Limited-run £180k estate uses carbonfibre and revised aero to deliver on GTO concept’s promise
JONATHAN BRYCE
Audi has unveiled the RS6 GT as a limited-run celebration of its V8 super-estate, as it embarks on a wide-reaching electrification programme that is set to usher in a plug-in hybrid RS6 in the next two years.
Complete with performance-enhancing aero tweaks, bespoke carbonfibre body panels, an outlandish retro livery and a marked price increase over the standard car, the special edition will be limited to just 660 examples worldwide, 60 of which will be sold in the UK.
The model is effectively a road-legal evolution of the radical RS6 GTO concept – created in 2020 by a team of Audi apprentices with inspiration from the firm’s legendary 1989 IMSA GTO race car – and is based on the top-rung Performance version of the RS6.
Autocar exclusively revealed last year that a “more extreme” RS6 was inbound after then Audi Sport boss Sebastian Grams told us: “We can go even further. We can make the car even stronger, even more performance, even sharper…”
Speaking at the car’s launch, Audi Sport managing director Rolf Michl told Autocar that when the 2020 concept was revealed, it was not guaranteed to become a production car. He said: “Every RS has to fulfil a certain role, so internally it was a really tough discussion for us. The commitment was that we have to stick as close as possible to the GTO concept but always reflect the characteristics of an RS.
“Then the team had to work as quickly as possible because even doing things like a carbonfibre bonnet or fenders, it is huge.”
Michl stopped short of confirming whether this is the last V8-powered car from Audi Sport, but he went on to explain that it was more a “showcase of new materials” than a “final vision” for the firm.
For example, it is the first Audi to use carbonfibre for the bonnet and wings and also employs this material on its wheels.
Michl said: “We wanted to showcase [new materials] because carbonfibre is one of the basics in racing and the reduction of unsprung masses is always an aim. So with that, we just wanted to show how we could even improve a car with several attachments and make technology visible.”
The RS6 GT is designed to look as close to the GTO concept as possible. It comes with a bespoke livery in two “one-of-a-kind” paint finishes:
