MODEL: Audi S6 plus Sedan
ERA: Audi Modern Era
MODEL FAMILY: S6
GENERATION: C4 / Type 4A
INTERNAL PROJECT: Q1
MODEL YEAR: 1997
INTRODUCTION: 1996 Geneva Motor Show
PRODUCTION: 1996–1997
MANUFACTURER: quattro GmbH / AUDI AG
ASSEMBLY: Neckarsulm, Germany
BODY STYLE: Sedan
DRIVETRAIN: Front-engine, quattro permanent all-wheel drive
ENGINE: 4.2-liter naturally aspirated 32-valve V8
OUTPUT: 240 kW / 326 PS (322 hp)
TORQUE: 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) at 3,500 rpm
TRANSMISSION: Six-speed manual
TOP SPEED: 250 km/h (155 mph), electronically limited
PRODUCTION TOTAL: 97 sedans; 952 S6 plus models including 855 Avants, according to published accounts
OVERVIEW
The Audi S6 plus Sedan was the rarer of the two body styles offered for quattro GmbH’s first complete automobile. Developed jointly with AUDI AG under the internal designation “Project Q1,” the S6 plus transformed the C4-generation S6 4.2 through a comprehensively reworked V8, shorter transmission ratios, revised running gear and a more exclusive specification.
quattro GmbH presented the S6 plus at the Geneva Motor Show in the spring of 1996 and offered it as both a sedan and an Avant. Published production figures generally place the 16-month run at 952 cars, of which only 97 were sedans. While the more practical Avant established the high-performance wagon formula that would become closely associated with quattro GmbH, the exceptionally scarce sedan represented the same engineering program in a more traditional sports-sedan form.
QUATTRO GMBH BECOMES A MANUFACTURER
Founded in 1983, quattro GmbH initially focused on protecting and extending the quattro identity through accessories, merchandise and vehicle individualization. By 1995, its personalization work had developed into the program now known as Audi exclusive. The following year, the Audi subsidiary became a vehicle manufacturer in its own right.
The S6 plus was the first production model to emerge from that transition. At its Geneva premiere, quattro GmbH Managing Director Rudolf Gölz described the company’s expanded ambition: “Today, our brand is mature enough to offer complete vehicles in the exclusive niche segment.”
The period catalogue echoed that message, introducing the S6 plus as the first complete vehicle offered by quattro GmbH. It promised the performance and handling of a sports car together with the functionality, comfort and equipment expected of an executive sedan.
The S6 plus was developed jointly by quattro GmbH and AUDI AG rather than being an independently conceived quattro GmbH model like the later B5 RS 4. Nevertheless, Project Q1 provided the company with its first opportunity to engineer, specify and market a complete high-performance automobile.
ENGINE AND DRIVETRAIN
The S6 plus used a substantially revised version of the 4.2-liter, 32-valve V8 found in the regular Audi S6 4.2. quattro GmbH increased output from 213 kW / 290 PS to 240 kW / 326 PS, with peak torque rising to 400 Nm at 3,500 rpm.
The engine received the rotary-valve variable intake manifold from the Audi A8 4.2 quattro, a larger mass-airflow sensor and an optimized exhaust system. Revised intake camshafts provided increased lift and altered timing, while mechanical valve-lash adjustment replaced the production engine’s hydraulic arrangement on the intake side. The compression ratio increased from 10.8:1 to 11.6:1 and a dedicated engine-management system coordinated the mechanical changes.
Power was delivered exclusively through a six-speed manual transmission and quattro permanent all-wheel drive. Compared with the standard S6, the transmission used shorter ratios from third gear onward. Audi quoted acceleration from rest to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds, while maximum speed was electronically limited to 250 km/h.
A sport suspension, wider tires and uprated braking and running-gear components complemented the additional power. The resulting car retained the refinement and long-distance capability of the C4 S6 while moving its performance closer to that of contemporary sports cars.
DESIGN
The S6 plus Sedan maintained the restrained appearance of the C4-generation S6. Its principal visual distinctions included six-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels, subtly flared wheel arches, a black-painted radiator-grille frame and additional exterior elements finished in black.
Model-specific emblems appeared at the front and rear. These combined a red Audi rhombus with blue and silver bars, providing a visual predecessor to the identifying devices used on later high-performance models from quattro GmbH.
