New Audi RS 6 Avant GT pays homage to an IMSA-GTO legend

Built to celebrate 40 years of Audi Sport, the radical new Audi RS 6 Avant GT takes the performance wagon concept to a whole new level of extreme.

Limited to 660 examples worldwide, this four-ringed flyer is instantly recognisable thanks to its striking exterior livery that references the 90 Quattro IMSA-GTO of the late 1980s.

This means you get Arkona White paintwork offset by contrasting Audi Sport decals in black, grey and red. Though this would be our choice, the RS 6 Avant GT can also be had in Nardo Gray, Chronos Gray Metallic, Madeira Brown Metallic and Mythos Black Metallic.

Other standout features include 22-inch gloss white alloy wheels, aggressive side skirts, exterior mirror caps in glossy carbon and a front end that borrows much from the RS 6 GTO. The Singleframe radiator grille and air intakes are entirely finished in high-gloss black, making the RS 6 Avant GT appear lower and wider. This is complemented by vertical blades in the front apron, a new intake grille and a more purposeful front splitter. For the first time in the history of the RS 6 Avant, Audi has deleted the wagon's roof rails.

The bonnet is fabricated out of lightweight carbon fibre as are the front fenders, which feature brake cooling ducts to increase the car's stopping potential in extreme conditions. More race car-inspired trickery is to be found at the rear of the car, where a sizeable roof mounted spoiler looms large above a shortened bumper and an enhanced air diffuser. 

The cabin is black – very black – with practically every surface covered in a layer of Audi's glare-resistant Dinamica artificial suede. Adding a subtle pop of colour to proceedings is contrast stitching and trim accents in red and copper. You also get a pair of lightweight RS bucket seats upholstered in a combination of leather and Dinamica, crimson red seatbelts, a unique centre console plaque denoting which of the 660 examples you happen to be sitting in and “RS 6 GT” lettering emblazoned across the seatbacks and on the floor mats. 

Neck-snapping performance comes courtesy the same 4.0l twin-turbocharged V8 engine employed in the RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback performance models we sampled at Kyalami racetrack towards the end of 2023. This means you get 463kW and 850Nm worth of torque: figures good enough for 0-100 km/h in a claimed 3.3 seconds and a VO2 max of 310km/h. Meshed to an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission featuring optimised software for faster shift times, power is sent to all four paws via the carmaker's Quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. A locking centre differential is fitted as standard and offers a pleasing amount of rear-axle bias (up to 85%) when the Dynamic driving mode is selected. Likewise, the Quattro sport rear differential is capable of seamlessly distributing power between the rear wheels for an even more engaging experience behind the wheel.

Traction is provided by a set of ultra-sticky Continental Sport Contact 7 285/30 R22 tyres, while stopping duties are handled by Audi's top-tier RS ceramic braking package. 

The chassis of the RS 6 Avant GT features a fully adjustable coil over suspension that lower's the car's ride height by 10mm. Thanks to a higher spring rate, triple-adjustable dampers and stiffer stabiliser bars (30% front, 80% rear), body roll during hard cornering is kept to a minimum. There's plenty scope for adjustment too, with Audi providing tools and instructions to help dial in the vehicle's handling characteristics to your exact liking. 

If this sounds like too much work, you can fit your RS 6 Avant GT with either the RS sport suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control or the RS adaptive air suspension.

Finished by hand at Audi's Böllinger Höfe facility (where the R8, e-tron GT quattro and RS e-tron GT are assembled), only one of the 660 RS 6 Avant GT models earmarked for production will be coming to South Africa. Though the price of the vehicle is yet to be confirmed, overseas markets are expected to pay in the region of R4,282,900.