Drove to Florida to catch the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona (done) and linger here for a few weeks until the Daytona 500 (not done) and enjoy the sun. Except once the race ended, I relocated to Miami with my wife, who joined me for a week to escape the brutal Virginia snowstorm (she shoveled while I enjoyed the race – I do feel bad), the Florida weather dropped to near freezing, and we dodged giant flesh-eating iguanas plummeting from trees. She flew home, the sun is back out, and I feel guilty….so putting in some “work” blogging.
Just dumb luck, I stumbled on another pair of Audis.
I found a 2015 Audi S6 unicorn with the V8 motor a good month ago, and it’s still available with low miles and a low price. Audi launched the S6 way back in 1999, the third generation ran from 2012 to 2018, and the 2015’s in the middle of that run were facelifted. Interestingly, Audi S6’s started with the 4.2 liter V8, switched to a 5.2 liter V10, the Lamborghini-derived motor (used to see these at CarMax – check this out!), back to a V8 – a twin-turbo 4.0 liter for this generation, and in 2019, transitioned to a 2.9 liter mild-hybrid six cylinder. The six has the most horsepower (444) and is the quickest to 60 mph at 4.0 seconds. But first let’s focus on the 2015 with the V8!
Nothing fancy inside the 2015 Audi S6, though it’s quite well equipped. This car has heated, cooling, and massaging leather seats, a heated steering wheel, auto cruise control, cross-traffic alert, heads up display, and maybe night vision, although it’s not a listed item, and the photographer left out that dashboard shot. The listing says it has a Bang & Olufsen audio system and a Bose audio…..it’s Bose. I’ve driven a few Audis like this and dug the motorized infotainment screen, although I can hear my Dad saying, “Just one more thing that can go wrong,” although it would be covered by MaxCare.
For a mid-size sedan, the S6 has a decent trunk, although the rear seat shot is misleading. When I scoot the seat back, there ain’t nobody sitting behind me. Your leg length may vary.
My best bud had a 2014 Audi A6 TDI (diesel) he loved – it was comfortable and strong and survived the Audi diesel scandal, but not a violent encounter with a deer in Pennsylvania, and like the turbodiesel, has ceased to be. It always felt sophisticated to me. Guess this is a facelifted model, in its own way?
The Audi S6 performs well – 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds – because of the 420 horsepower V8, All Wheel Drive, and a 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission (DSG style). It has a governed top speed limit of 155mph. The car sold new for about $75,000 a decade ago and is holding firm at $32k now. With only 29,000 miles, you can get MaxCare for another 96,000 miles of warranty-covered driving. I’d do it. Oddly, this one-owner lifetime California car is being shipped all the way to Rochester, New York. You can track it here, or keep reading to see what the 2020 Audi S6 has to offer?
Stock No: 28021737 VIN: WAUF2AFC1FN013876
The 2015 Audi S6 is a bit analogue – just five years later, the 2020 model below gives a more digital impression. More modern. To be expected. And $9,000 more expensive and yet still within unicorn territory.
The 2020 S6, the current generation, is six years old and yet still sleek. The dual-screen system below looks as contemporary as anything on the road. The 2020 model is similarly equipped to the 2015, although with more sophisticated driver assistance (hands-free?), Apple CarPlay, and an all-digital dash. Love the quilted seats and the subdued red seats. It does, in fact, have the Bang & Olufsen audio.
The 2020 S6 is powered by a 2.9-liter mild-hybrid six that makes 444 horsepower, and with an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission and again, AWD, Car and Driver made 60 mph in four seconds flat – a half-second quicker than the V8! I asked the net to simplify the choice between the 2015 S6 with a V8 and a 2020 with a V6 and got this:
2015 for classic V8 power and character.
2020 for more tech, efficiency, and refined performance.
The 2020 Audi S6 is a two-owner, accident-free car that split its time between Florida and Illinois before being listed by CarMax in Richmond, Virginia, and now being shipped to Charleston, South Carolina. It sold new for $75-80,000, not much more than the 2015 – and is now listed at $41k – with higher miles than the older 2015, though. Here’s the listing if you want to track it.
Stock No: 27845634 VIN: WAUDFAF24LN041380
2026 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona!
I think this was my ninth time attending the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the third time enjoying it from the BMW Champions Club lounge. This time, a friend flew in with his adult son, and we all made good use of the open bar. I will tell you, having been to Le Mans, the Indy500, the Daytona 500, and an occasional F1 race, the 24 Hours of Daytona is the best racing bargain out there. Access to the track, the garages, and the course’s visibility is unrivaled.
2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona Class Winners:
GTP (Overall): #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 driven by Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer, and Laurin Heinrich.
LMP2: #04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR. I don’t know what these cars are and just don’t much care. I’m sorry.
GTD Pro: #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4. Drivers were Neil Verhagen, Connor De Phillippi, Max Hesse, and Dan Harper.
GTD: #57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG GT, with Russell Ward, Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje (cool name!), and Lucas Auer behind the wheel – not all at once.
Incumbent upon me to brag that I was okay with the winners, having owned a Porsche (Etta), three BMW’s, and three Mercedes over the years – with four of those coming from CarMax! And yet, I still root for the Corvettes to win.
Annoyed that the BMW club had NASCAR beers. Below, we got to see the new BMW M5 Touring in the lounge. Want. Badly.
It was my job to entertain the Facebook crowd for the 24 Hours of Daytona with my nonsensical observations. I spend a fair amount of time working on creative writing. This silly post got more attention than pretty much everything I’ve written this year.
How about a record-setting six hours of nighttime driving under the yellow caution flag due to fog? Couldn’t see the back straightaway at all. Well, folks at the track couldn’t, and I certainly had no visibility from midnight to sunrise, where I checked into the very nasty but nearby Baymont Inn to get some rest. It’s tradition to return for sunrise, but there was none.
Still a wonderful time, and looking forward to better weather and another shot at watching the Daytona 500 in a week plus. Cheers.