Unlike the S6 plus Avant, the sedan did not require a model-specific roof spoiler. Its conventional three-box profile made the car still more discreet, with relatively little to reveal the extent of the engineering work beneath the surface.
The original catalogue characterized that combination as one of “innate energy” and “outward restraint.” It became a recurring principle in the high-performance road cars later developed by quattro GmbH and Audi Sport GmbH.
INTERIOR
The S6 plus cabin combined the familiar C4 architecture with materials, colors and details selected by quattro GmbH. Leather and Alcantara upholstery was offered in Nogaro Blue, silver gray or anthracite. Anthracite natural leather provided a more traditional alternative.
Instrument faces were available in blue, light gray or anthracite and were paired with black trim rings. Carbon-fiber inlays reinforced the sporting specification, while burr walnut could be ordered by customers who preferred a more formal appearance.
Sports seats, a leather-covered sport steering wheel, auxiliary instruments, air conditioning and the six-speed manual transmission distinguished the S6 plus from the standard S6 4.2. Customers could also commission other Audi exterior colors, paint-to-sample finishes and more individualized interior treatments through quattro GmbH.
COLORS
The March 1996 launch catalogue highlighted two exclusive exterior colors:
- Nogaro Blue pearl effect
- Misano Red pearl effect
Additional colors from the Audi range and special-request finishes were available through quattro GmbH’s vehicle-individualization service.
PRICE
The Audi S6 plus Sedan was priced at DM 116,300 in Germany, including 15 percent value-added tax. The S6 plus Avant cost DM 120,500.
The period price list described an extensive standard specification based on the S6 4.2, supplemented by equipment unique to the S6 plus. Further options remained available through the contemporary A6/S6 equipment catalogue, S6 catalogue and quattro GmbH’s individualization service.
PRODUCTION
The S6 plus was produced for approximately 16 months during 1996 and 1997 and offered for the 1997 model year. Published accounts identify a total production run of 952 cars, divided between 855 Avants and only 97 sedans. Audi’s own historical material confirms the availability of both body styles but does not publish the production split.
The sedan’s extremely small share of production makes it substantially rarer than the S6 plus Avant. It also makes the surviving cars an unusual expression of quattro GmbH’s original high-performance formula, combining the traditional proportions of an executive sedan with the company’s first production-car engineering program.
SIGNIFICANCE
The S6 plus Sedan occupies a transitional place between Audi’s established S models and the RS cars that quattro GmbH would later develop. It followed the Porsche-assisted Audi Avant RS2 but was part of the first complete vehicle range marketed by quattro GmbH itself.
Project Q1 demonstrated that the Audi subsidiary could do more than personalize an existing vehicle. quattro GmbH re-engineered the S6’s engine, transmission, chassis specification, appearance and interior to create a distinct model with its own identity and market position.
The B5 RS 4 Avant would subsequently become the first RS model independently developed and brought to production by quattro GmbH. The S6 plus established much of the underlying formula four years earlier: greater performance, quattro all-wheel drive, limited visual differentiation, exclusive materials and everyday usability.
Although the Avant became the more influential body style, the 97 S6 plus sedans represent the rarest production expression of quattro GmbH’s first complete-car program.
KEY DATES
- Spring 1996: Audi S6 plus premieres at the Geneva Motor Show
- March 1996: German-language launch catalogue printed
- 1996: quattro GmbH becomes a vehicle manufacturer in its own right
- 1996–1997: S6 plus production run
- 1997 model year: S6 plus offered as sedan and Avant
PHOTO GALLERY
SOURCES
- quattro GmbH, S6 plus Limousine und Avant, German/English catalogue and price list, 03/96
- Audi Communications, 40 Years of Audi Sport GmbH: High-performance models made by quattro, May 15, 2023
- Dyler, The Original Audi S6 was the True Start of Fast, Luxury Audis, December 22, 2023
EDITOR’S NOTE
The factory material uses S6 plus, with a lowercase “plus.” Output is stated as 240 kW / 326 PS, equivalent to approximately 322 mechanical horsepower. Audi’s later English-language historical material describes the output as 326 hp, effectively treating PS and hp as equivalent.
The production total of 97 sedans and 855 Avants is widely cited in secondary histories. Audi’s published retrospective confirms that the S6 plus was offered in both body styles but does not provide corresponding production figures.