ABT Transforms Audi RS6 Avant Into the Mother of All Wagons
ABT Sportsline turns the incredible Audi RS6 Avant into a 700 hp wagon-bodied supercar.
BMW has the M. Mercedes-Benz has AMG. But what does Audi have? If you knew the answer was ABT Sportsline, then you clearly know your schnitzel. The company traces its roots back to Johann Abt, a blacksmith who modified carriages. But more recently, his grandson, also Johann Abt began tuning cars in the 1950s. Think Carlo Abarth but for VW and Audi and you get the idea. ABT started tuning Audis in the 1990s, turning out some serious bahn-stormers, including this Audi RS Q8 R and this Audi RS 3 Sportback.
Most recently ABT Sportsline enhanced the Audi RS6 Avant. Finished in Tactical Green, ABT added a body kit that includes a front spoiler lip and blades, side skirts, and a rear spoiler. The stock exhaust is swapped for a stainless-steel setup with large four-inch pipes that stick out from the rear valence. The height-adjustable suspension with larger anti-roll bars lowers the car one inch closer to the ground. ABT also offers a choice of wheels. The lightweight ABT High-Performance HR flow-forming wheels in dark smoke or elegant GR alloy wheels in black. Inside, ABT added some subtle enhancements to the RS6’s already first-class interior. High-quality carbon fiber accents the seats, dashboard side panels, and shift knob.
But the real magic happens under the hood. The standard RS6 is no slouch, with a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 producing 591 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough to blast the car to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. Fast by any standard, but not ludicrously fast. To rollout on a tweaked M5, ABT bumps the power to 700 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. That’s good for a 3.1 second 0 to 60 mph time as tested by Auditography. And if you really want to act a fool, ABT will unleash 800 hp of whup-ass that should drop 0 to 60 times into the high two-second range.
Headquartered in Germany, ABT also has a presence in the United States. You can configure your RS6 Avant on their website and have the upgrades installed at a dealer near you. The $47,000 price tag is not insignificant. But neither is what you get for the price – serious upgrades in power and performance, offset by tasteful enhancements to the RS6’s appearance. More importantly, there are no trade-offs or sacrifices in reliability or everyday driveability. And it’s a cohesive package. As shown in the video, it changes the RS6 from something amazing into the mother of all performance wagons.
Photos & Video: Auditography
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