► Only 50 made
► 80bhp over standard version
► More info coming at Geneva
The RS5 is already a technically impressive car, but now tuning firm ABT have turned things up even further. If the A5 was boring for you, and the RS5 still wasn’t enough, you can now get the RS5-R, a tuned version of the tuned version of Audi’s dependable executive coupe. Fifty of the cars will be made, and we should get even more pictures, specs and price details at the 2018 Geneva motor show.
ABT RS5-R: engine
Prepared by the tuning firm ABT Sportline, the RS5-R keeps the same 2.9-litre bi-turbo V6 as the normal RS5, but gives it a tinker. That means a handsome boost in power, taking the output 443bhp to 522bhp. CEO of the tuning firm, Hans-Jürgen Abt, also promises the RS5-R will put out from 508lb ft of torque, up from 443lb ft in the ‘standard’ RS5.
As you’d expect, that increase in power also means much more speed, so the RS5-R cracks 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds instead of the RS5’s 3.9. It should sound better getting there, too: ABT has added a muffler system with four carbon tailpipes that should add to the RS5’s often underwhelming engine note.
ABT RS5-R: chassis and bodywork
Aside from the powerplant, ABT has upgraded the standard suspension with sport stabilisers and adjustable springs, while the RS5-R will also run on 21-inch rims. Visually, the RS5-R sports new, ABT-branded bodywork too, with assorted parts being made from unpainted carbon-fibre – as you’d expect from this sort of car.
We’ll update this article when we find out more about the car at the 2018 Geneva motor show