2013 Audi Quattro Concept

2013 Audi Quattro Concept

2013 Audi Quattro Concept

2013 Audi Quattro Concept

2013 Audi Quattro Concept

2013 Audi Quattro Concept

The Audi Quattro Concept looked good in France and in the flesh it needed to haul ass in convincing Sport Quattro fashion for us to not shrug our shoulders and toss back the keys.
This new wheelbase and the 7.9 inches lopped off the rear end compared to the RS5's backside overhang make it all come together. Add a now wider-seeming front and rear RS5 track width, and a roof line some 1.6 inches lower, and the proportions are all there and correct. And, like the Sport Quattro, the Audi Quattro Concept coupe does away with the rear passengers, leaving two very supportive carbon-fiber shell 40-pound Recaro performance seats.

To match the all-aluminum RS5 underpinnings, Audi has plucked and chucked the larger car's naturally aspirated 444-hp 4.2-liter V8 and left in its place the "W28" turbocharged and intercooled 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder from the TT RS to save both weight and space.

Worry not. By turning the 404-pound mill lengthwise in the engine bay and fiddling with the ECU, the Quattro Concept milks 402 hp from the unit, maxxing at 5,400 rpm, while torque hits 354 pound-feet starting at 1,600 rpm. The RS5 V8, by comparison, produces 444 horses, but torque reaches only 317 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm.

Many physical traits of the stunning Audi Quattro Concept will need to adapt for production. The greenhouse height challenges ingress and egress and the current 20-inch wheels and tires are too big for functional bliss in city-tight maneuvers. But this carnivorous monster that thrashes all current Audi RS models and weighs less than a Porsche GT3 RS will retain most of what you see here. Otherwise, what's the point?

Starting around $150,000 means automatic exclusivity for the 2013 Audi Quattro Concept. In the marketing vein of the recent heart-stopping prices for the Porsche Sport Classic and Speedster models, you say? We anticipate that this surprise Audi rebirth treatment of its one true icon will mean far more in substance and spirit than those two Porsches. The limited-run 1984 Sport Quattro also cost more than a Porsche Turbo and that didn't hurt it, so tradition marches on.