Yesterday, Autocar Magazine set 5-cylinder fans hearts aflutter with exclusive photos of an RS 3 Sportback test mule running at the Nürburgring. The car in question, the latest RS 3 Sportback, shows a larger chin, canards at the front corners and a larger carbon fiber rear wing. Though the “Autocar” logo covers the plate, it’s being reported as a factory test mule with some sort of “track-focused package”.
We don’t have rights to the photos and so far as I can tell, they’re an Autocar exclusive. Points to them on that one, so they won’t be published here, but you definitely want to click over to the Autocar website and see them. Instead, I’ve created a few renderings to reflect those changes on a production car… which we’ll get to in a moment.
ACCORDING TO AUTOCAR
Audi Sport is readying a new, track-focused version of the RS 3, intended as a celebration of the model’s five-cylinder engine – an iconic bit of core technik for the brand of vorsprung. The car, in Sportback body style, was spotted lapping the Nürburgring Nordschleife and included those aforementioned modifications.
The prototype wears a more aggressive aerodynamic package, including a pronounced front splitter, added canards, and a larger rear spoiler designed to generate greater downforce. Revised brakes, highlighted by blue calipers, suggests perhaps another technical upgrade for the model, as well as the likelihood of unique styling treatments when the production model arrives. Power output is expected to climb beyond the 401 horsepower of the RS 3 performance, possibly making this the most potent combustion-powered hot hatch on the market if it arrives as a hatchback — a direct counter to Mercedes-AMG’s 416-horsepower A45 S.
Details remain unconfirmed, but insiders indicate this could be the five-cylinder’s last stand. Audi has already acknowledged that the engine faces a challenge in order to comply with EU emissions standards. It has limited options beyond significant redevelopment or electrification. In this sense, the upcoming RS 3 echoes recent send-offs like the TT RS Iconic Edition as mentioned by Autocar… or perhaps the RS 6 Avant GT?
IT’S A SPORTBACK. WHAT ABOUT AMERICA?
Should North American enthusiasts temper expectations? Beyond the spy photos, this piece doesn’t seem to cover any of that though seems to presume not an option for America based on the bodystyle. The TT RS Iconic edition never came to America, but the RS 6 GT did.
Based on what we know, in order to bring the car to the U.S. and Canada, it’d need to be in sedan form. Fortunately, all of the modifications to this car less the rear spoiler would also work on the sedan. That the classic 5-cylinder previously peaked in the 90 IMSA GTO era and the RS 6 GT harks that, it’s a natural that the GT treatment with racing stripes and big deck lid spoiler are even more spiritually at home on a 5-cylinder sedan.
RENDERING AN RS 3 SEDAN GT
There’s no proof that this car will be labeled a “GT”, so is that even a rumor? Even still, how could you not try this given the impact the RS 6 GT had in the car community versus the rather niche TT RS Iconic edition.
What you see here are renderings made in photoshop, reflecting the changes seen on this prototype. They’re meant to simulate with realism what the car might look like, but are clearly marked as renderings so as not to deceive. The images are created for this website specifically by this author. Should other publications wish to use them, please mention and link this site and the url of this story specifically.
So, should Audi build an RS 3 GT? If so, should it be a sedan, a Sportback… all of the above?
