Red Avants in quattro GmbH car park

[ChrisB]

I was in Neckarsulm last week after picking up my new car from Ingolstadt, and in the quattro GmbH car park were two red S4 Avants with Kempten plates, roll cages, data logger PCs, wheel arches rolled out to fit 19" RS 6-style wheels, RS 6-style oval exhaust tips, some bright metal work behind the grilles next to the front fog lamps and a small circular gauge of some sort attached to he driver's side A pillar.

Make of that what you will...

Chris.

[TarmacTerrorist]

What I reckon you saw were -

two red S4 Avants with Kempten plates, roll cages, data logger PCs, wheel arches rolled out to fit 19" RS 6-style wheels, RS 6-style oval exhaust tips, some bright metal work behind the grilles next to the front fog lamps and a small circular gauge of some sort attached to he driver's side A pillar.

[Scotty]

I reckon you should have used your camera !

[DaveP]

Hrm....not sure on the cars, but they will have been significantly faster than the norm if they were red ones.....

[ChrisB]

I reckon you should have used your camera !

We'd already been warned about not using cameras and mobile phones with camera functions. They're keeping things pretty tight at the moment on a few fronts by the looks of it.

[RS4ever]

what were you picking up?

[TarmacTerrorist]

Certainly didn't mean to be patronising towards you in my earlier post Chris, it's just that what you saw is excatly what it was.

When we were there 12 months ago, the outside car park of the Quattro building was littered with cars that had been tinkered with in some way or another, obviously they were all being used as test beds for various different set ups.

I often think when reading these posts that we are forgeting that Audi, VAG or what ever you want to call them are a MULTI BILLION dollar operation and they will obviously have a very big budget for R+D testing. So to think they will not have tried and tested every combination for the new RS4 or others would be silly.

I would personally like to see them do a limited run of r/hand soft tops for the UK, and they would get my money straight away (with slober all over it).

I suppose as always we are just going to have to wait and see what Santa brings, is it going to be a cool gadgy of some description or just a pair of boring old socks?

[ChrisB]

what were you picking up?

A8 standard 6.0 W12, black with 19" RS 6-style wheels, black alcantara/leather seats and a few toys.

Drove it back from Ingolstadt via Neckarsulm and Calais.

[johneroberts]

A8 standard 6.0 W12, black with 19" RS 6-style wheels, black alcantara/leather seats and a few toys.

Drove it back from Ingolstadt via Neckarsulm and Calais.

Very nice
jr

[ChrisB]

Certainly didn't mean to be patronising towards you in my earlier post Chris, it's just that what you saw is excatly what it was.

No offence taken, original post did say "make of it what you will" for a reason - I'm just telling you that there were cars in the car park at quattro that were geared up as test mules, and that it looks likely a turbo solution either is or was a possibility (if nothing else this might help explain the different rumours). Audi are being deliberately difficult with the new RS 4 (as acknowledged by our guide) and I wouldn't doubt for one minute a lot of misinformation is flying out to keep everyone guessing.

[ChrisB]

Very nice

Thank you!

Having driven it some 900 miles now, I'm becoming convinced that it's faster than the RS 6 once the 0-60 sprint is out of the way. I guess it makes sense - what would you expect to be more capable, a 1.8T chipped up to 265bhp or the S4's 2.7T engine? The bigger engine making the same hp is more relaxed and more flexible in it's delivery, and 6th gear pickup from 60mph to 160mph is incredibly swift and smooth.

I did a full writeup over on the TS A8 forum if anyone's interested, and there should be some more pics up in my gallery once the relevant Stig is awoken to make an album for me.

[Scotty]

I reckon you should have used your camera !

We'd already been warned about not using cameras and mobile phones with camera functions. They're keeping things pretty tight at the moment on a few fronts by the looks of it.

I was only jesting.

When at Neckarsulm this year and Ingolstadt last year, we were allowed to shoot within the grounds but just not inside.

[ChrisB]

I was only jesting.

When at Neckarsulm this year and Ingolstadt last year, we were allowed to shoot within the grounds but just not inside.

Yes, I half thought you might be, but they are obviously being very tight at the moment as we were asked not to use cameras or mobile phones with cameras in.

They've also closed the test track to all but registered test drivers, so no joy rides with our guide either.

[Riz_RS4]

There are pictures of this Car in the little booklet with the AutoCar magazine!

Its exactly as Chris says it is..... and its pictured on the Nurb!

RS4

Riz

[quattroturbo]

I remember seeing what looked like an A8 many years ago (1995) LHD with full roll-cage and several of the items listed by ChrisB. It had Avus wheels on and Ingolstadt plates - this was in New Zealand. I believe it to be an S8 being tested.

On almost the same stretch of road, three years ago. I had just bought an Ur quattro for some fun and coming the other way were two LHD RS6s - black and with roll-cages, many un-identifiable objects inside the windscreen and again Ingolstadt plates. They were on either side of a two lane road coming straight for me and both doing at least 250km/h. About 250 to 300 meteres from where I was, they went into single file and disapeared quickly. I believe the RS6 was released soon after that.