With an enlarged turbocharger and some tuning, the Audi RS3 can be transformed into a supercar slayer and that’s exactly what this example is.
Featured in a recent video from AutoTopNL, this RS3 features a modified version of the car’s standard 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder. Ordinarily, this engine is good for 395 hp and 354 lb-ft (480 Nm) but is now churning out an extraordinary 666 hp and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm), meaning it has more power than an Audi R8 V10.
It’s hardly a surprise then that this RS3 launches off the line at blistering speeds, hitting 62 mph (100 km/h) in a GPS-verified 3.21 seconds, recording a 0-124 mph (200 km/h) time of 9.62 seconds, and sprinting down the quarter-mile in just 10.74 seconds. It ultimately tops out at 193 mph (311 km/h).
Meanwhile, Audi has launched a new generation of the RS3. It is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine like its predecessor, delivering 394 hp and 368 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque in European guise and up to 401 hp in US-spec. It can hit 62 mph in 3.8 seconds and a 180 mph (290 km/h) top speed, and it broke the record for the fastest compact production car at the Nürburgring by posting a 7:40.748 lap time.
One particularly important update made to the new car is the fitment of an ‘RS Torque Splitter’ that replaces the rear differential, allowing for active and fully variable torque vectoring through the rear wheels. It also adds a drift mode that promises to make the car even more fun to drive.