/Louisville Magazine, Insider Louisville, The Voice-Tribune/The Voice, TOPS Louisville, Jeffersontown Magazine, Dispatches Europe, The Truth About Cars, Automotive News, Yahoo Autos, RideApart, Hagerty, and Street Trucks.
Aubernon also served as the editor-in-chief of a short-lived online society publication in Louisville, Kentucky, interned at the city’s NPR affiliate, WFPL-FM, and was the de facto publicist-in-residence for a communal art space near the University of Louisville.
Aubernon is a member of the International Motor Press Association, and the Washington Automotive Press Association.
