A great reader scoop this one: fan of CAR Magazine Ignacio Sabate was on holiday in the south of France when he spotted a revved-up Audi A7 in his rear-view mirror.
We’re not quite sure whether this is the new Audi S7 or RS7, but there are numerous clues to convince us that this is one of the high-performance A7s in the pipeline: the pop-up spoiler, lowered stance and big disc brakes clearly visible in his spy photos all give the spot credibility.
Over to you, Ignacio Sabate
‘A little more than a month ago my family and I encountered this camoflagued car testing on the highway on our way to our vacation in Cannes, France,’ he tells us.
‘Only now have I got internet access, so please forgive the delay. I presume that it is the new Audi S7 or the RS7 due to the bootlid spoiler, large exhausts, large wheels, and a beefy body kit. This car also has the distinctive Audi LED lights and it was rapily and closely following a red Audi A1.
‘Once the driver realised that we were photographing him, he promptly sped off.’
Audi S7 or RS7: the hardware
Our info suggests that the new S7 and RS7 are likely to appear after 2012 – enough time to let the new A7 range bed in.
This aren’t flights of fancy: insiders at Ingolstadt have confirmed the existence of both projects to CAR Magazine, and we hear they’ll use a new group-wide 4.0-litre V8 engine.
With twin turbos, the S7 will produce some 400bhp, while a higher boost will liberate up to 550bhp for the RS7. The Lambo-sourced V10 is being dumped for reasons of emissions and general profligacy; as we’re seeing sweeping the industry, the trend for smaller capacity, turbocharged engines continues unabated.
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